Chihuahua City Dispatchers Take Advantage of Sister City Opportunity
May 17, 2012: All this week six police dispatchers from Chihuahua City, Chihuahua have been in Pueblo. They are participating in the same exchange and training program that was offered to their law enforcement counterparts in April of this year. The dispatchers are receiving instruction from the Pueblo Police Department, Colorado State Patrol, Colorado Mental Health Institute of Pueblo, and Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office. The Pueblo agencies have come together to share Pueblo’s emergency dispatch capabilities through lecture, open discussion, and tours. Information and presentations included;
Orientation to Pueblo County to include tours of local attractions
Radio Technology and Dispatch Equipment
Emergency Preparedness Program Alert and Notification
Mission Specific Dispatch
Dispatcher Training and Orientation Programs
The Pueblo Sister Cities Program seeks to enrich partnerships and provide real-world learning opportunities for any and all citizens of Pueblo and its Sister Cities. Pueblo has had an eighteen year Sister City relationship with Chihuahua City. There have been numerous cultural, sporting, business and government exchanges between both cities, including a 2009 police exchange. As a multi-cultural organization, the Sister Cities Program provides local governments, businesses and countless volunteers the chance to share ideas and values.
Pueblo Police Chief Luis Velez is encouraged by the participation of a second group from Chihuahua. “When it comes to 911, I don’t know that there is better place to see quality employees, state of the art communication equipment, and interagency relationship in the whole country than there is right here in Pueblo. We made it a point to get this group to each location to emphasize that.”
On Wednesday, the group spent a large part of their day at the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Services Bureau. Sheriff Kirk M. Taylor agreed with Chief Velez. “First response begins the moment the 911 call gets answered. It is very proactive to include dispatch in the process of exchanging ideas and we are glad they made the trip.”
The city of Chihuahua is the state capital of the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It has a population of about 825,327. The predominant activity is industry, including domestic heavy, light industries, consumer goods production, and to a smaller extent maquiladoras (An assembly plant in Mexico, especially one along the border between the United States and Mexico, to which foreign materials and parts are shipped and from which the finished product is returned to the original market.) Chihuahua is approximately 672 miles from Pueblo.
May 16, 2012
Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office Taking Major Steps to Ensure Most Efficient Handling of Missing & Exploited Children 9-1-1 Calls
May 16, 2012: Emergency 9-1-1 calls regarding missing and/or sexually exploited children could be the first step towards saving a child in your community. The Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center has completed enhanced specialized training and is now better prepared to take these types of calls. The Sheriff’s Office 911 Center has recently become a National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) 9-1-1 Call Center Partner. This program acknowledges our commitment to making the safety of our children a priority. Every 9-1-1 call involving a missing and/or sexually exploited child must be handled according to best practices. To promote the adoption of these best practices, NCMEC has created the 9-1-1 Call Center Partner Program. The communications supervisors have incorporated the best practices in their policies and training material and the communications officers are making a commitment to follow these best practices.
Sheriff Kirk M. Taylor believes partnerships with the NCMEC and other organizations that set federal guidelines make the community safer. “We have the opportunity the take best practices from all over the country. In this case, it means our communications officers can get critical information right from the start, information that may lead to recovering victims and locating perpetrators that much sooner.”
Every year 800,000 children go missing in the United States. That’s more than 2,000 children per day. Calls about missing and sexually exploited children can become high profile events that have a devastating impact on the victim’s family, your community, and your call center. Every 9-1-1 call center must have in place policies and training to help ensure every missing and sexually exploited child is given the best chance to be found alive and unharmed. NCMEC is encouraging all Emergency Call Centers to become a NCMEC 9-1-1 Call Center Partner in order to obtain the skills and resources needed to respond to calls pertaining to missing and/or exploited children. To learn more about the 9-1-1 Partner Program, visit www.missingkids.com/911.
May 15, 2012
Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office Scholarship Awarded
Pueblo County Sheriff Kirk M. Taylor is pleased to announce that Miss Carly T. Cardenas is this year’s recipient of the County Sheriff’s of Colorado, CSOC scholarship award for Pueblo County.
CSOC, Colorado’s State Sheriffs’ Association, offered a total of 32 awards of $500 each this year to deserving high school and college students in Colorado to fund higher-level educational expenses for the 2012-2013 academic year.
A citizens’ committee selected the winner for each county. Committees made their selections based upon criteria established by CSOC, including ability, merit, character, sincerity, purpose, and need. Applicants were required to be full-time, legal residents and attending a Colorado university, college or trade school.
According to Chris Olson, CSOC Executive Director, this is the 33rd year for the CSOC scholarship program. Monies for the program are derived, in part, from the CSOC honorary membership fund, which consists of contributions from individual citizens and businesses each year.
Sheriff Kirk M. Taylor believes strongly in the youth of our community and in education and was honored to present this award to an outstanding young lady.
Miss Cardenas was awarded her scholarship on April 23, 2012 at the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office.
