Assignment # 10

In 2000, there were sixty-one privately run juvenile prison facilities. Over the course of the next four years, that number steadily decreased. In 2002 there were 52 juvenile prison facilities and in 2004 it had dropped to 49. There can be several reasons for the drop in juvenile prison facilities. One of which could be the reduction of juvenile crimes in Colorado. Another could be the 9/11 attacks that caused the financial market to collapse. A lot of people lost their businesses and the private juvenile prison facility market could have been hit. And finally, existing juvenile prison facilities could have grown in size and profit and could have run smaller facilities out of business.

According to the Criminal Justice Sourcebook, the state of Colorado had 61 jails in 1999. Ninety-eight percent of its rating capacity was occupied. Colorado was not in over capacity. The average in the United States of inmates to correctional officers is 4.4:1, while in Colorado it is 3.2:1. The national average of inmate to total staff is 2.9:1 while Colorado is at 2.4:1. Also, because Colorado's capacity occupied is at 98%, it is not to it's maximum capacity or more, although it is very close. (U.S. Department of Justice, 1999)

From Dec. 31 2000 – Dec. 31 2006 the Colorado female prison population saw an annual increase of 9.5% with the incarceration rate jumping from 1,333 – 2,302. The increase during the next year (2006-2007) dropped to a 1.4 increase with the incarceration rate only increasing from 2,302 – 2,335. Though the incarceration rate still increased, the percentage of increase was less intense then the fallowing years.

From Dec. 31 2000 – Dec. 31 2006 the Colorado male prison population saw an annual increase of 4.5% with the incarceration rate going from 15,500 – 20,179. For the fallowing year of 2006-2007 the incarceration rate increased 1.6%, with the incarceration rate going from 20,179- 20,506. The percentage change shown is not a major difference when comparing the two years. However the change shown does indicate that the increase with the prison population is slowing down ( Crowther, 2009)

However some reasons for the increase are :The highest increase being between 2000-2006 during the Bush administration and during the beginning of the recession companies were downsizing and outsourcing jobs overseas which could lead to aggression in men to commit crimes. Also, the housing market began to decline which affected jobs primarily held by men so that led a higher unemployment rate which led to more homeless looking for a warm bed an three squares a day. Another reason is that the police could have been cracking down on any and all traffic violations. Women population also increased because of the following reasons: with the decrease of jobs, women would be the most likely to lose their jobs before men. Same reason as a man. Also more prostitution stings more effective. Another reason is that women possibly be more prone to shoplift essentials.

Crowther, Alicia. (2009, November 24). Female and male Prisoners excel Spreadsheet. Retrived from https://webcampus.nevada.edu.

U.S. Department of Justice. Bureau of Justice Statisctics. ( 2003, p.91) . Washington D.C. Retrived from http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/pdf/t198.pdf.

U.S. Department of Justice. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. (2004). Wahington D.C. Retrived from http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/pdf/t100092004.pdf.

