Posts tagged Mark Beckner
Boulder Police chief Mark Beckner asks media vampires to “would you Please!”
0August 24, 2011
Jann Scott Live from CATV 54 taking on News media 1997
In the late 1990s then police chief Tom Koby tried to reel the news media in over their frenzy feed coverage of the JonBennet murder. It back fired. Mark Beckner is all to aware of that episode and is cautious to repeat the tenor of that kind of reprimand. We did many Jann Scott Live TV shows about the news media rape of Boulder during that time.
One recommendation we have to Chief Beckner is for the Boulder PD to put up Media information on their website. The following is Mark Beckners’ letter to the media:
Dear members of the media:
As you know, we are a mid-size agency in a college town with lots of activity that tends to draw media attention. Unfortunately, we only have one PIO. While we take our media relationships, opportunities and responsibilities seriously, it is not reasonable to ask or expect one person to be on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We have established some guidelines in the past with previous PIO’s and identified procedures the media should follow in getting updates or information after hours. Over time, and as turnover has occurred, these procedures have not been utilized. Although not new, I’d like to remind everyone of what these procedures are.
- · Our PIO is generally available (303-441-3370) and happy to help you with all your inquiries during normal working hours (M-F, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm, with the exception of holidays and vacation). If you would like an update on a major case, we request that you call toward the end of the normal work day (M-F, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm) to obtain the latest information, rather than waiting until the evening hours to call. If not immediately available during business hours, our PIO will get back to you as soon as possible.
- · If you have routine questions or want some information on something that has happened or is happening after hours, the proper procedure is to call our dispatch center at 303-441-3333. Dispatch will field your request and forward it to an on-duty supervisor who will get back to you as soon as he/she can. Calling our PIO after hours is not helpful, as she is unlikely to have immediate access to the information.
- · We recommend that weekend reporters look ahead for stories they may wish to cover on the weekends and conduct any necessary interviews in advance. Unless something new develops or assistance is requested by an incident commander, our PIO will not be available for standup interviews to help media organizations catch up on stories that occurred during the work week.
- · Should we have a major event or major crime develop after hours that we know will attract a lot of immediate media attention, or there is a public safety need to get the information out quickly, the incident commander will contact our PIO to assist with providing you with information in a timely manner. This may occur in the form of a press release and phone interviews or the PIO responding to the scene. If the PIO is not available, someone will be assigned to act as a PIO for the particular incident, usually a Sergeant or Commander
- · If you need a copy of a closed or cleared report, you may contact our Records and Information Services unit (RIS) at 303-441-3300. This number may be called
at any time of day as RIS is typically available 24 hours a day (except some holidays). RIS is the only unit that can release reports. Calling the PIO for a copy of a report can actually take more time, as she has to relay the request to RIS for processing. The RIS staff will be able to tell you if the report is available to the public. Reports on open investigations are generally not available to the public. Our PIO can answer questions about individual cases or provide general information, but is not expected to read case reports to
reporters over the phone.
Please know that it is unlikely that an after-hours on-duty supervisor will be able to give you updates on cases being investigated by detectives or those that occurred on a previous shift. For these situations, it is best to check in with the PIO during regular hours. If something new should happen in one of these types of cases after hours and immediate release of this information is necessary, the detective commander will contact the PIO and ask her to alert you.
We are committed to be as informative as possible and we greatly appreciate the opportunity to work with you on communicating important public safety information. These procedures are intended to help meet your needs while recognizing the staffing limitations of our department.
Please let me know if you have any questions about these procedures. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
Mark R. Beckner
Chief of Police
Boulder, Colorado
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Tuning up the Denver Police Department
0April 13, 2011
by Boulder Channel 1
in News
“Tuning someone up” is universal police slang for roughing up a citizen who deserves it. In the past year Denver Police Officers have been caught on tape “tuning up” citizens without regard to cameras presence. A bold arrogant move by individual officers. Cops pull those kinds of stunts with Mexican and black working class or criminal class people who they feel have no status, money or recourse. 
Pretty much if you are the wrong color, or class and you are a little out of line…you need to watch your ass around the Denver PD. They have always had that reputation.
