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/

Misdemeanor Crime: shoplifting (but the statute states theft):

Theft crimes are divided in seriousness by the amount of property taken. C.R.S. § 18-4-401 sets forth the elements. Theft occurs when a person "knowingly obtains or exercises control over anything of value of another without authorization, or by threat or deception" and a) intends to permanently deprive the owner of the thing of value, b) uses or abandons the thing of value in a manner that deprives the owner of the use or benefit of the thing of value, c) uses or abandons the thing of value intending to deprive the owner of the use or benefit of the thing of value, or d) demands any consideration for the return of the thing of value to the owner. Theft is a class 1 misdemeanor if the value is $500 to $1,000, and a class 2 misdemeanor if the value is less than $500.

Felony Crime: Robbery:

Robbery, C.R.S. § 18-4-301, generally involves the taking of property directly from another person. Robbery is defined as taking anything of value from the person or presence of another by the use of force, threats or intimidation. Robbery is a class 4 felony.

(Statute)

Felony Crime: Robbery:

HYPERLINK "http://www.boulder-bar.org/bar_media/gloss.html" \l "ROBBERY" \t "_blank" Robbery, C.R.S. § 18-4-301, generally involves the taking of property directly from another person. Robbery is defined as taking anything of value from the person or presence of another by the use of force, threats or intimidation. Robbery is a class 4 felony.

(Book Deff.)

Robbery: Wrongfully taking and carrying away of personal property from a person by violence or intimidation.

Similarities: Both state that robbery is taking property from another person with the act of force or intimidation.

Differences: Unlike the statute, the book does not state threats as being an additional act of robbery. The book also views robbery as any property being forcefully taken, not just property of value

(Statute)

BURGLARY, SECOND-DEGREE - This occurs when a person breaks an entrance into, or enters unlawfully, or remains unlawfully after a legal or illegal entry, in a building or occupied structure with the intent to commit a crime. See Manual § 6.8 and C.R.S. § 18-4-203.

(Book Deff.)

Burglary: Breaking and entering of a structure owned by another with the intent to commit a felony therein.

Similarities: Both state that a person has to break and enter a structure owned by another with the intent to commit a crime.

Difference: Unlike the book the statute states that a person can unlawfully enter a structure owned by another. Therefore it goes more in depth by stating it is still considered burglary if a person walks into a structure with the intent to commit a crime even if the door was wide open

The legal standard for insanity in Colorado are M'Naughten Rule and Irresistible impulse according to which the verdict is that the defender is found not guilty by reason of insanity. The M` Naughten Rule was found in England in 1984 when Naughten killed intentionally the assistant of the English prime minister. He was found not guilty under two rules 1) the defendant doesn't know the nature of the actions he was doing and 2) he also doesn't distinguished wrong from right. The M` Naughten Rules is used by the majority of the states. The irresistible test came as a response to the M Naughtten test and the rule was expanded to the Irresistible act. It states that even though a person can make difference between wrong or right if his act was driven by uncontrollable behavior he or she should not be found guilty. Example of that is if a child was molested. If the mother commits a crime against the molester she can argue that she was not able to control her behavior.[3] [4]

http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/hinckley/hinckleyinsanity.htm and

Colorado's verdict for insanity is not guilty by reason of insanity..the court mandates treatment if found NGBI..and the court has the authority of release...as far as punishment from the verdict, one possible explanation is to make sure that the defendant gets the help they need in a state facility..

Over the past thirty years, property crime in Colorado has decreased dramatically. In 1980 there were over 195 thousand property related crimes committed, including arson, burglary, and motor vehicle theft. Violent crimes, however, have remained steady at around 15,000 per year. The most frequent crime committed in Colorado is larceny / theft at 100,000 in 2007, whereas murder was only committed 153 times. 2007 compared to 2006 shows that crime rates dropped dramatically across the board.

here were 4,407 complaints of internet crimes in the state of Colorado in 2007. Of those crimes, auction fraud was the number one complaint at 32.2%. A close second was non-delivery of merchandise/payment at 26.6%. Identity theft was 6th at only 3.4%. The total dollar losses was more than $5,400,000. The highest loss reported was $425,000, which resulted from Nigerian letter fraud. Most people, 44.7%, reported a monetary loss of $100-$999, however 4.6% reported a loss of over $10,000.

