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.
Boulder police: Credit card rampage by recent wallet thieves
Apr 4th
Boulder police are looking for three suspects (one male and two females) in connection with the theft of a wallet and credit cards from the Whole Foods store, located at 2905 Pearl St., on January 20, 2013.
The victim was grocery shopping around 3:30 p.m. and said she became distracted when a male bumped into her with his cart. She had placed her open purse in the seat of the cart while she was shopping and believes the male stole her wallet after he ran into her with his cart. She didn’t immediately notice that her wallet had been taken.
Her stolen credit cards were used a short time later at several stores, including Apple, Target, Gymboree, Sunglass Hut and Nordstrom Rack. Photos taken from surveillance video show two women using the cards to purchase a variety of merchandise and gift cards.
One female suspect is described as:
· White or Hispanic
· Between 26 and 30 years old
· Average or slim build
· Brown or auburn hair which is pulled back from her face
· Wearing dark-framed eyeglasses
· Gray sweater with a white shirt underneath, jeans and a dark-colored purse worn across her body
The other female suspect is described as:
· Between 30 and 35 years old
· Slightly overweight
· Wearing a dark-colored jacket and white scarf
· Straight, dark hair which is pulled back from her face
· Carrying a handbag with short straps
Clerks believe the women were speaking Spanish, and described them as wearing “high end” clothing and carrying Gucci and Louis Vuitton handbags. Photos of the women are attached.
The male suspect from Whole Foods is described as:
· Hispanic male
· Early-to-mid twenties
· 6’02” tall
· Tall and stocky build (not heavyset)
· Short black hair
· Wearing a white stocking cap with blue stripes, and a black jacket
The case number is 13-826.
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Residents plagued by phony phone surveys about municipalization
Apr 4th
The City of Boulder wishes to inform the public that it is not currently conducting any telephone polling about the potential creation of a local electric utility or possible ballot language related to this effort.
Residents have reported receiving a call from a research firm asking about several topics that the firm suggests will be on the ballot this fall. This call is similar in nature to a survey that was conducted on behalf of Xcel Energy last month.
Currently, the only item the city may place on the ballot related to possible municipalization is about the bonding process. Council will discuss this potential issue over the next few months.
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Boulder police: Officer’s Shameful Mapleton Neighborhood Pet Elk Shooting – Executive Summary
Mar 27th
FULL REPORT SEE HERE:
Some names have been redacted to protect department members’ personnel privacy rights. Investigative
reports on personnel matters are typically not made public. The decision to release this report
was made in the interest of transparency (to the degree possible) and due to the already public
nature of the incident, the degree of public concern expressed over the incident, and the fact that both officers are no longer with the departmentOn January 1, 2013, at approximately 2255 hours, Officer Sam Carter shot and killed an elk with
police issued shotgun on the corner of 9th and Mapleton while on duty. Officer Carter had
made prior arrangements with off duty Officer Brent Curnow to assist him in loading the elk in
Curnow’s truck for later processing. Officer Carter made no attempt to report that he had
discharged his shotgun or that he had killed the elk. (Officers sometimes have to euthanize
injured animals to prevent further suffering.) Officer Carter did not notify a supervisor, dispatch,
or file any reports about the incident.
On the morning of January 2nd, the department began to receive media inquiries about the killing
of the elk. The department had no knowledge of any officer involvement in the killing at that
time. The department continued to follow-up on reports that an elk had been killed by a Boulder
officer and learned on the evening of January 2nd that Sam Carter had killed the elk. The
department then began a preliminary internal investigation to determine the circumstances and
why Carter did not report the shooting to anyone. As information was developed, it became
obvious that there were serious questions around the circumstances of the shooting and the
actions of the officers involved.
On January 3rd, a formal Internal Affairs Investigation (IA) was initiated against Officers Carter
and Curnow (see attached complaints officially filed January 4th). Both officers were placed on
administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. At about the same time, a
criminal investigation was initiated by the Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife (CPW).
While information was shared with CPW, the investigations remained separate and distinct. The
goal of the department’s IA investigation was to determine whether Officers Carter and Curnow
had violated any department rules and/or policies. The criminal investigation was left to CPW
and eventually forwarded to the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office. We did not conduct
a personnel investigation into the actions of Deputy Jeff George. That responsibility fell to his
employer, the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office.
On January 18th Officers Carter and Curnow were arrested and charged with multiple offenses
related to the elk shooting. On the same date, both officers were placed on leave without pay and
given appointments to report to the police department for their formal IA interviews on January BOULDER POLICE DEPARTMENT
Report 2/37
21st. Rather than appear for their interviews as scheduled, their attorney Marc Colin appeared
and announced that both officers would resign effective January 22nd. Boulder Police continued to investigate to determine the facts and whether other employees were potentially involved. The department did not find any other violations of rules or policies by any other employees. Some employees had overheard statements by Carter and or Curnow about
wanting to get the elk, or shoot the elk. However, the context in which these statements were
made did not lead those employees to believe either officer would illegally or without
justification shoot the elk. Both officers were hunters, as were other members of the department,
and would often talk about hunting, so this type of conversation did not seem alarming. Often,
job related joking occurs at briefings to start the day, so it is not unusual to hear officers make
statements in jest. As one officer put it, Carter was always making brash statements in briefing
but never did any of the things he joked about. No one took him literally when he said he
wanted to kill the elk. Officer Curnow also reportedly teased a Sergeant about putting the elk
down as he knew that Sergeant was an animal lover.
The elk in question had been around Boulder for many months and was admired by many
officers. Some officers even took pictures of the elk due to its size and beauty. After the
shooting, the officers who worked with Carter and Curnow were shocked, disappointed, and
angry that they would do such a thing.
All of the information gathered during the investigation was provided to supervisors and the
department’s 12 member IA Review Panel, (six community members and six department
members). All reviewers were unanimous in recommending the allegations against Carter and
Curnow be sustained. Chief of Police Mark Beckner agreed with these recommendations and
entered a sustained finding in the personnel files of both Carter and Curnow.
None of the reviewers or panel members believed any disciplinary action was appropriate for any
other officer. The Chief of Police also asked specifically for feedback from supervisors and the
IA Review Panel in regards to some decision making on the part of two other officers. One
involved a post on a Facebook page about the elk and the other involved being more timely in
letting the department know of Carter’s involvement. The consensus feedback was that both
situations were best handled as learning experiences to be addressed through documented
counseling with supervisors. The Chief accepted this recommendation.