HomeMy WebLinkAbout20170182.tiffPresent:
WELD COUNTY
CRIMINAL JUSTICE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
MEETING MINUTES
Date: Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Centennial Center, 3`a Floor, Conference Rooms A & B
915 10th Street, Greeley
Judge James Hartmann, Judge Thomas Quammen, Commissioner Sean
Conway, Commissioner Mike Freeman, Rick Dill, Robb Miller, Jerry
Green, Dianna Campbell, Hugo Sanchez, Roger Ainsworth, Dionne Sund,
Karen Salaz, Jeff Valerio, Craig Miller, Mary Nagler, Esperanza Ortiz,
Donnie Patch, Doug Erler and Kamie Cooley
Chair, Judge Hartmann, called the meeting to order at 12:10 p.m.
Introduction of attendees.
AGENDA
1. Meeting Minutes:
A. Commissioner Sean Conway motioned to accept the July 19, 2016 meeting minutes with
no changes, Karen Salaz seconded and the motion carried.
2. Brief Update -Court Date Notification Program:
A. Judge Hartmann thanked Doug Erler and Kris Cummings for leading this effort. He also
thanked the County Commissioners for approving funding for the program (to be
finalized once the 2017 budget is officially adopted). Doug is working with County HR
to recruit and fill the position. Commissioner Conway thanked Judge Hartmann for his
leadership to start this program and mentioned the positive impact he believes the
program will have on our local criminal justice system and to Weld County. Judge
Hartmann met with the Weld County Chiefs of Police at their recent meeting, briefed
them on the program and stressed the importance of asking their officers to include
legible phone numbers on citations issued. Judge Hartmann will follow up with a written
reminder once the new program is fully implemented.
3. Local Justice System Status Report
A. Rick Dill reported on the status of our local justice system by providing an overview of
certain data points. Rick's report referenced the State Judicial Annual Report through
June 30th of this year and the Colorado Bureau Investigation annual report. Reported
crime rate state-wide (all agencies) increased by 6%, but the trend decreased by 7% in
Weld County. Reported crimes state-wide have plateaued since 2008. New criminal
cases filed increased in district and county court, unusual with county court declining in
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the past. Traffic cases have continued to decline due to municipal courts; however, there
has been an increase in filings for Domestic Violence and Protection Order Violations.
There has been an increase in population in Weld County and he found that this increase
is not directly correlating with the increased crime rate, saying other factors are playing a
role in the increase. The increase in bookings at the jail has increased 4-6% since last
year. He is not sure why the jail's population is increasing at rates exceeding records that
haven't been seen since 2006. Rick is forecasting a future demand for jail alternative
programs. Statewide, jail populations are increasing. Some of these increases may be
seasonal in nature. The State Patrol bookings were also included in his statistics. It was
noted that about 1/3 of the new district case filings for the year were felony DUI cases.
Judge Quammen asked how long it takes jail staff to transport inmates to the DOC.
Roger Ainsworth from the WCSO stated the process varies depending on the case, and
noted the Washington County Jail has no capacity to house the overfill of DOC inmates.
Commissioner Mike Freeman wondered if the time -frame set to open the new wing at the
jail might need to be adjusted because of the recent increases in jail population. Rick is
concerned and predicts that timeline may need to be adjusted. Rick notes top three
contributing factors are drugs, assault and felony menacing. Commissioner Conway
asked if the legalization of marijuana might be playing a role. ADA, Robb Miller does
not believe that is a primary factor, saying there is a national trend of increased filings.
Commissioner Freeman commented he finds it interesting that the reported crimes are
down but cases filed are up. Commissioner Conway thanked the Sheriff's Office and
District Attorney's office for their hard work.
4. Presentation - 19th JD Probation Department SPACKLE Program
A. Mary Nagler, Esperanza Ortiz and Jeff Valerio with the 19th JD Probation
Department, presented the Short -Term Supportive And Community Living
Environment program (SPACKLE). The goal of this new program is to improve
services for mentally ill probationers. Probation Officer, Esperanza Ortiz manages
this caseload, which consists of about 35 offenders on any given day. The Court
refers offenders to her caseload and jail staff help to identify severe mentally ill
offenders and communicates with her for those specific cases. This specialized mental
health caseload started in 2007. Collaboration is positive with the local justice
system, especially after the Mental Health/Criminal Justice subcommittee of the
CJAC formed to look at mental health services. That subcommittee was able to
identify gaps in our justice system and identified that stabilizing medication and
housing (peer interactions) for persons on Probation were two main factors affecting
case outcomes. That subcommittee dissolved last year. However, on the heels of that
effort, Probation applied for Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) funds to develop
SPACKLE. The goal is to fill the housing gap for certain Probation clients with
mental illness or substance abuse needs who are otherwise in-between services or in
community re-entry. The start date for this new program is October 1, 2016. The
target population are offenders with mental illness and/or co-occurring disorders who
fail out of NRBH supportive living services or are in community re-entry. The
program was put in place to meet the basic needs, plan for self -sufficiently, and long
term stability. NRBH is making residential space available while Esperanza will
coordinate supportive community services and housing. NRBH will have 3-4 beds
available and will provide ongoing communication with Esperanza. Judge Quammen
asked if there is a time limit for these offenders to stay. Esperanza said the target
time is 45-90 days; however, stay time may fluctuate based on the needs of the
offender. Jeff Valerio reported all four beds are going to be utilized at all times.
Judge Hartmann asked if there would be a screening process for eligibility for the
program. Esperanza said if the offender has a violent history, they would not be
allowed to stay at NRBH facilities. Doug congratulated Mary, Esperanza and Jeff for
the progress they are making for this population. CPO, Jerry Green supports the
program and believes it will reduce recidivism. Monthly status reports and statistical
reports about bed usage will be used to measure outcomes and sustainability.
Probation is required to submit reports to the Division of Criminal Justice
demonstrating outcomes and utilization. Funding can last up to four (4) years with
each year a 10% reduction, with the objective to secure funding for sustainability.
Congratulations to Probation for developing SPACKLE, good luck!
5. Roundtable -
A. District Administrator, Karen Salaz announced the Clerk's Office would now
be open to the public from 7:30 am - 4:30 pm. The hours have changed from
8:00 am — 5:00 pm, hoping to help the public transition out of the building by
5:00 pm.
B. Doug Erler asked the attendees to forward him ideas for future agenda items.
With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 1:10 p.m. The next CJAC meeting will
be Tuesday January 10, 2017.
Respectfully submitted,
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Kamie Cooley
Pretrial Services Supervisor, Weld County
Reviewed by,
Doug Erler
Director, Weld County Justice Services
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