Latest news with #DenverSheriff'sDepartment
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Yahoo
Police warn Denverites being targeted with ‘opt out' text scam
DENVER () — Denverites need to be on the lookout for a text scam in which scammers ask for payment to opt out of jury duty, according to the Denver Sheriff's Department. The text scam typically informs the victim they must attend court or jury duty and includes a link to a survey to opt out, according to the DSD, which urges people not to click on the link while warning it is not secure and helps the scammers access the victim's information and device. 2 lawmakers' vehicles vandalized at Capitol Clicking on the link in the text also requests payment from the victim, the DSD said, noting the scammers will likely send three text messages saying something similar to: 'Have you made plans so you can attend your court date tomorrow?' 'This is a friendly reminder that your court date is scheduled for…' 'Final Reminder: Your court date is scheduled for…' Colorado Courts will not call or text to collect a fine without first sending written documentation, according to the DSD, which urged to never pay money over the phone to someone claiming to be a court representative. Free on Your TV • New FOX31+ App for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV Anyone who receives a text message like those above are also asked to contact the police and notify the and/or call the Denver District Attorney's Office Fraud Hotline at 720-913-9179. Denverites may also check if they received a jury summons by contacting the Colorado Jury Commissioner's Office for Denver by email or by phone at 303-606-2305. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Yahoo
‘When you strip away the jumpsuit, you restore dignity': Denver jail launches in-person visitation clothing project
DENVER (KDVR) — On Thursday, the Denver Sheriff's Department launched a new program aimed to humanize those incarcerated. In May 2024, Denver County Sheriff's Department brought back in-person visitation to the county jail, and a year later, they're taking it a step further and launching something new: A clothing project that allows those in custody to wear everyday street clothes for visits. Sheriff Elias Diggins says the goal is to humanize the inmates and not further traumatize family members. 'Today is a momentous occasion for the Denver Sheriff's Department as we embark on something that is not being done at any jail in the country,' Diggins said addressing the media on Thursday. Deion Sanders' former Texas mansion listed for millions Inmates at the county jail will have the choice of non-institutional everyday clothes during visitations starting Thursday. The design of the visitation room is creating a welcoming environment for reconnection. The mural on the north wall reading 'Heal the past, live the present and dream the future.' 'We want something that's going to help bring emotions in a space of connection while they're here. When you look at the beautiful doves, and the faces and the words that are on the wall and the flower and the seed that's planted and that seed we are planting here is the seed of hope, the seed of dignity and humanity.' Diggins said. The idea came to the sheriff after last year's ribbon cutting on their in-person visitations and watching the documentary 'Daughters,' where a similar program is highlighted. He also draws on his own experiences, his father once an inmate here. 'Coming into a stark, white room like most contact visits spaces are in jails with a bleak environment and seeing your parent come out in an inmate uniform is something that you never get out of your mind,' Diggins said. 'So, if we want to bring families together, and we want to reduce the trauma that families have by their incarnation experience, because families are doing time as well, why not?' Denver bar named one of North America's 50 Best Bars Denver Councilwoman Shontel Lewis facilitated the partnership with Goodwill to provide the clothing, creating no additional costs for the department. She is also calling on her own experience stating she was once jailed, and Goodwill took a chance to hire her. 'In the lowest moment I made a poor decision, I took money from my employer, and I paid dearly for it.' Lewis said. 'They took a chance on me when no one else would and the chance gave me an opportunity to rebuild, to grow and to serve.' Lewis serves the area encompassing the jail and says with her experience she knows what a visitation space like this could mean for rehabilitation. 'When you strip away the jumpsuit, you restore dignity. When a parent can see their child or a loved one can hold a hand without that layer of shame you begin to heal something deeper.' Lewis said. They believe this will have a direct effect on these individuals' experiences once they're released. Potentially giving them the reasoning to not re-commit crimes. 'When they leave, we hope that they remember these experiences and how they were treated and knowing that they were not punished while they were here. The depredation of their freedom was their punishment.' Diggins said. DSP says they will be gathering data on the program's success and any recommitted crimes from participants. In-person visitations are only offered to individuals housed at the Denver County Jail. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Axios