Male perpetrators, at 75.8%, far exceeded female perpetrators. Colorado is positioned 13th in the United States as having 25.84 perpetrators per 100,000 people. Regarding the total number of perpetrators living in Colorado, it is 17th.

Complainants were about equal with males at 55.6% and females at 44.4%. Those aged 30-39 were 24.7% of complainants, which was the highest. However, it was very close to complainants aged 40-49 and 50-59. Colorado positioned 2nd highest in the United States as having 90.65 complainants per 100,000 people. Of complainants living in Colorado, perpetrators also living in Colorado were 7.4%.

[1] Online picture retrieved September 21, 2009 from www.my2copper.com

[2] Retrieved from Boulder Country Bar Association http://www.boulder-bar.org/bar_media/offenses/6.8.html

[3] Retrieved September 18, 2009 from Kimberly Collins, Gabe Hinkebein, and Staci Schorgl, "The John Hinkley Trial and its Effect on the Insanity Defense" http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/hinckley/hinckleyinsanity.htm

Crime Trends in Colorado
Over the past thirty years, property crime in Colorado has decreased dramatically. In 1980, there were over 195,000 property related crimes committed, including arson, burglary, and motor vehicle theft. Violent crimes, however, have remained steady at around 15,000 per year. The most frequent crime committed in Colorado is larceny/theft at 100,000 in 2007, whereas murder was only committed 153 times. 2007 compared to 2006 shows that crime rates have dropped dramatically across the board.

Some research questions we could ask regarding UCR data:
1. In 1980, of the 195,000 property crimes committed, how many of the defendants got convicted?
2. Of the murders committed, how many were solved?
3. What was the most stolen item in 2007?

Some research questions we could ask regarding the NCVS:
1. How many of the crimes committed were reported by the NCVS?
2. Is the reason why the crime rate dropped because people just didn't report them?
3. How many of the violent crimes were rape?

Some research questions we could ask regarding self-report data:
1. How many people admitted to committing a property related crime?
2. How many people admitted to committing a violent crime?
3. Who contributed to the self-report data, and when and where were the reports done?

Psychological Crime Theory
Soldiers in a battle-scarred Army unit, who were psychologically scarred from their combat in Iraq, killed as many as eleven people after they had returned home. The psychological crime theory would be describe the reason why these crimes had occurred. An army task force of medical experts came to the conclusion that there were two main factors in determining why such events happened. Those factors include the unit's extensive combat exposure and the extended lengths of deployment. This unit was compared with a similarly sized unit and found it suffered many more combat deaths in Iraq, leading to the risk of negative behavioral outcomes. It was also stated that the soldiers faced significant disruptions in family-social support at home. These soldiers also had committed crimes before, and abused drugs and alcohol in the past. The unit was accused of five killings around Colorado Springs in 2007 & 2008, including the slaying of a couple gunned down while posting a garage-sale sign. They were also involved in six more slayings in Colorado in 2005. The psychological crime theory best describes the reason why this crime occurred because it clearly shows that the experiences of the soldiers in Iraq greatly impacted them to such an extent, that they were psychologically damaged from those experiences. Their minds have been "disturbed" ever since. They most likely suffered from delusions and felt alienated when doing so. The fact that these soldiers didn't receive emotional support at home also points to the psychological theory. The lack of emotional support means there was no insight or control to the understanding of the events that these soldiers faced and in return, these soldiers could not distinguish right from wrong. The article also states that these men were afraid of being belittled if they decided to seek mental help[1]. In the future, these men could be helped if there were more confidential procedures to the services being offered to each and every soldier. There should also be better training for officers to manage soldiers with behavioral problems and ensure that GIs who seek help are in no way humiliated.