Assignment #9

Colorado is a state that has the death penalty. However, they have only executed one person since 1976. It was a man executed in 1997. Before 1976, there were 101 total death sentences carried out. 3 people currently are serving on death row, all male. There is a 3.1 murder rate per 100,000 persons. Life without parole is an option and the death penalty can include felons not responsible for the murder. There have been zero innocent persons freed from death row and zero clemencies granted. Only the Governor has sole authority to grant clemency. The death penalty is carried out by Lethal Injection.
First Execution in Colorado
The first execution in Colorado took place on April in 1859. The criminal being executed, due to murder, was a white male known as John Stoefel. His age is unknown but the type of execution he received was a hanging.
Last Execution in Colorado
The last execution in Colorado took place on the 13 of October in 1997. The Criminal being executed, due to kidnapping- murder, was a white male at the age of 53 who went by Davis Gray Lee. The type of execution he received was that of injection.
Compare/ Contrast
With the information provided stating the two types of execution, the information that is most recent gives more information about the criminal. For instance the information given about the first execution does not provide the criminals age and the last execution does. The types of execution the two received are different as well. Though both were executed due to a murder charge, the first criminal received a hanging which is an intense punishment while the other received an injection which is said to be painless.
Colorado had the following PROBATION populations in 2006: 30,328 entries & 24,071 exits were reported. The probation population was 63,032 and the number on probation per 100,000 adult residents was 1,743.
Colorado had the following PAROLE populations in 2006: 7,927 entries and 6,572 exits reported. The parole population was 9,551 and the number on parole per 100,000 residents was 264.
Colorado state has a higher rate of probation.
In comparison, the state of Minnesota had the following PROBATION populations in 2006: 88,735 entries & 80,324 exits were reported. The probation population was 127,289 and the number on probation per 100,000 residents was 3,243.
Minnesota had the following PAROLE populations in 2006: 5,427 entries and 5,003 exits reported. The parole population was 4,431 and the number on parole per 100,000 residents was 113.
Minnesota state has a higher rate of probation.
When comparing Colorado to Minnesota, they are similar because they both have a higher rate of probation over parole...but when looking at the numbers, it is easy to see that Minnesota has a much higher rate of probation. The increase is almost equal in comparison when looking at the overall population of the two states. With that said, its odd to see that the rate of parole is much lower in Minnesota than it is in Colorado.

Students make amends through Restorative Justice
by Greg Swenson, University Communications
The Restorative Justice program at CU-Boulder has come a long way since 1999, when CU became the first university in the nation to begin a pilot program offering students who got themselves into trouble a chance to make amends with injured parties while avoiding court.
Restorative Justice is available to students who are first-time offenders of mostly nonviolent crimes, such as hosting or attending a loud party. Rather than going to trial or pleading guilty, these students take a plea bargain and agree to go through CU’s Restorative Justice program.
“The Restorative Justice program allows students to take responsibility for their actions by talking with community members and learning how their negative actions have affected others in the community that they live in,” said Gina Bata, CU-Boulder’s Restorative Justice program coordinator since fall 2006. “The majority of students who have gone through the program report to us that they learned from their mistake and the large majority of them don’t get into trouble again.”

Once the student offender has agreed to participate in the program, they have agreed to take responsibility for their actions. One of the main components of the program is a group conference centered on the student’s violation and how it affected specific victims or the community in general.

Bata has 25 student facilitators who work with an additional 40 community members to host these group conferences. The majority of cases involve “quality of life” and low level violence violations, and are handled by a Community Accountability Board, which is made up of the three community representatives and two student facilitators.
During the conference, the student offenders, student facilitators and community members discuss the offense and agree on a plan to “right the wrong,” according to Bata. This could involve community service, letters of apology or a number of other possible solutions.

“One of the best things about Restorative Justice is that people in the community are also given an outlet and a chance to offer input to students to help them understand their community, and to talk about how their actions affect others living near them,” Bata said.
The Restorative Justice program is housed in the Office of Judicial Affairs and also partners with the Boulder City Attorney’s Office in cooperation with the Boulder Municipal Court. It has handled more than 300 cases so far in the 2008-09 school year (Swenson, 2009).

Crowther, Alicia. (2009, November 11). Parole Population and Probation Population. Retrived from https://webcampus.nevada.edu.

Swenson, Greg. ( 2009, January 13).Students make amends through Restorative Justice.University of Colorado at Boulder. Retrived from
http://www.colorado.edu/insidecu/editions/2009/1-13/story1.html.

RBGStreetScholar.(2009, November 16). Retrived from http://media.photobucket.com/image/death%20penalty/RBGStreetScholar/m197400560386.jpg.

