Headlines — September 20, 2022

September 20, 2022

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Swatting incidents Are Happening Around The State

The Denver field office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking into a series of false threats – known as swatting – targeting schools across Colorado. 

Law enforcement yesterday confirmed at least three separate cases in Denver, Colorado Springs, and Alamosa of “swatting.” 

Swatting is when a person calls in a false police report, claiming an emergency is underway at an actual address. Sometimes these false reports intend to send specialized police – like SWAT teams – into a space in which they may use deadly force. 

Overwhelming police response to false threats can cause distress among those at the targeted location, in this case – public schools. The Boulder Valley School District communicated to parents yesterday to make them aware of the incidents, although no BVSD schools were targeted.

In a statement released yesterday, the Denver office of the FBI confirmed the swatting calls involved false reports of an active shooter at the schools. The information said, “The FBI takes swatting very seriously because it puts innocent people at risk and drains law enforcement resources.” The identity of who is behind the string of swatting calls is currently undetermined.

Adams City High School Placed On Lockdown

In a separate incident Monday, Adams City High School was briefly placed on lockdown Monday afternoon after reports that a student had brought a weapon to school. Shortly after issuing the lockdown at around 1 pm, police took the student into custody.  

In a communication sent to parents, school principal Chris Garcia urged parents to speak with students about “the dangers of bringing a weapon of any kind to school, or even threatening to use a weapon.” After-school activities and school dismissal continued as scheduled.

Colorado Supreme Court To Hear Arguments in Boulder County Oil Lease Case

The case was filed in 2017, with the county arguing that several of the oil and gas sites leased to Crestone Peak in eastern Boulder County expired due to a lack of oil and gas production. The Boulder County District Court, then Colorado Court of Appeals, heard the case and ruled against the county, finding that the leases should remain in place even though the oil and gas wells were idle and were not extracting oil or gas.

Boulder County’s website issued a statement saying that if the leases are found to have expired, the county will have complete control over the mineral rights to the extent possible under state law. 

The website said that most of the county’s oil and gas leases are 40 years old or more, with outdated royalty rates and other terms, and the wells associated with those leases have often been shut in for long periods.

The hearing can be heard this morning at 10 am on the Colorado Supreme Court website.

Boulder City Says They Will Consider Keeping West Pearl Pedestrian-Only

At last week’s City Council meeting council members said they would go ahead with the plan to reopen West Pearl Street to cars. The move that would bring the pedestrian-friendly transformation ushered in by the Covid-19 pandemic to at least a temporary end.

After an outpouring of community protest, the Council agreed to reconsider the decision at next week’s meeting. In addition to residents who like the outdoor dining, the decision to reconsider the closure, comes, in part, from pressure from the city’s Transportation Advisory Board which says closing off these streets to cars gets people out of their vehicles and helps combat heavy traffic, fossil fuel emissions, pedestrian safety issues and more. 

At the end of August 2022, City Manager Nuria Rivera-Vandermyde lifted an emergency measure allowing restaurants to use public sidewalks and streets on Pearl street under COVID protocol. Nearly all businesses have since cleared out their tables and tents along West Pearl. Only concrete barriers block cars from passing through. 

According to a press release, the City Council will vote to approve adjustments to the city staff’s work plan in order to accommodate further exploration on the topic of closing streets to accommodate outdoor dining and pedestrians along West Pearl and areas around Boulder. 

Some downtown businesses don’t like the idea and say the lack of vehicle access hurts their bottom line. The Downtown Management Commission says that the city should do more research before making a long-term decision.

Colorado Expands MonkeyPox Vaccine Eligibility

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is expanding its eligibility criteria for the monkeypox vaccine. CDPHE hopes this expansion will offer more protection to people with high-risk exposures to monkeypox. Those who now qualify include individuals who have had sexual contact with someone who has had monkeypox within 14 day.  

State epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy says the expansion, “allows Coloradans to proactively protect themselves and their communities by getting vaccinated before potential exposures, rather than only after a known exposure.”

Police Oversight Panel Recruitment

The City of Boulder’s police oversight panel is seeking volunteers and hosting a recruitment session at the Thursday. The police oversight panel is in charge of fielding and investigating complaints against the city police. They recommend disciplinary policy and training programs. Those interested can speak with Members of the current police oversight panel between 6 and 7 pm at boulder public library’s main branch.

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