By james art The second Citizens Against Crime meeting was held Thursday at the Steeple Event Center. Cañon City residents got an opportunity to hear from local organizations about their stance on crime and ask questions about the progress of crime.
“Tonight we’re talking about solutions, we don’t want to raise issues without trying to come to a solution about what we can do going forward,” said meeting organizer and host Phil Lund.
After the first meeting on Oct. 3, a survey was distributed among the 75 people who attended, and it was revealed that three common ideas for fighting local crime emerged: increasing neighborhood patrols, increasing police patrols, and response and improvement times of the effectiveness of the judicial system and accountability of offenders.
“We’ve all read reports of small towns in other parts of the country where challenges arise that tear communities apart because of lawlessness, but we want to say, ‘Not here, that’s not going to happen here,'” Lund said before introducing the panel.
More than 100 attendees gathered on the benches to listen to community leaders, including Canyon City Mayor Preston Troutman, 11th Judicial District District Attorney candidate Jeff Lindsay, Fremont County Commissioner Dwayne McFaul, city parks executive in Canyon and Rec. Kyle Horn, Leonard and Canyon City Police Department Criminal Analyst Sterling Jenkins and Canyon City Police Commander Chase Leonard and Sgt. Stephen Jones as they discussed their organization’s approach to crime.
Trautman cited that the CCPD is down about 10 officers, but the department can expect to be bolstered with the addition of five officers in December.
The 36-person unit responded to approximately 30,000 calls in 2023, and Troutman continued to promote the importance of locking and removing valuables from vehicles and also detailed how the community can keep up with criminal activity, including the city’s website and the police and sheriff’s records regularly published in the Canon City Daily Record.
Leonard detailed some recent activities at the police department to deter or alleviate the stress of crime, including a joint response program with trained mental health professionals and the implementation of a DICE (Data Public Engagement) unit. He also noted the CCPD’s ongoing Citizens Academy and neighborhood watch meetings that are held regularly.
“We’re doing what we can with the limited staff we have,” Leonard said.
McFaul had a slightly different take on crime in Canyon City — much of which stemmed from legislation trickling down from the Denver metro area.
“We’ve had a few problems over the last few years with very violent criminals being put back on the street … and that has to stop,” he said. “[As] Commissioners, we work a lot with the legislators in Denver, and that’s where some of our other issues come from … we’re constantly fighting unfunded mandates that they’re imposing on us.”
He noted that a lot of recent state legislation has “decriminalized criminals and made it harder for these guys [police] do their job’ and that violent criminals are often released on bond rather than remain in custody where they cannot reoffend.
State HB 1263 also has complex criminal activity, according to McFaul, because the bill makes possession of four grams or less of drugs, such as heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl, a misdemeanor rather than a misdemeanor — ultimately culminating in lighter penalties .
“They’ve made it easier for criminals to get out and made it harder for us as citizens to protect ourselves,” he added. “It takes a community to stand up to these people, and I think the more we do, the better off we’ll be.”
The sentiment was echoed by Jones of the Fremont County Sheriff’s Department. He noted that only 12 full-time deputies patrol more than 1,500 square miles of land in Fremont County, but also touched on the effect of the state Legislature.
The Fremont County Detention Center was built to hold up to 280 individuals, but Jones noted that mandatory bond releases have resulted in more felons being released and an emptier jail.
“There are certain laws that are in place [from Denver] which we and the courts must abide by,” Jones said. “Our hands are tied, the CCPD’s hands are tied, the Florence Police Department’s hands are tied.”
On a brighter note, Jones detailed the upcoming introduction of three new deputies, one in December and two in January, to the department.
Lindsey, the only candidate for the district attorney position in the 11th Judicial District, spoke not only about the issues surrounding current District Attorney Linda Stanley, but also about his 27 years as a prosecutor and how he hopes to change the face of crime in Fremont County.
He noted that according to Deputy Derek Irvine, the sheriff’s department was asked to process 26 dismissals in one day – something he said was clearly wrong.
“These cops have worked hard to put together cases and interview witnesses and capture body camera footage and do all the work they need to do to bring these cases and, for whatever reason, they get fired and that’s just it’s not appropriate,” he said.
There are several things the new DA can do to support Cañon City, Lindsay noted, and they include holding offenders accountable and listening to victims, but he also urged the community to take action in the form of building neighborhood watches and volunteering with community entities when appropriate.
Horne echoed thoughts mentioned by other panel members, such as understaffing and population growth, but highlighted the hard work done by Parks and Recreation. department for permanent maintenance related to vandalism and permanent cleaning of homeless communities.
“Contrary to what everyone in this room wants to realize is that there are people in the homeless community who don’t want help. They are fine where they are, there is mental illness, there are some who are born into homelessness and are comfortable staying that way,” he said.
Horn noted that Parks and Recreation. work together with the Bureau of Land Management and local law enforcement to safely dismantle and clean up homeless encampments and get to newly spotted encampments as quickly as possible. Like law enforcement, the department strives to treat homeless individuals who are displaced with respect.
“A lot of the time, they just need to be treated well, just like we want to be treated,” he said.
As for vandalism, Horne said his crews are constantly busy at local parks repairing damage caused by citizens, such as graffiti and damage to facilities.
The floor was open for citizens to ask questions of the panel – which many took advantage of. Issues ranged from law enforcement housing and theft issues to drug possession/carrying and code violations related to homeless communities.
“Can you please level us what we can do, what our rights are, to defend ourselves next to you [the police] get there?” one resident asked.
Leonard cited the state’s Make My Day law, which gives residents and property owners the right to defend themselves, but continued to advise them to be cautious.
“There are some nuances to that — they have to be an active threat … I would say, from our perspective, it’s vital that you consider ownership versus your safety. I know there is a lot of property crime and it is very frustrating … but I urge you to focus on your safety and the safety of your family in terms of your property,” Leonard said.
CCPD has provided self-defense materials on the subject.
Many questions were asked and answered throughout the night and already citizens are calling for a third meeting.
While there is no date yet for a future meeting, Lund hopes the community will continue to show interest in the topic so that change can be made.
“This problem is negatively affecting people’s lives, both in their homes and in their businesses. It should not be rejected. We have to deal with it,” he wrote in a Facebook post. “We absolutely can make a positive difference if we work together in significant numbers.”
Visit the Canon City Crime, Thief Reports and Public Information Facebook page for possible updates on future encounters.