“On Monday, safety manager Charles Garcia terminated officers Ricky Nixon and Kevin Devine, who were accused of excessive force for an incident caught on camera outside the Denver Diner in 2009. The two were dismissed for “commission of a deceptive act.” Garcia found that the reports they filed after the arrests did not match other witness accounts.” according to the Denver Post
Garcia is the new public safety manager overseeing fire and police and he’s not in the mood for any bullshit. Apparently, he’s fired six officers so far this year and has sped up the firing process by eliminating police review board. He just fires em. The police Union and it’s lawyers are fit to be tied but word is on the street, if you are a Denver cop you better get some sensitivity training or find another Job. Pro wresting is hiring.
We think this is all good. If it didn’t happen only increased violence by disenfranchised citizens toward the police would result. Los Angeles is a prime example. The police lost that city in the 80′s under police chief Daryl Gates and it took 20 years to get it back. When people feel threaten by police they start shooting back as was a daily occurrence in LA. We don’t want that to happen here.
Boulder PD instituted a policy of Community Policing when tom Koby was chief and it has been carried on by Mark Beckner. As a result the community is a lot nicer.
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Cocaine Murder back in News: Boulder Police warrant won’t find Thayne Smika
0January 14, 2011
This story is a long sordid story of celebrity, murder, money, the rich and cocaine. Boulder was all abuzz in the early disco punk 80′s when Cocaine made everyones eyeballs buldge out and turned one poor Longmont drug dealer into a murderer.
The way the story goes is that Sid Wells and Shauna Redford were part of the rich cool CU cocaine set.. Thayne Smika was the poor kid from Longmont who was a drug dealer who wormed his way into Sid Wells life. According to a source who was part of their inner CU circle and now a Boulder businessman “Wells was trying to get away from Smika who was crazy. Noone could figure out why Sid would want to hang out with Thayne who was not at CU. It was the cocaine pure and simple. But I didn’t like the guy….he was a scumbag..”the source said.
Smika shot Sid Wells with a shotgun. Because the case was so convoluted, the DA at the time found it difficult to file charges which infuriated The Wells family and led to a nasty attack on the Boulder DA office.
Robert Redford who himself is a 1955 CU graduate with friends in Boulder was also vocally not happy. But according to sources in the Boulder DA’s office at the time , Wells and Smika well heavily involved in drugs and crime. Ballistics on the shotgun were difficult although there were bloody clothes found and everything led to Smika. Over the past decade Boulder PD has issued statements that they wanted to talk to Smika… as though he would turn himself in. No he was long gone and disappeared off the face of the earth. This new warrant on Smika may put him a little higher on police radar worldwide, but if Smika has evaded police for 14 years, don’t expect an arrest anytime soon.
This was the first big Boulder Police and DA screw up years before the JonBenet Ramsey case hit and missed. Long time Boulder residents remember it all. But it is all news to our social media kids who read this blog. The Ramsey case again put the DA and cops at odds, but the Sid Wells murder case really split the cops and DA’s office. The filing of charges puts both DA and Police working together. However, let us not forget that DA Stan Garnett took the Ramsey case out of the DA’s office and gave it back to the police where it belonged the whole time.
Boulder police have wanted to talk to Burke Ramsey who is now in his 20′s. Though former DA Mary Lacy cleared John and Patsy Ramsey, the new DA Garnett undid that in short order. There has always been suspicion on the entire Ramsey family over at Boulder PD as well as with Alex Hunter the original DA on the Smika and Ramsey case. They both rejected the intruder theory put forth by assistant DA Tripp Demuth. That got Demuth fired.
We may see a whole turn of events on both the Smika and Ramsey case: right or wrong. Boulder DAs office and the Police department have tarnished reputations over the Sid Wells and JonBennet murder cases. They want these murders solved like no other. Below is the PD official press release concerning Smika. It was written by Police chief Mark Beckner who worked on the Sid wells murder case and was lead investigator on the Ramsey case after it blew up. Boulder doesn’t have many murder cases but when we do they are Murder Mysterys.
Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011
Contact:
Chief Mark Beckner, Police Department, 303-441-3310
Boulder police obtain arrest warrant in 1983 homicide
The Boulder Police Department has obtained a warrant for the arrest of a longtime suspect in the homicide of Sid Wells, who was shot in the head and found in his home in the 800 block of 29th Street on Aug. 1, 1983. The warrant orders the arrest of Thayne Smika, who was one of Wells’ roommates at the time of the crime. The charge is first-degree murder. Bail has been set at $5 million.
The warrant was issued by a Boulder District Court judge in December and unsealed this afternoon, Thursday, Jan. 13, after police efforts to locate Smika were unsuccessful. Smika, born Feb. 27, 1959, disappeared from the local area in 1986, and his current whereabouts remain unknown. There are some indications that he may have fled to another country and assumed a new identity.