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May 10, 2012
Standoff Resolved without Incident
At approximately 7:30 AM, the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call from a suicidal man at a home in the 600 block of S. McCoy Dr. in Pueblo West. Upon arrival deputies discovered that James Copeland (68 years old) had threatened to use a weapon against himself. It was also determined that Mr. Copeland had armed himself with a shotgun.
The Sheriff’s Negotiations and Special Weapons and Tactics (S.W.A.T.) teams were assembled to respond to the situation. Deputies secured the perimeter and attempted numerous times to make contact with Copeland. A reverse 911 call was made to area homes for safety while deputies stepped up attempts to make contact. S.W.A.T members were able to make entry into the home where they safely carried a 91 year old woman out to safety.
Upon contact with S.W.A.T. team members Mr. Copeland was wielding a shotgun. SWAT Deputies immediately used less lethal ballistic “bean bags and a distraction device” to bring a peaceful conclusion to this event. Sheriff Kirk M. Taylor was encouraged by the safe conclusion stating that “my SWAT Team trains often and showed great restraint in effecting this arrest. There could have been a very different outcome for Mr. Copeland. When you point a shotgun at deputies, they would have been justified in stopping him using deadly force”. Copeland was taken to Parkview West for his non-life threatening injuries.
James Copeland faces charges of two (2) counts of Menacing with Deadly Weapon and Prohibited use of weapon; it is suspected that alcohol and/or drugs are a factor in this event.
Small Explosion in Pueblo West
At approximately 7:00 AM, the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call of a possible explosion in the back yard in the 1300 block of Caida del Sol Dr. in Pueblo West. Together with Pueblo West Fire Department and American Medical Response, Sheriff’s deputies responded.
Upon arrival it was determined that two (2) juvenile males had placed black gun powder into a barbeque grill in the back yard and lit it. When doing so, the black powder exploded injuring both young men. Both the six (6) and seven (7) year old boys were treated at Parkview Medical Center for their non-life threatening injuries. The boys were later transported to Denver Children’s Hospital.
The family was home at the time of the incident and the gun powder had been secured properly in ammunition cans and in a safe location. At this time it is unknown how the young men found the gun powder.
Parents and caregivers are reminded to not only secure weapons in a safe place but also all ammunition, combustible and explosive substances in a safe and secure area out of the reach of children.
April 30, 2012
Nearly 600 to Participate in Emergency Preparedness Exercise on May 2
April 27: The Pueblo Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP) exercise will be held on Wednesday, May 2. The exercise is scheduled to start at approximately 9 a.m. and conclude in the early afternoon. This annual event has been designed to test participants’ response capabilities to two simulated emergencies and to have that response effort federally evaluated.
Nearly 600 people from the American Red Cross, ACOVA, Colorado Division of Emergency Management, local hospitals, Pueblo School District 70, the Pueblo Chemical Depot, Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office, and a half- dozen other first-response agencies in Pueblo County will participate.
The exercise scenario will involve a simulated chemical incident at Pueblo Chemical Depot and another non-related emergency within Pueblo County requiring the activation of the Pueblo County Emergency Operations Center, the Pueblo Community Joint Information Center, and field decontamination and treatment facilities.
Two of Pueblo’s public warning capabilities will also be tested during the exercise. Twenty outdoor warning sirens located in the emergency zones surrounding the Pueblo Chemical Depot will be tested at noon. Nearly 1600 tone alert radios, which serve as a warning for people who are indoors, will sound a test message at 10:45 a.m.
The public may see exercise related activity at several locations. The responders may be dressed in full protective equipment and mock accident victims will receive realistic looking injury make-up called moulage. Emergency equipment and vehicles will be deployed to the various sites such as the Pueblo Memorial Airport Industrial Park, Baxter Learning Center, Desert Sage Elementary, and Pueblo West Elementary.
Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Services Bureau Chief, Mark Mears, says local response agencies work hard planning and preparing for the drill all year long. “This exercise is a valuable tool for agencies to work together and coordinate their responses to multiple incidents at one time. It gives us a chance to test our combined plans and our procedures and revise them if necessary,” Mears says.
For more information on CSEPP or the exercise, contact Lisa Shorter, Pueblo County Emergency Services Bureau at (719) 582-6222.
April 24, 2012
Industrial Accident, Evraz Still Mill
On April 24, 2012 at approximately 11:45 AM, Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to Evraz Corporation on an industrial accident resulting in death.
An accident occurred while moving materials with a forklift. A 53 year old male was involved
and was later pronounced deceased at St. Mary Corwin Emergency Room. The Pueblo County
Sheriff’s Office responds to all occupational circumstances involving death or serious bodily injury (SBI) that occur at Evraz Steel Mill located at 2100 S. Freeway in Pueblo, Colorado.
Upon initial investigation, nothing indicates this was anything other than a tragic accident. The
Sheriff’s office will work with the Pueblo County Coroner, officials from Evraz and other investigatory organizations for a factual account of the circumstances surrounding this tragedy.
Sheriff Kirk M. Taylor stated that “these types of death investigations are Thankfully infrequent, but are handled carefully and with the full cooperation of the Evraz Corporation. Our deepest sympathies go out to the family of this worker.”