29-04-2025
- Axios
Scoop: Inside Denver jail's new family-friendly reforms
The Denver Sheriff's Department is overhauling how and where family visits are conducted at the county jail, Axios Denver has learned. Why it matters: The revamp is part of a broader push toward progressive reforms inside Denver's jail. Driving the news: Sheriff Elias Diggins announced the move last Saturday at a Colorado Black Round Table event — remarks first reported by Axios Denver. Starting Thursday, the department will unveil a remodeled visitation space featuring murals, carpet, softer chairs and a smaller, more private room, replacing the stark white walls and long white table currently in use. The department is also changing its dress code for people in custody. They will now be allowed to swap inmate uniforms for regular clothes before contact visits. What they're saying: The changes aim to make the experience less traumatic for families of those being held, and signal a significant shift toward normalizing the environment, Diggins said. Seeing a parent in an inmate uniform is something "you never get … out of your head," he recalled, describing memories of visiting his own father in the Denver County Jail. Catch up quick: Last year, the sheriff's department reinstated in-person visits for the first time in nearly 20 years. That same year, the agency launched a pilot program that gives inmates Colorado identification cards to save time when applying for services, employment, housing or school after their release. It also recently made phone calls free for inmates and cut call rates for families from 8 cents to 6 cents per minute, according to Diggins. The big picture: With 97% of individuals in custody at the county jail expected to eventually return to the Denver community, Diggins said, the department is trying to create a less punitive, more rehabilitative system to prepare them to be "productive citizens."
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Sanctuary' city mayor confronted after gang member allegedly assaults federal officers
Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio confronted Denver Mayor Mike Johnston for upholding "sanctuary" city policies that allowed an illegal immigrant and suspected Tren de Aragua gang member to walk free and allegedly assault federal officers. During a House Oversight Committee hearing on sanctuary cities on Wednesday, Jordan slammed Johnston for ignoring an ICE detainer request and only giving federal agents one-hour notice before the Denver Sheriff's Department released Abraham Gonzalez, a 23-year-old Venezuelan illegal immigrant charged with assault, menace and theft of a vehicle. After being released by the Denver Sheriff's Department on Friday, Gonzalez assaulted ICE agents attempting to apprehend him, according to a statement by ICE. ICE has said that sanctuary city policies preventing law enforcement from honoring detainers and cooperating with federal authorities pose a significant risk to both agents and to the public. Red State Leader Calls For States To Stand Behind Trump's Ban On Funding Illegal Immigration Despite this, Johnston has doubled down on the city's sanctuary policies and has vowed to direct law enforcement to resist Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration. Read On The Fox News App During the hearing, Jordan showed a picture of the notice slip given by the Denver Sheriff's Department to ICE in which the location of release listed was simply the "streets." Addressing Johnston, Jordan said, "Three hundred and forty-five days you had him in custody, and ICE said, 'Hey can you give us 48 hours heads up?' You gave them one-hour notice." Johnston asserted that the Denver sanctuary policy does not shield people from law enforcement but rather "provides services." He said there were six ICE agents present when Gonzalez was released but admitted that the illegal immigrant was allowed to walk freely out into a parking lot. Chicago Alderman Says Mayor Brandon Johnson Can't Defend Sanctuary City Policies "Guess what happened in that parking lot… one of the ICE officers got assaulted, didn't he? They had to tase the guy, didn't they?" Jordan asked. "An officer got assaulted because your policy, which says, 'We're going to release him to' — in your words, not mine — 'to the streets.' They have to arrest him in the parking lot. They bring six officers when they could have just had one or two just come in your facility, into your jail, and take the guy there. But you won't do it that way." Click Here For More Immigration Coverage Addressing Johnston's testimony earlier in the hearing, Jordan said, "You used the word 'safe,' 'safer' or 'safety' 13 times. Talking about 'my job is the safety of the people in Denver, we're prioritizing making sure everyone is safer.' That's a lie." "It was not