Latest news with #JaredPolis
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Gov. Polis signs bill meant to help Colorado tackle sexual assault kit backlog
Police evidence bag containing DNA swabs. (Tek Image/Science Photo Library via Getty Images) Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill Tuesday intended to improve to the Colorado Bureau of Investigations' capacity to review sexual assault kits, which include DNA samples and other evidence from survivors. Senate Bill 25-304 establishes the Colorado Sexual Assault Forensic Medical Evidence Review Board, which will review the effectiveness of the state's medical, legal and criminal response to sexual assault and make victim-centered recommendations to the Colorado Legislature. The governor and attorney general have until Aug. 1 to appoint members of the board, including representatives from state agencies and various organizations that advocate for sexual assault victims. The board will need to submit a preliminary report to the Legislature by Dec. 15. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Law enforcement agencies overseeing sexual assault criminal cases will be required to update victims on the status of their kit every 90 days. The bill also sets a 60-day turnaround goal for crime labs reviewing forensic medical evidence from sexual assault kits. The agency's current goal is 90 days, which it expects to achieve in 2027. The estimated turnaround time for kits at the end of April was about a year and a half, with 1,369 kits in the backlog, according to a recently implemented data dashboard. Colorado's forensic services are facing a historic backlog of sexual assault kits due to reduced staff capacity and ballooning fallout from the discovery that a former CBI forensic scientist manipulated more than 1,000 DNA test results over her career. The backlog means delayed justice for survivors, as DNA evidence can often be critical for a criminal conviction. The bill originally would have created a full-time position to oversee the state's work to improve the kit review process, but it was amended to reduce spending given the tight budget year. Sponsors include Rep. Jenny Willford, a Northglenn Democrat, Rep. Meg Froelich, an Englewood Democrat, and Sen. Mike Weissman, an Aurora Democrat. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Miami Herald
8 hours ago
- General
- Miami Herald
Gov. Jared Polis signs bill to increase number of young people Colorado can hold in pre-trial detention
DENVER - Gov. Jared Polis on Monday signed a bill into law that will increase the number of young people Colorado can hold in pre-trial detention facilities. Current law allows the state to detain up to 215 teens at any one time. House Bill 1146 increases that number to 254 in the next fiscal year. In subsequent years, a formula will determine the maximum bed count, based on the average daily population. The bill also removes the most serious type of felony charges from counting toward the cap, and creates 39 emergency beds that wouldn't count toward the total bed cap. The Colorado District Attorneys' Council spearheaded the bipartisan bill, sponsored by Reps. Shannon Bird, D-Westminster, and Dan Woog, R-Frederick, and Sens. Barbara Kirkmeyer, R-Brighton, and Judy Amabile, D-Boulder. The DA group originally wanted to bump the number of detained youth up to 324, a hike that received forceful pushback from juvenile justice advocates. Prosecutors argued the state doesn't have enough beds to house violent youth offenders awaiting trial. Since fiscal year 2021, detained youth admissions with violent charges have increased by 49%, and admissions for homicide or manslaughter have risen by 80%, state figures show. As a result, prosecutors say, authorities have been forced to release teens who might otherwise be deemed a danger to the public to free up spots for someone else. Critics countered that the lack of safety in these facilities - highlighted by The Denver Post in March - proves the state should not be dramatically increasing the bed count. The legislation also includes a body-worn camera pilot program for juvenile detention and commitment staff. The test program in one youth detention facility and one commitment facility requires every staff member who is responsible for the direct supervision of youth to wear a body camera while interacting with them. The program will be implemented from January 2026 through December 2028. The Colorado Department of Human Services will then recommend whether to continue and expand the program, or eliminate it. The body-camera addition comes after a Post investigation found widespread allegations of excessive force by staff in the state's 14 juvenile detention facilities. A year's worth of internal incident reports reviewed by The Post showed teens suffered broken bones, sustained concussions and overdosed on drugs in these secure centers. Colorado's child protection ombudsman, tasked with investigating child safety concerns, has been calling since last year for the state to add body-worn cameras for staff in juvenile detention. Currently, facilities are equipped with video but no audio, making it impossible for investigators to determine whether verbal altercations contributed to excessive force or restraint incidents. -------------- Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
CBS News
19 hours ago
- General
- CBS News
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis reacts to Boulder terror attack: "People should feel safe exercising their free speech"
