Crime
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Colorado ranks 10th in counterterrorism and security. High risk state Boulder too.
Dec 22nd
Colorado is at risk for terrorism (domestic and international) and national security incidents. These incidents could take the form of threats and hoaxes, chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, small-scale conventional weapons or explosives, large improvised explosives, or cyber attacks.”
Colorado
Colorado ranks 10th of 50 states in the number of domestically focused counterterrorism and homeland security organizations (tied with Ohio), and fourth overall in organizations established or newly involved in counterterrorism since 9/11. In dollar amount, the state ranked 21st in fiscal 2009 in federal homeland security spending and 21st in domestic preparedness and antiterrorism programs. Measured per capita, the state ranked 33rd in overall federal government expenditures.
U.S. intelligence and homeland security agencies and the Department of Justice measure the potential terrorist threat to Colorado by analyzing data, including the following: Colorado had five terrorism-related convictions from Sept. 11, 2001, through March 2010, according to the Justice Department. Denver is one of the 64 urban metropolitan areas that have been designated by the federal government as “high-threat, high-density” with regard to acts of terrorism. Colorado has experienced no terrorism attacks since 9/11, but Denver was one of four U.S. cities (along with Dallas, New York and Springfield, Ill.) that were targets in a rash of plots uncovered and thwarted in September 2009. Colorado has the eighth-largest and fastest-growing immigrant population in the nation, a measure that the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI associate with potential threats.
The dominant features in Colorado when it comes to national security are the U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM), the military’s homeland security agency that was formed in October 2002, and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), a joint U.S. and Canadian agency. Both are headquartered in Colorado Springs. NORTHCOM has an extensive intelligence apparatus and its own fusion center that covers threats to North America, as well as six full-time operational task forces in Alaska, Hawaii, Texas (two), Virginia and the District of Columbia. The University of Denver and the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs were founding members of NORTHCOM’s Homeland Security/Defense Education Consortium. The Colorado Homeland Defense Alliance also promotes collaboration among the private sector, universities and the government on issues of national security and public safety.
Colorado also hosts a considerable number of other government intelligence organizations — including the National Security Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office, the CIA and military intelligence — making metropolitan Denver home to nearly 35,000 federal employees, according to the state of Colorado. Colorado is one of 22 states with more than one Joint Terrorism Task Force.
In July 2003, Colorado created nine All Hazards Emergency Management Regions, each with a homeland security coordinator, to coordinate the state’s efforts to prevent and respond to potential terrorist attacks. Colorado is located in FEMA Region VIII; the Defense Coordinating Office responsible for brokering and arranging federal military support for the state is in Denver.
Organizations Federal State Local Total
Law Enforcement 40 8 19 67
Emergency Management 2 5 0 7
Homeland Security 5 6 0 11
Counterterrorism 4 0 0 4
JTTFs 2 0 0 2
Intelligence 14 1 0 15
Fusion Centers 1 1 0 2
Totals 65 20 19 104
Initiatives
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COUNTERTERRORISM
The Colorado Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) is located in Denver, with a JTTF annex in Colorado Springs. Colorado’s Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council (ATAC) in Denver includes federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, as well as the state attorney general and district attorneys from throughout the state.
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INTELLIGENCE
Colorado is a member of the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) and the Rocky Mountain Information Network (RMIN).
At the federal level, the FBI Denver Field Intelligence Group works closely with the Colorado Information Analysis Center (CIAC), which supports law enforcement and intelligence partners throughout the state. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement Field Intelligence Group in Denver has jurisdiction over Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and Montana. An alternate TSA Secure Flight Resolution Center, a “no-fly” watchlist intelligence fusion center, is located in Colorado Springs (the primary is in Annapolis Junction, Md.). The staff at the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area in Denver performs criminal intelligence analysis for Colorado and for parts of Utah, Wyoming and Montana.
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FUSION
The Colorado Information Analysis Center (CIAC), the state’s fusion center, established in 2004, is operated by the Colorado State Patrol. It is co-located with the state emergency operations center in Centennial. During the Democratic National Convention in 2008, the CIAC worked with the FBI, other federal agencies, NORTHCOM and local police, marking the first time during a designated “national security special event” that a combined intelligence and antiterrorism military task force fusion center was created to collect, analyze, process, store and disseminate all threat information.
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HOMELAND SECURITY
The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security was established in February 2008 to coordinate state, regional and local efforts to help Colorado’s communities be able to prevent attacks and protect against, respond to and recover from all hazards. Colorado Rubicon is a voluntary, state-organized, critical infrastructure and key assets protection program that provides full-spectrum vulnerability assessments for private-sector organizations, including intelligence monitoring through the Colorado Information Analysis Center (CIAC). To assist in critical infrastructure protection, the DHS Protection Security Advisor in Denver is responsible for Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. Colorado also hosts one of three National Guard Critical Infrastructure Protection-Mission Assurance Assessment (CIP-MAA) teams charged with conducting assessments in support of the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) program. The Federal Protective Service (FPS) Region 8 headquarters is located in Denver.
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LAW ENFORCEMENT
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is the statewide law enforcement agency and includes the Colorado Crime Information Center (CCIC) and an intelligence component. The FBI Denver field office operates resident agencies and satellite offices in Boulder, Colorado Springs, Durango, Fort Collins, Glenwood Springs, Grand Junction and Pueblo.
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EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
The Colorado Division of Emergency Management (DEM), part of the Department of Local Affairs, is the agency for coordinating disaster/emergency preparedness, from flooding to acts of terrorism. During an emergency or disaster, the DEM coordinates the state response and recovery program and maintains the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC). The SEOC is the governor’s command post and serves as the principal point for coordinating and tasking state departments and volunteer agencies.