Assignment #8

We picked up Denver as a county in Colorado. Denver uses Grand Jury . Difference between Grand Jury and Preliminary Hearing are that Grand Jury has jury members that are chosen by the judge, theses members take part in the hearing that is taking place and take part in making a final decision. Unlike Grand Jury a preliminary hearing takes place before a judicial officer. The officer alone decides if a crime was committed or not.In the newspaper article, the defendant, Allen Andrade is being charged with first-degree murder and a hate crime against Angie Zapata, a 17-year-old transgender woman that he first beat with his fists and then a fire extinguisher. If a jury convicts Andrade of the most serious charges, Colorado law requires a sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. On top of that, prosecutors filed habitual criminal counts against Andrade, which could quadruple any sentence he might receive. The jurors will be sent to different courtrooms randomly, while a constantly changing process will be used against them to ensure no one would know what crime they would be judging. No jurors were challenged for peremptory challenges. The biggest factor with this case, as with any high-profile case, is the fact the more publicity a case is getting, the more likelihood people are familiar with the details of the case. That always makes jury selection difficult. The prosecution would probably want jurors that would fight to strengthen federal hate-crime laws and people who support transgender victims and believe people should be who they want to be and live normal, just as everyone else does. The defense would probably push for jurors that are just the opposite and argue the fact that its not "fair" when people are fooled by the transgender community. Many do not believe in the transgender community nor do they believe in the protection of transgender people. (Colorado Independent, 2009).Arnold Zaler was convicted of fraud and sentenced to fifteen years in prison for swindling investors out of nearly 2.5 million dollars. Zaler ran koscher hot dog stands at the Pepsi Center and Invesco Field at Mile High. He convinced investors, many from within his own Jewish community. He had help from a friend of his, Ryan Thomas Smith, a former corporate salesman for Korenke Sports Enterprise, who signed fake contracts for the sales of thousands of hot dogs and forged signatures of others for similar contracts. Direct evidence in the case were those contracts along with witness statements by the people whose names were forged. The only circumstantial evidence in the case was the testimony by a psychologist hired by the Defense stating that there was a possibility of mental illness, however the prosecution's questioning made the witness seem not credible.In Colorado, the speedy trial statute states that within 6 months of a not guilty plea, a trial must be made available. However, if a trial date is proposed by the court that is beyond the 6 month time frame and neither the defendant or the defendant's counsel objects, then the right to a speedy trial is waived and thus extended to the date proposed (Gustafson, n.d.) The speedy trial statute in Nevada is different because a trial must be provided within 60 days of arraignment. In both states, this right may be waived if the defendant asks for more preparation time (Lawyers.com, n.d.) .
Absolutely Affordable Bail Bond. (2009, November 6). [image]. Retrieved from www.google.com

Cardona, F. (2009, November 4). Federal judge in Denver sentences hot-dog swindler to 15 years. Denver Post. Retrieved from http://www.denverpost.com/crime/ci_13733061.

Gustafson, R. D. (n.d.). Colorado Statue of Limitations & Speedy Trial. (2009, November 10) Retrived from Gustafson Law website http://www.gustafsonlaw.com.

Lawyers.com. (n.d.). Criminal Process in Nevada. (2009, November 10). Retrived from Lawyers.com website: http://research.lawyers.com/Nevada.com


Lunning, E. ( 2008, April 14). Jury Selection starts Tuesday in trail of man charged with Zapalata slaying. The Colorado Indipendent. Retrived from http://coloradoindependent.com

Colorado Courts

Judicial Selections

All three Colorado courts, State High Court, Intermediate Appellate, and Trial Courts in Colorado have uncontested retention elections after initial appointment. All judges in Colorado are initially appointed, face a contested partisan election for a full term, and then run in uncontested retention elections for additional terms.

Some advantages of the judge election in Colorado are that people can vote and elect their judges, and elimination of a party and campaigns will help the public to focus on the professional qualification and experience of the judges. On the other hand, a huge role plays the interest groups. The interests group can influence the judge's decisions (American Bar Association).

Court System

The court system is split up into four different types of courts: Court of Last Resort (C.O.L.R.), Intermediate Appellate Court (I.A.C.), General Jurisdiction Court (G.J.C.), and Limited Jurisdiction Court (L.J.C.). C.O.L.R. is the Supreme Court. I.A.C. is the Court of Appeals. G.J.C. consists of the District Court, Denver Probate Court, Denver Juvenile Court, and the Water Court. L.J.C. consists of the County Courts and the Municipal Courts. There are 286 trial courts and 24 Appellate Courts in Colorado (NCSC, 2007).

