Update: Last week, when Colorado Springs Police Department spokeswoman Barbara Miller told us that Waldo Canyon fire evacuees had been victimized by 22 burglaries and sixteen car break-ins, she stressed that the numbers could go up as authorities got more access to the blaze zone. And have they ever. The…
In this week’s cover story, “Back on the Beat,” Westword explores recent changes within the Denver Police Department’s oversight system and its investigation of Alex Landau’s January 2009 beating. For a while, there won’t be any changes: While the Department of Justice analyzes the Landau, the DPD has delayed its…
Update: The original version of this post, on view below, noted that Marquis Garrison was arrested and charged with child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury after allegedly slamming his baby to the floor in an attempt to stop the child from crying. But those accusations got a considerable upgrade…
Facial tattoos aren’t exactly the kind of ink that’s easy to cover with a piece of clothing — not if you want to see where you’re going, anyhow. And this proved to be a problem for Nehemiah Chavez, whose Playboy bunny tat — designating his alleged membership in a Greeley…
As our Melanie Asmar reported earlier this week, gang murders are up in Denver. However, overall homicides in the first half of 2012 are down compared to the same point in 2011 according to figures compiled by the Denver coroner’s office: twenty versus 24 through June of last year. Look…
As we all know, possessing child pornography is a serious crime. But actually making videos that fall into this vile category takes the offense to an even higher level. A variety of federal and local agencies are currently teaching this lesson to one Jesse Evans…
Weld County is launching a campaign to educate immigrants about the importance of reporting crimes to the police. “We want everyone to report crime, every time,” Ken Buck, the Weld County district attorney, said today at a press conference in Greeley. That includes undocumented immigrants and refugees who may be…
Another story that got lost in the Latest Word holiday-week shuffle: The only-in-Boulder tale of Stephen Armbruster and Robert McManus, who allegedly tried to get even for a fraternity prank with the use of bear-approved pepper spray. The incident caused quite a bit of blowback for Armbruster and McManus –…
A number of news items that broke during the just-completed holiday week received less attention than they deserved. One glaring example: the charging of Tahca Chrstensen and Aldo Preza with child abuse resulting in death for the bathtub drowning of a six month old that Christensen partly attributed to her…
On Friday afternoon, Denver Police Chief Robert White notified officers of the next step in his ongoing work to restructure the department: Through July 27, interested officers can apply for transfer or promotion to detective, corporal and technician candidates. In an interview with Westword last week, White expressed hope that…
In a series of posts last week, Sam Levin documented how the wheels have been turning for Denver cyclists. There are more bicyclists on the road — which has translated to more bike thefts. And not only is the city spending more on bike lanes, but it’s handing out more…
After reports of increased crime in Commons Park, the Denver City Council and Denver Department of Parks and Recreation are funneling money into this popular neighborhood northwest of starting with $150,000 for lighting improvements to “address critical safety needs in Commons Park.”…
This week’s cover story, “Flash Point,” details Denver’s response to what many perceive as a recent rise in gang violence. According to the most up-to-date statistics from the Denver Police Department, six murders were linked to gang activity between January and May of this year. That’s up from five during…
Gang violence is a hot topic in Denver this summer. This week’s cover story, “Flash Point,” details the city’s plan for cooling it down. Denver has seen several high-profile shootings in the past few months, and there’s been speculation that many are gang-related, including the death of Denver police officer…
Update: Rollin Oliver, 21, was born on Christmas Day — but what he just received from the Denver District Attorney’s Office can’t be considered an early gift. He’s now been formally charged with first-degree murder/extreme indifference in the City Park slaying of Denver police officer Celena Hollis — and the…
Of late, news coverage in these parts has been dominated by the Waldo Canyon near Colorado Springs, the High Park fire outside of Fort Collins and other destructive wildfires across the state. But that doesn’t mean our criminal justice system has taken a break. Note the guilty pleas of Calvin…
The alleged (and sometimes convicted) models for this month’s mug shot roundup are a varied bunch, with the most serious criminals appearing with a guy whose energetic dancing may have introduced the world to his special place and a man who designed a shoe camera so he could photograph up…
City Park was awash in purple yesterday evening as hundreds gathered in Celena Hollis’s favorite color during a vigil for the fallen Denver police officer. Exactly one week after she was shot and killed in City Park, politicians, law enforcement and residents visited the same place to celebrate her service…
This Sunday, City Park Jazz will honor fallen Denver police officer Celena Hollis with a silent vigil that starts on the west side of Ferril Lake at 5 p.m. The concert will begin at the bandstand at 6 p.m., and scheduled performers Lionel Young and his band will play some…
In the days since Denver police officer Celena Hollis was shot and killed while breaking up a fight during City Park Jazz, the DPD and the community have gathered together for an outpouring of local support. On Sunday, the day after Hollis’s public funeral, state representative Angela Williams and councilman…
Update: The Denver District Attorney’s Office has formally charged Jamie Valdiviezo-Perez, 39, and a juvenile (presumably his son) in the murder of a man whose body was found in a South Quieto Way alley. As sketched out by the arrest affidavit on view below, police were led to the alleged…
With a nod to emerging brain science that contends adolescents are fundamentally different from adults — and a stern rebuke to the one-size-fits-all approach to prosecuting underaged defendants in adult courts — the United States Supreme Court ruled Monday that a mandatory sentence of life without parole for crimes committed…