The following is a statement released by Melody Ruse, Senior Manager of Evraz North America.
“We are very saddened to report that one of our employees was fatally injured today when he
was struck by a piece of mobile equipment at our Pueblo Rod & Bar facility.
The Rod & Bar Mill is shut down, authorities have been notified and we are in the process of a
full investigation. We do not have additional details at this point, but will share them as soon as
we are in a position to do so.
Our thoughts and prayers are with our employee, his family members and loved ones.”
April 20, 2012
A Community Organization for Victim Assistance (ACOVA) “Extending the Vision: Reaching Every Victim”
April 20, 2012: National Crime Victims’ Rights Week begins April 22, 2012. Designed to set aside time to reflect on crime victims and to honor our nation’s progress in advancing their rights. This year’s theme—Extending the Vision: Reaching Every Victim—celebrates the vision behind that progress and the ideal of serving all victims of crime.
A Community of Victim Assistance (ACOVA) was established by the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office to meet these needs in our community. ACOVA provides trained volunteer Victim Advocates who are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to respond to crisis situations due to crime or circumstance through all law enforcement agencies, hospitals and emergency first responders. In addition to answering questions regarding victims’ rights and the criminal justice process, ACOVA staff and volunteers provide emotional support, community resource referrals and follow up to victims regardless of their ethnicity, religion, age, gender, economic or community standing.
ACOVA will kick off National Crime Victims’ Rights Week on Monday, April 23, 2012 at 11:30 AM at the Pueblo County Courthouse Steps with a City/County Proclamation declaring Victim Rights Week and honoring outstanding individuals and programs that serve victims of crime. On Tuesday, April 24, 2012, the 10th Judicial District Probation Department along with the Pueblo Domestic Violence Task Force and Pueblo Community College will sponsor an awareness event featuring speaker John-Michael Keys of the “I Love You Guys” Foundation. Activities will conclude on Friday, April 27, 2012 with a candlelight vigil at the HARP Riverwalk from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. hosted by ACOVA. The ceremony will include music and reflection time to honor the survivors and remember the victims of all crimes who have lost their lives over the years in our community.
The vision that launched the national victims’ rights movement emerged more than 30 years ago. Then—as now—crime victims endured physical and emotional wounds, costly financial burdens, an often hostile criminal justice system, and an alarming public tendency to blame them for the crimes against them. Victims were often excluded from courtrooms, disrespected by officials, and afforded few rights. They began organizing to confront these challenges and to promote fair, compassionate, and respectful responses to victims of crime.
Since the 1980s, the nation has made dramatic progress in securing rights, protections, and services for victims of crime. Every state has enacted victims’ rights laws, and 32 states have constitutional victims’ rights amendments. All states have victim compensation funds, and more than 10,000 victim service agencies have been established throughout the country.
April 19, 2012
Armed Robbery Suspects Arrested
On April 19, 2012 at approximately 6:20 PM, Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center received an emergency call on a possible armed robbery.
A 53 year old woman driving alone on Hwy 209 south of Boone was flagged down by four (4) men at the intersection of Hwy 209 and Hwy 50. The victim believed at the time that she knew one of the men. As she stepped out of the vehicle, she said the four (4) men attacked her, stole her purse and keys, slashed her tires and left the area in a small black car.
Communications Officers provided information to State Patrol and surrounding agencies on the suspect vehicle. The only information available at that time was a small black car with four (4) Hispanic males, possibly armed with a gun and knife. Within fourteen (14) minutes, State Patrol Troopers in the area spotted the vehicle and had all four (4) men in custody within eighteen (18) minutes of the initial call.
An “Airsoft pistol” was found in the suspect vehicle.
No information is available on the suspects at this time.
Rural Fire Department was on scene where they treated and released the victim with only minor injuries.
This case is currently under investigation. An update will follow as more information becomes available.
April 17, 2012
Stand Off Resolved Peacefully
At approximately 9:30 PM The Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call for help from the occupants of a house in the 600 block of Paradise Road in Pueblo West. Upon arrival deputies discovered that Michael Seedorf (53 years old) had threatened family members with suicide and menaced them with a handgun. All members except an elderly family member were able to leave the house.
Deputies secured the perimeter and attempted numerous times to make contact with Seedorf. A reverse 911 call was made to area homes for safety while deputies stepped up attempts to make contact. The elderly family member was secured by deputies. Seedorf refused contact with sheriff’s personnel; also present in the house were possibly two larger breed dogs that were said by family to be aggressive.
A handgun and a shotgun were witnessed to be in Seedorf’s possession at different points during the evening. Seedorf was located covered in a bed at approximately 11:44 PM with a large dog on the bed. Seedorf did not respond to deputy’s identification and loud attempts to get him to comply. The Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team was utilized. A breach of the window and orders to move towards deputies without the dogs were successful and at 00:15 Seedorf was placed in custody without further incident.
Michael Seedorf faces charges of Menacing with Deadly Weapon and Prohibited use of weapon; it is suspected that alcohol is a factor in this event. Family was later able to return home.