The following are some links to the courts in Colorado:

• Supreme Court
  
• Court of Appeals
  
• District Court
  
• Denver Probate Court
  
• Denver Juvenile Court
  
• Water Court
  
• County Courts
  
• Municipal Court
  

Court Cases in Colorado

The pregnant daughter of a Wyoming representative was found shot in the head in her garage. The police believe the husband unintentionally shot his wife (Denver Post, 2009). The crime was felony manslaughter, along with other misdemeanors. Due to the fact that it is a felony manslaughter case, it would be held in district court. Since the victim was the daughter of a state representative, it is a higher profile case that would require a higher profile court.

In January of 2009, there was a case named Colorado vs Kevin Raley where the state tried Mr. Raley for professional gambling. The police arrested Mr. Raley and several others at Rafferty' Bar in Greeley, Colorado for participating in the bar's poker league. Mr. Raley was found not guilty due to a portion of the law that stated that "bona fide contests of skill" were exempt from illegal gambling (Newell, 2009). The State of Colorado is appealing the case to the District Court. They say that the question of skill in poker should not be argued in the case because poker is gambling and is illegal in Colorado. Mr. Raley and his attorney are now appealing that decision to the state's Supreme Court.


American Bar Association. (n.d.). Fact sheet on judicial selection methods in the states. Retrieved October 26, 2009, from American Bar Association Website:
http://www.abanet.org/leadership/fact_sheet.pdf

NCSC. (2007). Colorado (Court structure as of Fiscal Year 2007). Retrieved October 26, 2009, from National Center for State Courts Website:
http://www.ncsconline.org/D_Research/Ct_Struct/state_inc.asp?STATE=CO

Denver Post. (2009, October 22). Loveland man charged in fatal shooting of pregnant wife. Retrieved October 26, 2009, from the Denver Post Website:
http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_13613069

Newell, Jennifer. (2009, August 16). Colorado poker player to appeal case to Supreme Court. Retrieved October 24, 2009, from Poker Works website:
http://pokerworks.com/poker-news/2009/08/16/kevin-raley-appeal-colorado-poker-case-to-supreme-court.html

Assignment 6

After reading the article, "U.S. Is Alone in Rejecting All if Police Err," I come to the conclusion that Justice Breyer's statement that the exclusion of evidence is a
deterrent to police misconduct is true. In summary, the article summarizes numerous cases where evidence was suppresed as a result of an unlawful search by
police, but only in the United States under the exclusionary rule does this happen. The United States is the only country to take the position that some police
misconduct must automatically result in the suppression of physical evidence. The rule applies whether the misconduct is slight or serious, and without regard to the
gravity of the crime or the power of the evidence. “Foreign countries have flatly reje cted our approach,” said Craig M. Bradley, an expert in comparative criminal law
at Indiana University. “In every other country, it’s up to the trial judge to decide whether police misconduct has risen to the level of requiring the exclusion of
evidence.” Australia also uses a balancing test. It considers the seriousness of the police misconduct, whether superiors approved or tolerated it, the gravity of the
crime and the power of the evidence. “Any unfairness to the particular accused” in most cases, the High Court of Australia wrote in 1995, “will be of no more than
peripheral importance.” Elsewhere, the European Court of Human Rights, a notably liberal institution, refused in 2000 to require the suppression of illegally obtained
evidence. Using such evidence to convict a man charged with importing heroin into England, the court said, did not make his trial unfair. In the United States, by
contrast, evidence against criminal defendants is routinely and automatically suppressed when police misconduct is found. In the last week of June, for instance,
courts in Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington state suppressed evidence in cases involving drugs, guns, burglary and child pornography under the
mandatory version of the exclusionary rule. Some specialists in comparative criminal law say that the decentralized nature of American law enforcement, with
thousands of local police departments around the nation, requires a more rigorous and consistent approach to deterring misconduct. The law enforcement systems in
Canada and England, by contrast, are notably less fragmented and may be subject to more stringent professional discipline. Supporters of the American practice say
that only strict application of the exclusionary rule can effectively address violations of the Fourth Amendment, which bans unreasonable searches and seizures.
Opponents of the rule say it is indirect, incomplete and in a way perverse. Even if it deters unlawful searches, exclusion of evidence, for instance, offers no remedy to
innocent people whose rights were violated by unlawful searches. The Supreme Court started requiring the exclusion of improperly obtained evidence in 1914 — but
only in federal cases. For many decades afterward, the Supreme Court refused to apply the principle to states, saying they could choose the appropriate remedy for
police misconduct — including civil suits and criminal prosecutions — and20were not required to suppress evidence. In a 1949 decision, the court justified that position
in part with a rationale now disfavored in some circles: a survey of foreign law. It was not until 1961 that the Warren Court, in one of its signature decisions,
concluded in Mapp v. Ohio that only the mandatory suppression of evidence could adequately address wrongdoing by the police in all cases, state and federal. To
conclude, much has changed since the exclusionary rule was applied to states in 1961, Justice Scalia wrote. Police departments had become more professional, he
said, and various kinds of civil suits against officials and the government had become available. “As far as we know,” Justice Scalia wrote for the court, “civil liability
is an effective deterrent.” In conclusion, I believe it seems that the court system needs to find a "reason" to justify when police misconduct is being used in cases.
But if evidence of wrongdoing is found even when police are not searching for it, it should be used to convict a person because I believe that person had wrong intentions
is mind and should be convicted of all the additional charges, as long as there was a reason they were being searched by police in the first place. Only if they were
targeted for no reason by police should then the idea of police misconduct be used. The exclusionary rule is important depending on the case, but I don't believe in ALL cases.