“The Boulder Police Department has been committed to solving this case since the day it happened,” said Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner, “and we are pleased that a judge has looked at the evidence that has been compiled over 27 years and agreed that Thayne Smika should stand trial.”
Beckner noted that the warrant is the initial step in what is likely to be a long process. The chief urged anyone with information about Smika or his whereabouts anytime since 1986 to contact detectives through a voicemail hotline at 303-441-1974.
“We are asking for the public’s assistance in determining this individual’s current location so that we can bring him back to Colorado to be held accountable for the death of Sid Wells,” Beckner said. “Even information that appears to be outdated may be of help to this ongoing investigation.”
The Boulder Police Department has worked closely with the District Attorney’s Office, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation on this case.
“We appreciate the support of our fellow law enforcement agencies. They have helped with the forensic analysis of available evidence and in attempting to locate the suspect,” Beckner said. “We also appreciate the cooperation of witnesses who stepped forward when the crime occurred and those who have spoken with investigators more recently. We know they share our commitment to resolving this case on behalf of Sid Wells and his family.”
A copy of the affidavit is available through the courts. A copy of a 1983 booking mug and three artist renditions of how Smika might look today are attached to this release.
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Boulder police and Media conspire to hide asperger’s as cause for triple homicide
0May 20, 2010
Internet,
One of the problems with the media coverage of the Boulder Store and flooring murders the other day is the that the media took the police report but never ran their own investigation. So the press left out some key information that led Robert Montgomery to murder his employers. The police knowingly omitted certain information and in essence lied about one key factor. They did this to be politically correct…… and the idiot media followed suit. What was it.? What did they all conspire to withhold from the public which was a critical factor that led Montgomery to commit murder?
He had Asberger Syndrome a serious anti-social form of Autism. The police nor media never mentioned it. Mark Beckner said there were no signs that led to the murders. That is not true. Robert Montgomery had been a problem employee all along. He had advanced Asbergers which caused him to act irrationally and to shuffle his feet like the truly disabled person he was. He was mentally and physically disabled. He was nuts.
But no one wants to bring Asbergers Syndrome into the equation . Why not? Because it is autism and we are supposed to be sympathetic to people with autism. They can’t help it. They are victims so why bring it up and give autism a bad name. Maybe people won’t hire other people with Asperger’s so we can’t discriminate. Really? Look at this definition for Asperger’s. I wouldn’t hire someone like this for my sales department. Fuck the people with disabilities act. read this:
Asperger syndrome or Asperger’s syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder, and people with it therefore show significant difficulties in social interaction, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. It differs from other autism spectrum disorders by its relative preservation of linguistic and cognitive development. Although not required for diagnosis, physical clumsiness and atypical use of language are frequently reported.[1][2]
Asperger syndrome is named for the Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger who, in 1944, described children in his practice who lacked nonverbal communication skills, demonstrated limited empathy with their peers, and were physically clumsy.[3] Fifty years later, it was standardized as a diagnosis, but many questions remain about aspects of the disorder.[4] For example, there is doubt about whether it is distinct from high-functioning autism (HFA);[5] partly because of this, its prevalence is not firmly established.[1] The diagnosis of Asperger’s has been proposed to be eliminated, replaced by a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder on a severity scale.[6]
The exact cause is unknown, although research supports the likelihood of a genetic basis; brain imaging techniques have not identified a clear common pathology.[1] There is no single treatment, and the effectiveness of particular interventions is supported by only limited data.[1] Intervention is aimed at improving symptoms and function. The mainstay of management is behavioral therapy, focusing on specific deficits to address poor communication skills, obsessive or repetitive routines, and physical clumsiness.[7] Most individuals improve over time, but difficulties with communication, social adjustment and independent living continue into adulthood.[4] Some researchers and people with Asperger’s have advocated a shift in attitudes toward the view that it is a difference, rather than a disability that must be treated or cured.[8]
Robert Montgomery was a time bomb ready to go off. His employers and co workers knew it, but since they lived in Boulder where crazy disabled people are given jobs with out forethought, they paid the ultimate price. The police also did not mention that his employers seriously screwed Montgomery on his commission checks. He was supposed to receive $800 last Friday, but they only gave him $200. This is the third time his employers jacked him around on his commissions. Hey people get killed in the USA every day over this kind of bullshit. This is the number one cause for murder in the united states. It makes people snap. So there is a lot the police nor media talked about in this case.