Organization | City | Started since 9/11 |
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RA Alamosa (ICE) | Alamosa | |
8th Civil Support Team (Nat’l Guard) | Aurora | x |
Aurora Police Department | Aurora | x |
Denver Resident Office (Diplomatic Sec.) | Aurora | |
Boulder County Sheriff’s Office | Boulder | x |
Boulder Resident Agency (FBI) | Boulder | |
RAC Brush (ICE) | Brush | |
AFOSI Det 801 (Air Force) | Buckley AFB | |
Douglas County Sheriff’s Office | Castle Rock | x |
Colo. Division of Emergency Management | Centennial | x |
Colo. Multiagency Coordination Center (MACC) | Centennial | |
Colo. National Guard Joint Force Headquarters | Centennial | x |
Colo. Office of Preparedness, Security, and Fire Safety | Centennial | x |
Colorado Adjutant General (TAG) | Centennial | |
Colorado Air National Guard | Centennial | |
Colorado Army National Guard | Centennial | |
Colorado Office of Homeland Security | Centennial | x |
Colorado State Citizen Corps | Centennial | x |
AFOSI Det 803 OL-A (formerly AFOSI Det 808) (Air Force) | Colorado Springs | |
Show 20 more … Show all » |
Boulder police caution parents about stranger interactions
Dec 17th
Remind children:
· Never talk to strangers;
· If an unknown adult tries to approach you, run away and report it to the nearest trustworthy adult;
· If you cannot run away, yell “HELP!” as loudly as you can;
· Don’t be outside alone – walk or play with a friend.
Here are some other points to emphasize during conversations about safety:
· Always check first with a parent, guardian, or trusted adult before going anywhere, accepting anything, or getting into a car with anyone.
· Say “no” if someone tries to touch you, or treats you in a way that makes you feel sad, scared, or confused. Get out of the situation as quickly as possible.
· Tell a parent, guardian, or trusted adult if you feel sad, scared, or confused.
· There will always be someone to help you, and you have the right to be safe.
Anyone with information about the recent incidents is asked to contact the Boulder Police Department at 303-441-3333.
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A new study names Boulder, Colo., home to the happiest people in the United States.
Nov 22nd
By Susan Page, USA TODAY
Feeling down? You might consider a move to Boulder, Colo.
A massive new study of Americans’ attitudes concludes that the city at the foot of the Rocky Mountains is home to the happiest, healthiest people in the United States. At the bottom of 162 large and medium-sized cities: Huntington, W.Va.
The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, based on interviews with more than 353,000 Americans during 2009, asked individuals to assess their jobs, finances, physical health, emotional state of mind and communities.
CHECK THE INDEX: How does your city rank?
STATES: See how yours rates
POLITICS: See how your state leans
“Most of our highest-scoring cities are found out West and most of our lowest-scoring cities are in the South,” says research director Dan Witters. Wealthier communities typically score higher.
Residents of large cities — those with a population of 1 million or more — generally report higher levels of well-being and more optimism about the future than those in small or medium-sized cities. In small cities, at 250,000 or less, people are more likely to feel safe walking alone at night and have enough money for housing.
The study provides a city-by-city portrait of the nation’s mood and a potential tool for policymakers.
Nine of the 10 cities that fare best on “life evaluation,” assessments of life now and expectations in five years, boast a major university, a big military installation or a state Capitol — institutions that presumably provide some insulation from recession.
Overall, the top 10 cities include four in California, two in Utah and one each in Colorado and Hawaii. Of them, only the Holland, Mich., and Washington, D.C., metro areas are located in the Eastern or Central time zones.
Many of the bottom 10 are in economically embattled regions. Three are in the Alleghenies and three in the Rust Belt. Only Shreveport, La., and Modesto, Calif., are west of the Mississippi.
Boulder’s setting, including a greenbelt of public lands around the city, may help explain its top ranking, Mayor Susan Osborne says. “We tend to have lots of opportunities for being outside,” she says. The jobless rate is 5.7%, below the nation’s 9.7%.
In his annual “state of the city” address Saturday, Huntington Mayor Kim Wolfe said budget cuts and layoffs were needed for his city to deal with the economic downturn. The city’s jobless rate is 7.8%.
There are some places where people seem naturally upbeat. Baton Rouge is 44th overall, but in “life evaluation,” the Mississippi River city is first.
How does your city rank in well-being?
A city-by-city look at how Americans feel about their jobs, their health, their lives and their futures.
Source: Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, which included more than 353,000 landline and cellphone interviews in 2009. Margins of error range from 5 percentage points in the smallest cities to less than 1 point in the largest cities.
What each of the six indexes mean:
Life Evaluation: Personal assessments of one’s present life and life in five years, on a scale of 0 to 10.
Emotional Health: Measures a composite of respondents’ daily experiences, including laughter, happiness, worry, anger and stress.
Work Environment: Measures job satisfaction, ability to use one’s strengths at work, trust and openness in the workplace and whether one’s supervisor treats him or her more like a boss or a partner.
Physical Health: Measures chronic diseases, sick days, physical pain, daily energy and other aspects of physical health.
Healthy Behaviors: Measures smoking, consumption of fruit and vegetables and exercise.
Basic Access: Measures basic needs optimal for a healthy life, such as access to food and medicine, having health insurance and feeling safe while walking at night.
READERS: Were you surprised by your city’s rank/result