Warrantless search/seizure in a home
I had an accident, left the scene and walked home. Officers searched my car and found two empty beer cans in my car. There were also about a dozen diet pepsi cans there. I talked to the dispatcher and admitted having an accident. I told her there were no injuries and that I had not been drinking. The officers proceeded to my home. When they arrived I was in another room. My daughter (minor) answered the door. While she went to get me, the officers entered the house. They did not ask for or receive consent to enter. When I entered the room they immediately told me to stop drinking my drink and ''Do not leave this room''.
Questions: Is the presence of two empty cans sufficient probable cause to justify a warrantless entry into my home? Does the concern that I might drink before they arrived rise to the level of ''exigent circumstances''? When they told me to stay in the room, did that constitute unlawful arrest/seizure? ( "Warrantless Search,"2004)
Since that would be considered a hit and run this situation would fall under the category of plain sight search warrant since there were beer cans in the car and the defendant walked away from the scene. Since that person had committed a crime the arresting officers had the right to come and arrest the person for fleeing the scene. The fact that there were two empty cans is moot, its the fact that the person had fled the scene of an accident.

The purpose of the Miranda warning is to inform a person who is being taken into custody of their rights before they decide to speak; if they want to at all.
“The Miranda warning applies only to the right to have an attorney present. The suspect cannot demand to speak to a priest, probation officer, or any other official.” If a suspect speaks misinterprets the Miranda warning and speaks to a probation officer in front of police, they can use whatever he/she in a court of law.
“A voluntary statement given in absence of a Miranda warning can be used to obtain evidence that can be used at trial. Failure to give the warning does not make seizure of evidence illegal per se.” If a suspect says that the dead body was buried near a certain lake without his/her Miranda warning being read, law enforcement can still go look for that evidence and present it in court.
“A suspect who makes an ambiguous reference to an attorney during questioning, such as “maybe I should talk to an attorney,” is not protected under Miranda. The police may continue their questioning. Police are interrogating a suspect and a suspect states an alibi and police counter, police prove that alibi to be incorrect. They can still question him if they want to weather he approves or not.


Heinz, R. (2009, January 27). Blog Fodder: It`s everywhere. Retrieved from http://www.sfolife.net/?p=140.

Liptal, A. (2008, July 19). U.S. is alone in rejecting all evidence if police err. The New York Times. Retried from http://www.nytimes.com.

