Crime
We moved Boulder Crime News and police blotter out of News and made it a primary category. Even though crime news is the highest in analytic s some readers complain because it ruins non violent news. Our readers and viewers prefer science, tech environmental and entertainment news. So crime news junkies now have your own bad news section here.
Bomb threat, “Hit List” closes Niwot High
Jan 11th
Niwot High School in Boulder, Colo. is closed Friday as authorities investigate a threat to blow up the school and a 30-name “hit list.”
A threat that the school would “blow on the 11th” was found scrawled on a bathroom Monday and made public Tuesday. Officials decided to close the school when the threat escalated upon Thursday’s discovery of the threatening hit list filled with students’ names, The Longmont Times-Call reports.
Parents were notified of the decision and investigation in a letter Thursday. Deputies are using dogs to comb the school for bombs, and the school is offering a $1,000 reward for anyone with information about the perpetrator.
“We made a recommendation to the school district that they don’t have school on Friday for safety reasons, for the students,” Cmdr. Rick Brough of the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office told KUSA-TV. “It gives us more time to do an investigation and see if we can identify who is responsible, and whether the threat is credible.”
Schools across the country are still on high alert as parents nervously sent their children back to class after the Dec. 14 Sandy Hook school shooting. Districts nationwide have tightened security measures and increased campus patrols, and hypersensitivity to any unusual activity or perceived threats have already resulted in numerous lockdowns.
“Ten years ago this wouldn’t have been a problem, and now it’s a real problem. And my child’s name is on the list, and it’s very concerning,” parent Ellen Ross told TheDenverChannel. “I just really hope that the parents talk to their kids and try to find out what is going on because some child knows. No child does this and doesn’t tell anybody. I really want the parents to talk to their kids and find out who’s doing this.”
Weekend activities, including a girls’ basketball game and wrestling tournament, have also been canceled, KDVR reports.
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Jan 4th
Two Boulder police officers put on administrative leave during personnel investigation
The Boulder Police Department is continuing its internal personnel investigation regarding the killing of an elk on the evening of January 1, 2013 in the area of Ninth and Mapleton. Although personnel investigations can take weeks to complete, the Boulder Police Department is taking some administrative action immediately.
Officers Sam Carter and Brent Curnow have been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the internal investigation.
Once the investigations are completed, the information is forwarded to the employee’s chain of command for review and recommendations to the Chief of Police. After this review, the report is reviewed by a panel made up of both citizens and sworn officers who also make recommendations to the Chief. The Chief of Police will make the final decision as to the disposition of the case and whether disciplinary measures may be appropriate.
The Boulder Police Department will not be making further statements while the investigations are pending.
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Bad cop, baaad cop!
Jan 3rd
On Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013, a Boulder police officer shot and killed a bull elk in the area of Ninth and Mapleton around 11:00 p.m. According to the officer, he was on routine patrol when he observed the elk, which appeared to be injured. It was limping, and some of the elk’s antlers had been broken off. In the officer’s judgment, the animal needed to be humanely put down.
The elk was in a residential yard when the officer dispatched it with one shot from a shotgun. The elk was taken home to be processed for meat by another officer, who was off-duty at the time.
It appears that the officer did not inform Boulder Police Dispatch about his intentions to dispatch the animal, nor did he notify an on-duty supervisor or file a report on the incident. Since there was no record about the Boulder Police Department’s involvement, it created confusion about who was responsible. We apologize for the confusion and have initiated an internal personnel investigation into the matter.
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Department is investigating the matter to determine whether any crime was committed. The Boulder Police Department is cooperating fully with that investigation.
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