safer for the ICE agents who are part of your community. No way was it safer," Jordan added. "The safest thing to do is to say, 'ICE, we got him in custody. Come here. We'll release him.' [Instead, it's], 'We held him 345 days. We can't hold him a second longer. We can't wait for you to come inside the building. We got to let him go so you have to arrest him in the parking lot.' That is how stupid sanctuary policies are and what they mean to the community that you put at risk and to the ICE officer who was assaulted." Nyc Mayor Eric Adams, An Ex-cop, Has 'Upper Hand' Over Other Sanctuary City Mayors: Blue Lives Matter Founder Johnston said he was open to making "adjustments" to how releases are conducted but insisted this was the first instance of an ICE agent being assaulted during an arrest in his city. "It's a simple question," Jordan shot back. "You can release him in the parking lot, give ICE one hour notice and they got to send six officers to arrest this guy, or you can say, 'Here's what we're going to do. We're going to hold him. You come in and bring two officers in and turn him in.' Why not do it that way? You know why you don't do that way? Because you're a sanctuary city. This is the whole point."Original article source: 'Sanctuary' city mayor confronted after gang member allegedly assaults federal officers
Fox News
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
‘Sanctuary' city mayor confronted after gang member allegedly assaults federal officers
Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio confronted Denver Mayor Mike Johnston for upholding "sanctuary" city policies that allowed an illegal immigrant and suspected Tren de Aragua gang member to walk free and allegedly assault federal officers. During a House Oversight Committee hearing on sanctuary cities Wednesday, Jordan slammed Johnston for ignoring an ICE detainer request and only giving federal agents one-hour notice before the Denver Sheriff's Department released Abraham Gonzalez, a 23-year-old Venezuelan illegal immigrant charged with assault, menace and theft of a vehicle. After being released by the Denver Sheriff's Department Feb. 28, Gonzalez assaulted ICE agents attempting to apprehend him, according to a statement by ICE. ICE has said that sanctuary city policies preventing law enforcement from honoring detainers and cooperating with federal authorities pose a significant risk to both agents and to the public. Despite this, Johnston has doubled down on the city's sanctuary policies and has vowed to direct law enforcement to resist Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration. During the hearing, Jordan showed a picture of the notice slip given by the Denver Sheriff's Department to ICE in which the location of release listed was simply the "streets." Addressing Johnston, Jordan said, "Three hundred and forty-five days you had him in custody, and ICE said, 'Hey can you give us 48 hours heads up?' You gave them one-hour notice." Johnston asserted that the Denver sanctuary policy does not shield people from law enforcement but rather "provides services." He said there were six ICE agents present when Gonzalez was released but admitted that the illegal immigrant was allowed to walk freely out into a parking lot. "Guess what happened in that parking lot … one of the ICE officers got assaulted, didn't he? They had to tase the guy, didn't they?" Jordan asked. "An officer got assaulted because your policy, which says, 'We're going to release him to — in your words, not mine — to the streets.' They have to arrest him in the parking lot. They bring six officers when they could have just had one or two just come in your facility, into your jail, and take the guy there. But you won't do it that way." Addressing Johnston's testimony earlier in the hearing, Jordan said, "You used the word safe, safer or safety 13 times. Talking about 'my job is the safety of the people in Denver, we're prioritizing making sure everyone is safer.' That's a lie. "It was not safer for the ICE agents who are part of your community. No way was it safer," Jordan added. "The safest thing to do is to say, 'ICE we got him in custody. Come here. We'll release him.' [Instead, it's], 'We held him 345 days. We can't hold him a second longer. We can't wait for you to come inside the building. We got to let him go so you have to arrest him in the parking lot.' That is how stupid sanctuary policies are and what they mean to the community that you put at risk and to the ICE officer who was assaulted." Johnston said he was open to making "adjustments" to how releases are conducted but insisted this was the first instance of an ICE agent being assaulted during an arrest in his city. "It's a simple question," Jordan shot back. "You can release him in the parking lot, give ICE one hour notice and they got to send six officers to arrest this guy, or you can say, 'Here's what we're going to do. We're going to hold him. You come in and bring two officers in and turn him in.' Why not do it that way? You know why you don't do that way? Because you're a sanctuary city. This is the whole point."