Should These Laws Be Revised?
Texting while driving is currently legal for anyone with a driver's license over 18 years of age, but it should be illegal. Colorado recently passed a bill restricting drivers under 18 and those with only instruction permits from using cell phones, but is it enough? More than 50% of adults 18-24 admit to texting while driving. One study showed that drivers using their cell phone were more likely to rear-end someone than drivers over the legal blood alcohol limit[2]. Another study found that a driver is 4 times more likely to injure themselves seriously in an accident while using a cell phone[3]. VirginiaTech Transportation Institute also conducted a study that revealed that "texting took a driver’s focus away from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds–enough time…to travel the length of a football field at 55 mph"[4]. Because of the high risks of serious injury or death to the driver and others, texting while driving should be illegal.

Marijuana is illegal, but it should be legalized. Marijuana helps with pain, prevents migraines, sex is better, and it helps with depression[5]. One study showed that smoking pot helped protect our brains from all that harmful boozing[6]. Marijuana contains an amazing chemical, beta-caryophyllene, and scientists have thoroughly proven that it could be used to treat pain, inflammation, atherosclerosis, and osteoporosis[7]. Marijuana cannot kill anyone, unlike other drugs. For example, alcohol can cause a liver to die out, and tobacco causes strokes or heart cancer.

[picture] (n.d.). Retrieved September 15, 2009, from http://charlie180.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/burglar.jpg
[1]Banda, P. S. (2009, July 16). Iraq war stress weighed in Colorado killings. Retrieved September 11, 2009, from North Jersey Website: http://www.northjersey.com/news/national/west/Iraq_war_stress_weighed_in_Colorado_killings.html
[2]Fuller, J. R. (n.d.). Colorado texting ban takes effect. Retrieved September 15, 2009, from Personal Injury Co. Website: http://www.personalinjuryco.com/CM/Articles/Colorado-Texting-Ban-Takes-Effect.asp
[3]Edgar Snyder & Associates. (n.d.). Car accident cell phone statistics. Retrieved September 15, 2009, from Edgar Snyder Website: http://www.edgarsnyder.com/auto-accident/auto/cell/statistics.html
[4]Safe Teens. (2009, September 1). Shocking statistics and video about texting while driving. Retrieved September 15, 2009, from SafeTeens Website: http://www.safeteens.com/2009/09/01/shocking-statistics-and-video-about-texting-while-driving/
[5]Grover, J. (2002, November 22). Is marijuana really good for you? Retrieved September 14, 2009, from The Johns Hopkins News-Letter Website: http://media.www.jhunewsletter.com/media/storage/paper932/news/2002/11/22/Science/Is.Marijuana.Really.Good.For.You-2249149.shtml#5
[6]CC Staff. (2009, August 31). Smokin' the pot is good for you. Retrieved September 14, 2009, from College Candy: http://collegecandy.com/2009/08/31/smokin-the-pot-is-good-for-you/#more-39458
[7]Rowe, A. (2008, June 29). Some proof that marijuana is a powerful medicine. Retrieved September 14, 2009, from Wired Science Website: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/06/proof-that-mari/

"Wedding Cakes" and Expenditures

[1]

Walker's "Wedding Cake"

Samuel Walker created a way to help others more easily understand the way most cases are processed by using a four-layer wedding cake. Explanations of the layers of the wedding cake, and examples of cases in Colorado that coincide with each layer, are given below.

The first layer of the cake is the "celebrated layer" where court cases are blown up in the media and followed every step of the way. An example is in Denver, a woman no contest in a case involving the death of her two children. A little more than a year ago, the woman left her 5-year-old and 2-year-old children in her car and they died of heat exhaustion. She is sentenced to a two-year deferred sentence, and either 300 hours of community service or 50 public presentations on leaving kids in hot cars[2]. The story is a top-layer case because of the coverage in the media. The case has been covered by the Denver Post and other outlets since the beginning of the case, through the arrest, and finally to the verdict.