Siegel, L. (2008). Introduction to criminal justice. Belmont: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Warrantless search/seizure in a home.(2004) Retrived March 31, 2004, from http://www.lawguru.com/legal-questions/florida-constitutional-law/warantless-searchseizure-home-accident-left-412374314

Issues in Policing

• Do male police officers respond to more burglary calls than female officers do? It is often the closest officer responding, so male officers respond more because they out number the female officers.
• Do female officers make more arrests of teens than male officers? Female officers make more arrests because teen witnesses are more likely to cooperate with female officers than male officers.
• Do male officers save more lives? Only in cases involving carrying people do male officers save more lives than female officers.
• Are female officers more educated than male officers? There are more enlisted female college graduates than male college graduates.
• Do male officers get accused of unnecessary force than female officers? Male officers have higher testosterone levels and are accused of unnecessary force more often than female officers.

In this video, Officer Rosenthal exhibits the "law enforcer" style of policing. The "law enforcer" style is best described as detection and apprehension; they play it by the book. If the suspect does something that warrants a citation, they get that citation. If the suspect warrants being arrested, they get arrested. The "law enforcer" knows the law and if a person breaks the rules, the officer is dedicated to delivering the consequences outlined, without care to outside factors. Officer Rosenthal definitely displays the "law enforcer" style. He first detects suspicious activity. After speaking with the witnesses, he discovers the suspect is soliciting money. When the suspect starts "flexing on" the officer, he cuffs the suspect. Officer Rosenthal then proceeds to tell the suspect that originally he was only going to give him a citation because he was only committing a misdemeanor. However, after resisted Officer Rosenthal, the suspect now warrants being arrested, and that is exactly what Rosenthal does. He is playing by the rules and giving the punishment deserved.


Police brutality includes many different actions police use to harass people. The following is a story from a Colorado man who believes police brutality was used against him. In this case, the police responded to a call claiming that a man named Farouk Kigozi and his girlfriend were arguing loudly. The man was compliant with all police requests once they had arrived, but an officer continued to twist Farouk's arm and throw him to the ground once he was handcuffed. The police officer then continues to repeatedly punch him in the face, even as Farouk begs the officer not to hit him. Farouk was handcuffed with his stomach on the ground while one cop continued to use unnecessary excessive force and another cop held him on the ground while he did so. The form of police brutality being used would be excessive force in the form of continuous beating with punches to the face, even when the man did not seem to be a threat what-so-ever. According to the story, Farouk admitted to drinking too much that night, but states that the police should have handcuffed him and then taken him to jail immediately, instead of repeatedly beating him in the face. This man did not threaten the police or refuse to comply with their requests at any time during the incident. He did what was asked of him and it was unnecessary for the police to use that kind of brutality against him. He should have been taken straight to jail once he was arrested. The rest was uncalled for (Mbrckley, 2009).


"Las Vegas Midget (Round 1)." 25 October 2008. Online video clip. YouTube. Accessed on 05 October 2009. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIr7SrHafkU

Mbrickley . (2009). Alleged Colorado Police Brutality caught on tape. http://www.totalinjury.com/blog/alleged-colorado-police-brutality-caught-on-tape.