Boulder attack suspect said he prepared for it for a year, number of people hurt revised to 12 Boulder attack suspect said he prepared for it for a year, number of people hurt revised to 12 Boulder attack suspect said he prepared for it for a year, number of people hurt revised to 12 Reaction to a terror attack in Colorado that injured 12 people has been pouring in from local and state leaders, and that includes Gov. Jared Polis. Boulder was the site of the targeted attack on a pro-Israel crowd on Sunday, and Polis calls it his hometown. Gov. Jared Polis speaks to reporters on Monday. CBS The governor was in Denver for a bill signing event on Monday, and while he was doing that he made sure to condemn the attack. He said that "these kinds of antisemitic acts aren't welcome in our state, in our country." The group who was targeted has been holding walks on Boulder's Pearl Street Mall weekly, and their focus is on advocating for the release of Israeli hostages who where taken into Gaza by Hamas after their Oct. 7, 2023, attack in Israel. Polis, who is Jewish, says he has spoken with one of the victims of Sunday's attack and is wishing all of the victims a speedy recovery. "That simply shouldn't occur in Colorado," Polis said. "People should feel safe in their houses of worship, they should feel safe exercising their free speech, whether that's on Pearl Street Mall or 16th Street Mall, and that's a basic value that we hold dear." People on Monday place flowers in Boulder at the site of the terror attack on the Pearl Street Mall. CBS His comments followed a statement he released on Sunday night in which he said the attack was a "heinous and targeted act on the Jewish community." "As the Jewish community reels from the recent antisemitic murders in Washington, D.C., it is unfathomable that the community is facing another antisemitic attack here in Boulder, on the eve of the holiday of Shavuot," Polis said. "Several individuals were brutally attacked while peacefully drawing attention to the plight of hostages who have been held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza for 604 days. Hate is unacceptable in our Colorado for all, and I condemn this act of terror. The suspect should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." The bills that the governor signed on Monday include one that aims to reduce gun theft and another one that would include tougher penalties for those who steal guns.
CBS News
a day ago
- General
- CBS News
Boulder attack suspect threw Molotov cocktails at people rallying for Israeli hostages, officials say. Here's what we know.
Eight people were injured in an attack Sunday in Boulder, Colorado, where peaceful demonstrators were marching to support Israeli hostages in Gaza, authorities said. The incident is being investigated as an act of terrorism, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which described it as targeted. The suspect, 45-year-old Mohamed Soliman, was taken into custody. He is facing multiple felony charges as well as a federal hate crime charge. Here is what we know so far. What happened in Boulder? The attack occurred at around 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the outdoor Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, near the historic County Courthouse in the city's downtown. It was the site of a march held to advocate for the hostages who were taken from southern Israel by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, 2023, and have yet to be released. Witnesses said the suspect used a "makeshift flamethrower" and Molotov cocktails to harm demonstrators, leaving multiple people with burns, according to the FBI. The eight who suffered injuries had been standing outside of the courthouse. In the aftermath, a burn scar was visible in front of the courthouse building. Colorado Gov. Jared Polish, who is Jewish, condemned the attack, calling it a "heinous and targeted act on the Jewish community." The FBI's Colorado office said those who attended the march were participating in a scheduled, weekly event. Organized by the group Run for Their Lives, local branches hold community walks and runs in different cities within Colorado, around the country and internationally. "We are a local chapter of the global initiative Run For Their Lives," reads the description of the Boulder chapter's Facebook page. "We do an 18 minute weekly walk to show international solidarity with the hostages taken from Israel during the 10/7 massacre, and still being held in Gaza. We will walk until they are all released." Rachel Amaru, an organizer at Run for Their Lives in Boulder, called the attack "blatantly antisemitic" in comments to CBS Colorado. It took place less than two weeks after two Israeli Embassy employees were killed in a shooting outside of the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., which is also being investigated as a hate crime. Omer Shachar, a co-leader of Run for Their Lives Denver, told CBS News the group contacted Boulder police several times about security concerns around the event prior to Sunday. CBS News has reached out to Boulder police for comment. Who was injured in the Boulder attack? Police said the victims of the Boulder attack included four women and four men, whose ages range from 52 to 88. One of them was seriously injured, according to Boulder Police Chief Stephan Redfearn, who said the person had been hospitalized in critical condition. The 88-year-old is a Holocaust refugee who fled Europe, according to Rabbi Israel Wilhelm, the Chabad director at the University of Colorado Boulder. Wilhelm described her as a "very loving person." Another victim is a professor at the university, the rabbi said. Two of the injured were flown by helicopter to the burn unit at UCHealth, and four others were taken to Boulder Community Health, according to police and the hospitals. All of the patients at Boulder Community Health had either been discharged or transferred elsewhere later Sunday night, the hospital said, although it did not specify how many were discharged versus transferred. Who is the Boulder attack suspect? The suspect was identified as Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, FBI Special Agent in Charge Mike Michalek said Sunday. He is facing multiple felony charges and a federal hate crimes charge. Witnesses allegedly heard Soliman yell "Free Palestine" during the attack, according to Michalek, who said it was "clear this is a targeted act of violence." Two sources told CBS News that witnesses who spoke to investigators also alleged the suspect shouted "End Zionist" during the attack. The suspect told investigators he "researched on YouTube how to make Molotov Cocktails, purchased the ingredients to do so, and constructed them," an affidavit filed by the Department of Justice says. He also "stated that he wanted to kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead," the affidavit says. Soliman is an Egyptian national, government officials confirmed to CBS Colorado. Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the suspect first arrived in the United States in August 2022, originally on a non-immigrant visa that expired in February 2023. She said he filed for asylum a month after arriving in the U.S., in September 2022, but did not provide details about the outcome of that immigration case or whether it was resolved. Soliman had recently been living in Colorado Springs, about 100 miles south of Boulder. After the attack, authorities evacuated three blocks of Pearl Street for the rest of the day as they probed a vehicle of interest in the area, which an FBI official later said belonged to the suspect. On Sunday night, the FBI said it was "conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity related to the attack" in El Paso County, which includes Colorado Springs. FBI Director Kash Patel, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino and National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard have referred to the incident as a terrorist attack. "The @ODNIgov's National Counterterrorism Center is working with the FBI and local law enforcement on the ground investigating the targeted terror attack against a weekly meeting of Jewish community members who had just gathered in Boulder, CO to raise awareness of the hostages kidnapped during Hamas' attack on Israel on Oct. 7," Gabbard wrote in a social media post. Soliman's former employer, an independently owned medical clinic in Centennial, Colorado, called Veros Health, told CBS News that he had a valid work visa while employed there from May 2023 to August 2023. "We can confirm that Mohamed Soliman worked with Veros from May 2023 to August 2023. He was hired in our accounting department," Roni Mushovic, a regional business leader at Vero, said in a statement, noting that Soliman underwent the hiring process through ADP, which handles human resources for the clinic. "At the time of hire, he was confirmed to have a valid work Visa, which was noted to expire on March 2025," Mushovic said. Prior to Sunday's attack, Soliman was driving for Uber, which required him to have a valid Social Security number, CBS News has learned. According to an Uber spokesperson, he passed a background check and provided a photo ID and Social Security number when the company hired him in the spring of 2023, and passed another background check "about nine months ago." , , and contributed to this report.
Times
a day ago
- General
- Times
Boulder ‘terror' attack: Holocaust survivor named eldest victim in Colorado
Run for their Lives holds weekly walking and running events in cities around the world to call for the release of hostages held by Hamas. The movement was started by a group of Israelis in California after the October 7 atrocities, and local events are independently organised. Participants walk or run for a kilometre wearing branded red T-shirts and are encouraged to carry national flags of the citizens who are among the hostages still held in Gaza. 'This is not a protest; it is a peaceful walk to show solidarity with the hostages and their families, and a plea for their release,' the group says on its website. According to Israeli officials, about 58 hostages are still being held in Gaza. Only 21 are believed to be alive. Jared Polis, the governor of Colorado, said it was 'unfathomable' that the Jewish-American community was facing the third terror attack on US soil in as many months. In April, a suspect fire-bombed the official residence of Josh Shapiro, the governor of Pennsylvania, hours after the governor and his family hosted a Passover meal there. On May 21 Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, two Israeli embassy staffers, were shot dead outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington. Polis noted the marchers in Boulder were targeted on the eve of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. 'Several individuals were brutally attacked while peacefully marching to draw attention to the plight of the hostages who have been held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza for 604 days,' Polis, a Democrat, wrote on X. 'I condemn this vicious act of terrorism, and pray for the recovery of the victims.' A Holocaust survivor is said to be among the eight people injured. Rabbi Israel Wilhelm, a director at the University of Colorado Boulder, told CBS the victim was an 88-year-old woman. Chany Scheiner, a friend of the victim, described her as an 'amazing person … She has spoken at our synagogues as well as other synagogues and schools just about her background and the Holocaust and from her own perspective,' Scheiner told the KUSA news station. 'Her life wasn't easy, but she is just a bright light. And anybody who is her friend is a friend for life.' Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said he was praying for the victims. 'This attack was aimed against peaceful people who wished to express their solidarity with the hostages held by Hamas, simply because they were Jews,' he said in a statement posted to X. 'I trust the American authorities will prosecute the cold-blooded perpetrator to the fullest extent of the law and will do everything possible to prevent future attacks against innocent civilians. 'The antisemitic attacks around the world are a direct result of blood libels against the Jewish state and people, and this must be stopped.' A suspect charged with setting people alight at a march for Israeli hostages in Colorado was in the United States illegally, a Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman said. Mohamed Sabry Soliman entered the US in August 2022 on a B2 visa, which is primarily used by tourists on short stays, Tricia McLaughlin said in a post on X. The visa expired in February 2023, McLaughlin added. Soliman filed for political asylum in September 2022. Several news outlets have reported that Soliman is Egyptian, citing law enforcement sources. He is due to make an initial appearance in court this afternoon.