The second layer of the "wedding cake" includes serious crimes, usually committed by experienced offenders. Crimes like rapes, burglaries, and vicious incidents with innocent victims that include weapon and violence are worth full attention and a prison sentence. An example of the second layer is the case of Michael Lollis. The offender pled guilty to three completed rapes and one attempt to sexual assault. After a DNA test, he was linked with six more completed sexual assaults. His DNA was placed in the national DNA database because of the new Colorado law that went into effect in 2007, which requires all felons to provide DNA samples. He is now facing 120 years in prison[3].

The third layer of Samuel Walker's "wedding cake" consists of lower level felonies, such as small level robberies and assaults with no weapons being used. Recently, at the Gamma Phi Beta house outside of the University of Denver, a sorority sister woke up at 5:45 am to a man standing near her bed. The man then threatened the women verbally and ran off. Nobody was injured, but many laptops from the sorority house were stolen. Many small robberies similar to this one have been happening like this around the campus and have been unsolved[4]. Crimes like this are a perfect example to the "wedding cake" theory.

The fourth layer of the "wedding cake" consists of misdemeanors. The Colorado woman who is connected to a Texas Polygamist case would be an example of the fourth layer. This woman was considered a "person of interest" in the investigation into a polygamist ranch in Texas. Texas authorities found out she was linked to a telephone number possibly related to reports of alleged abuse at the Yearning for Zion Ranch. A search of her home turned up several items connecting her with the calls regarding the YFZ Ranch and also other polygamist compounds in Texas and Arizona. Rozita Swinton has been charged with a misdemeanor for making false reports to police in Colorado Springs, a charge unrelated to the Texas raid[5]. This incident is like many other that would fall into the fourth layer of the criminal justice "wedding cake".


Colorado Justice System Expenditures

In the state of Colorado, the expenditures for the entire justice system is $2,677,286, which is 7.5% of the total expenditure for the state. This is roughly average in relation to all the states in the United States expenditure. This is how that money is broken down between the police, the courts, and corrections.

The police get the most money, coming in at $1,203,113, getting the highest percentage of the money spent on the justice system with a percentage of 44.9%.

Corrections come in second with $1,000,586 spent on them, which is 37.4% of the total expenditure.

Last, and some say the least, is the judicial and legal area of the justice system with only $473,587 spent on them. They only received 17.7% of the total expenditure.

The reason why the police received the most money is most likely because Colorado only has a small population of 4,766,000 people. The state doesn't need to spend more money on jails or courts because there aren't as many facilities (jails and courthouses) as the police have. Most of the money spent on police is spent at the city and municipality level, not at the state level. Since there are more smaller towns than bigger cities, there only needs to be a few large courthouses, say in Denver and Colorado Springs, and that is where most of the money is spent for both the judicial/legal and corrections; at the state level!

One idea that is very feasible for the corrections is to have the inmates grow and maintain a farm. Not just a little garden, but an actual farm that could give them the food they need to eat, or have them sell the food to get the necessities that are currently given to them by the state out of their budget.

One idea for the police to reduce spending is to cut down the amount of police officers. To do that, there would need to be a change in shifts for the police. Say a 12-hour rotation shift; an officer would work 4 days, 12 hours a day, and then 3 days off. Some days there would be a lot more officers on duty and some days there wouldn't be as many.

Another way to reduce spending would be to raise the monetary amount required to take a case to court. That would greatly reduce the amount of cases being brought up to the courts, relieve the pressure on the caseload, and speed up the process.


Related Colorado Websites

The following are websites associated with the Colorado criminal justice systems, their missions statements, and the perspective on justice that each mission statement best coincides:

Colorado Department of Corrections
http://www.doc.state.co.us/index.html

The mission of the Colorado Department of Corrections is to protect the public through effective management of criminal offenders in controlled environments which are efficient, safe, humane, and appropriately secure, while also providing meaningful work and self-improvement opportunities to assist offenders with community re-entry through pro-social stabilization[6].