The Littleton Police Department was founded in 1890 when a town government was formed. The first town marshal was appointed that year to enforce the laws of the city. By 1890, the town was already thirty years old and consisted of a flour mill, post office and two railroad depots, that operated through the town by the hour. Communication was limited to mail service and the telegraph all the way until the early 1900's, when the telephone came into use. Telephone service for the town government was limited to one phone installed in the home of the town marshal and a second phone installed in the home of the mayor. Between the years of 1890 & 1940, twenty-six men served as town marshal. Marshals were paid a monthly salary ranging from $50 at the turn of the century to $150 by the year 1945. Marshals used their own wagon and team, and later they used their own automobile for personal and town business use. No women have served as town marshal or chief of police. Marshals dealt with bank robberies and other serious crimes on occasion, including other assignments, such as serving official notices, collecting delinquent taxes, monitoring the operation of town street lights and checking for prohibited use of the town's limited water supply. Rabies was a common occurence and unlicensed dogs and cats were shot on sight by the marshal and paid $.50 cents to $1.00 for each animal that was killed and buried. Marshals were ever vigilant for back room gambling, bootlegging and other vice-related crimes. Eventually, horse-drawn vehicles gave way to gasoline powered machines and marshals had to chase down speeders and other traffic violators. Indigent prisoners were ordered to work off their fines that were given by working on the streets at the rate of $2 per day and escapes from custody were not uncommon. For added help, "Special Police" were deputized to help the marshal maintain order during special events and/or holidays. This practice of utilizing reserve officers continued with the Police Department through the 1980's. By the year 1940, Littleton was no longer a small agricultural town. It was an emerging suburban city and by the end of the decade, the town marshal was known as the police chief and the one-man marshal's office would become a actual police department. A marked police car was produced with a red light and siren and the first two-way radio was purchased to allow communication between the Denver Police and the Arapahoe County Sheriff. By the 1950's, the Police Department consisted of the chief, one sergeant, and several officers. Two to three marked police cars were in service stocked with two-way mobile radios and now radio dispatching of police calls were occuring. By 1957, Littleton became a City Council/City Manger form of government. The Police Department continued to grow and advance with the times and by 1990, the Littleton Police Department observed its 100th year of formal operation. Its rich and distinguished past history will no doubt influence its continued operation through the 21st century. In all its time, no Littleton officers have been killed in the line of duty.

Communication definitely would have been a problem at the foundation of the Littleton Police Department. Being limited to telegraph and mail service when first established, and later only 1 phone for the marshal, getting a quick response for emergencies would be nearly impossible. Unless luck would have it that an officer was in the right place at the right time, all crimes would have been dealt with after the fact. Nowadays, officers can be contacted and dispatched immediately and are able to stop some crimes as they are happening or even before.

Another problem that was occurring in the early creation of police departments was that often whoever was the biggest "bully" would be chosen to be a police officer. There wasn't a good police system in place, which is why many of the officers would also be seen gambling or bootlegging. Today, police officers have to go through rigorous testing processes and background checks, as well as demanding training, to ensure that officers will stick to a higher moral standard and be prepared for any situation thrown at them.

In Colorado:

Agencies/Offices: 166

Number of Personnel = 8,616 Personnel per 100,000 residents = 187

Sworn Personnel = 6,375 Personnel per 100,000 residents = 139

Three reasons why I do think Colorado needs more sworn officers per/100,000 residents:

It averages out to only one officer for every 719 residents.

More officers would result in a better and safer community.

It would help officers get more “in touch” with their community instead of being separate from it.

The number of sheriff’s offices in Colorado is 62, the total personnel reaches 6016 and sword personals are 3391. However the number of personnels per 100, 000 people is 131, almost twice as the number of sworn personnel in Colorado. In our opinion the state of Colorado has adequate number of sworn personnel’s (74 sworn personnel’s per 100, 000 residents). However it would be better if the number of sworn personnel was higher than the number of personnel, that would make all residents feel more secure. Colorado should have more sworn officer since the statistic show that the crime rate has been increasing every year (FBI, Uniform Crime Report). Also the Crime rank, based on the number of crimes per capita with 1 being the best and 51 the worst, Colorado stands on # 36 which is a high for the state (2009 Public Records Research). As following the twitter page of the ABC Denver channel most of the tweets we see are the headlines of violent an outrage crime like RT: “Aaron Thompson found guilty of killing daughter Aarone” (twitter Denver channel), and that is why Colorado needs more sworn officers.

-Colorado Crime Rates 1960-2008, (2008) http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/cocrime.htm

-Colorado Crime Statistics for 2005, (2009) http://www.prsearch.com/crime/colorado

-Denver Channel via Twitter,http://www.twitter.com/denverchannel

-Tyler Lopez, (September 28, 2009), Thompson found guilty of child abuse resulting in death, Denver Channel, http://www.denverchannel.com/news/21136086/detail.htm

-Littleton Police Department, (2005) A brief history of the littleton police department, City of Littleton, http://www.littletongov.org/police/history/