Their mission statement best fits with the Rehabilitation Perspective


Colorado Department of Public Safety
http://cdpsweb.state.co.us/

The mission of the Colorado Department of Public Safety is to provide a safe environment in Colorado by maintaining, promoting and enhancing public safety through law enforcement, criminal investigations, fire and crime prevention, recidivism reduction and victim advocacy. The CDPS also provides professional support of the criminal justice system, fire safety community, other governmental agencies and private entities. Throughout, our goal is to serve the public through an organization that emphasizes quality and integrity[7].

Their mission statement best fits with the Crime Control Perspective


Colorado State Judicial Branch
http://www.courts.state.co.us/

The Colorado Judicial Branch is a fair and impartial system of justice that:
- Protects constitutional and statutory rights and liberties
- Assures equal access
- Provides fair, timely and constructive resolution of cases
- Enhances public safety
- Supervises offenders
- Facilitates victim and community reparation[8]

Their mission statement includes beliefs from both the Justice and the Due Process Perspectives.

[1] Create a Cake. (n.d.). Retrieved September 7, 2009, from Create a Cake Website: http://www.creatacake.com.au/images/4%20tier%20cake%20with%20flowers.jpg
[2] Cardona, F. (2009, September 3). Retrieved September 5, 2009, from Denver Post Website: http://www.denverpost.com/ci_13262866
[3] KDVR Denver. (2009, September 4). Retrieved September 7, 2009, from Fox 31 KDVR Website: http://www.kdvr.com/news/kdvr-serialrapist-090409,0,1010503.story?track=rss
[4] McPhee, M., & Nicholson, K. (2009, September 4). Retrieved September 5, 2009, from Denver Post Website: http://www.denverpost.com/crime/ci_13266217
[5] KDVR Denver. (2008, June 6). Retrieved September 7, 2009, from Fox 31 KDVR Website: http://www.kdvr.com/kdvr-coloradowomanconnectedtote-6712030,0,4110527.story
[6] Colorado Department of Corrections. (2009, April 1). Retrieved September 7, 2009, from Colorado Department of Corrections Website: https://exdoc.state.co.us/userfiles/regulations/pdf/0100_18.pdf
[7] Colorado Department of Public Safety. (n.d.). Retrieved September 7, 2009, from Colorado Department of Public Safety Website: http://cdpsweb.state.co.us/
[8]Colorado State Judicial Branch. (n.d.). Retrieved September 7, 2009, from Colorado State Judicial Branch Website: http://www.courts.state.co.us/

Welcome to the Colorado Crime Family Blog!

Welcome to this blog!
Figure 1. Colorado (n.d.). Source: discoveringcolorado.com


The Colorado Crime Family (CCF) will use this blog to discuss the criminal justice system in the beloved state of Colorado. There are 7 members in the family, which we will introduce below.

• AF is a 23-year-old sophomore who is majoring in criminal justice and would like to be a private investigator.
• AD is a 20-year-old sophomore who is majoring in criminal justice and is interested in becoming a divorce lawyer.
• CH is a 21-year-old sophomore who is majoring in criminal justice and is interested in becoming a business lawyer.
• LH is a 25-year-old sophomore who is majoring in accounting and would like to go into fraud accounting.
• DC is a 21-year-old senior who is majoring in film and is taking criminal justice for the social science credit.
• LR is a 19-year-old sophomore who is majoring in biology and is taking criminal justice for the social science credit.
• JC is an 18-year-old freshman who is majoring in criminal justice and would like to become a police officer.
  

Enjoy the CCF blog, and learn more about criminal justice and its role in Colorado.


1. Colorado [Online Image]. (n.d.). Retrieved September 4, 2009, from discovercolorado.com. http://www.discoveringcolorado.com/photos.htm