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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/12/2025 - CITIZEN REVIEW BOARD - AGENDA - Regular MeetingCITIZEN REVIEW BOARD REGULAR MEETING 222 Laporte Ave, Colorado River Room (Main Floor) 1. CALL TO ORDER 2. ROLL CALL 3. AGENDA REVIEW 4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION a. Public Input – 5 minutes per individual 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a. January 8, 2025: 6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 7. NEW BUSINESS a. Voicemail: None b. E-mail: None c. Introduction of FCPS Executive Staff and New Internal Affairs Sergeant 8. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS 9. OTHER BUSINESS 10. ADJOURNMENT Participation for this Citizen Review Board Meeting will be in person at the Colorado River Room on the main floor. Masks Strongly Recommended in Indoor Public Spaces While there are currently no public health orders in place, Larimer County Public Health officials strongly recommend that well-fitting, high-quality masks are worn in crowded indoor spaces. For more information, please visit fcgov.com/covid Page 1 Citizen Review Board REGULAR MEETING January 8, 2025, at 5:30 pm 222 Laporte Ave, Colorado River Room (Main Floor) 1. CALL TO ORDER: Called to order by Shamera Loose at 5:33 pm. 2. ROLL CALL a. Board Members Present – Shamera Loose, Elizabeth Grant, Mike O’Malley, Melissa Rosas, Michael Ruttenberg, Veronica Olivas, Amy Hoeven b. Staff Members Present – Lieutenant Jeremy Yonce, Assistant City Attorney Sara Arfmann, Jessica Jones c. Guest(s) – Britta Davis 3. AGENDA REVIEW 4. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a. December 11, 2024: Amy Hoeven moved to approve, which was seconded by Melissa Rosas. Motion passed. 6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS a. 2024 CiRB Annual Report: Amy Hoeven moved to approve, which was seconded by Mike O’Malley. Motion passed. 7. NEW BUSINESS a. Voicemail: None b. E-mail: 2 emails from Mr. Antonio Vigil requesting information c. Training: Victims Service Unit with VSU Supervisor Britta Davis Britta Davis is the supervisor of the Victims Service Unit and has been with FCPS for 16 years. She started with the Crimes Against Persons Unit, and has always been passionate about training and education around trauma. She is a law Page 2 enforcement trainer at several academies, and is a certified trauma specialist, trained in the neurology of trauma. The VSU currently has 3 full time staff members, and 1 part time staff member. Additionally, they have a volunteer team of 15 individuals, who go through a full background check, and attend a full academy with the other staff members. This allows the VSU to have 24 hour coverage. The unit also assists in scenarios other than when a crime has been committed: for example, overdoses, if someone dies in the home, or in the case of a suicide. Board Member Question: Is the VSU funded by grant, and do you have bilingual staff members? VSU is grant funded, with most of the funding coming from a grant called VALE and then another grant called VOLA. These funds mostly go towards funding personnel. The team does have a bilingual staff member, who started as a volunteer, and speaks fluent Spanish. Board Member Question: What is the name of the department at CSU that the VSU works with? SAFE, which was recently renamed and was called the Women’s Gender Advocacy Group. VSU also has a contact at the CSU Student Office. There are a variety of nonprofit agencies that VSU works with as well, including Three Helpful Hearts, which specializes in assisting bereaved parents who have lost a child. Colorado is unusual in that there is a strong network of agencies that work very well together. Board Member Question: There is a shortage of mental health professionals in Colorado. How do you get victims help when they don’t have any money? VSU has relationships with nonprofit organizations that often operate on free or reduced cost basis for low-income people. Some people may prefer to go to a private counselor, and Psychology Today is a great website that gives a summary of private counselors in the area. Board Member Question: Do you use Health Info Source? VSU does use Health Info Source, along with several other options. VSU also provides support to the officers, who are not immune to trauma. Cases can sometimes last for years, and hearing about traumatic events is difficult as well. Page 3 Board Member Question: Do victim advocates have to maintain confidentiality? No. Victims advocates do not have to maintain confidentiality, and staff members are very clear about that in the beginning, to avoid misleading a victim. VSU is considered a part of law enforcement. VSU does maintain confidentiality as far as anyone outside of the case, unrelated to law enforcement. There are also close relationships with SAVA and Crossroads Safehouse, and victims will often sign release waivers with them for FCPS, so that FCPS can stay in the loop. In 2023, there were 1,564 crime victims. Board Member Question: Does that mean that there were 1,564 crimes, or 1,564 individuals involved? That number represents individuals, so that means victims, family members, witnesses, etc. VSU also works closely with the CRASH unit, that handles fatalities and serious bodily injuries in traffic cases. Board Member Question: Do you break down statistics as far as economic status, gender, race, etc.? Yes, VSU reports statistics in total and with a break down for compliance with grant funding. It is worth highlighting that these situations can happen to anyone, regardless of socio-economic factors, and that reporting is often much lower for people in higher income brackets. C.R.S. 24-4.1-301 is the Victims Rights Amendment. It was passed in 1993, and states that it is the intent of the Colorado Courts for the rights of the victim to be protected as much as the rights of the defendant. Board Member Question: With the state budget a billion dollars in the hole, will that impact grant funding? Yes, it already has. Board Member Question: Isn’t VALE funded through divorce fees? It is funded through a variety of fines and fees, which include those associated with people who have been convicted of domestic violence, divorce fees, and other related fines. Board Member Question: Do victims ever sue? Page 4 FCPS hasn’t experienced this, but it sometimes happens, in general. If a victim has a complaint about VSU, there is a subcommittee that will review the complaint and make a determination. If enough complaints are received, the attorney general could potentially file a suit. Board Member Question: Is funding and complaints separate for FCPS and Larimer County? Yes. However, FCPS and Larimer County are all part of the 8th Judicial District, so if the complaint is at the district level, they are combined. In 2019, the legislation around victims advocacy changed slightly, and now victims have to opt out of receiving services, as opposed to before, where they had to opt in. Victims have the right to be treated with fairness, respect, and dignity, to be informed of all critical stages, and to be present and heard at specified critical stages in the criminal justice process. Victims are eligible for the Crime Victims Compensation fund, where the court will cover up to $30,000 per victim for expenses when it comes to therapy, bills, medical care, etc. Victims have a right to be consulted prior to a plea deal. Law enforcement, DAs, and judges are all required to comply with VRA, and there are additional institutions, such as state hospitals, that are included in that requirement. Board Member Question: Does this data show up on the District Attorney’s dashboard website? No, that data is separate from VSU data, which is compiled primarily for the use of grant funding and for the information of the chain of command. Board Member Question: Is the VSU data public information? It is public information because it is available by request. It is not published. Victims respond to trauma in different ways, which can include hypervigilance, anxiety, dissociation, panic attacks, substance abuse, etc. Many of these symptoms dissipate over time, but never completely go away. The grieving process is not linear, and victims can often feel as if they are back at square one when they have a setback. Board Member Question: Are there any therapeutic processes that work better than others? It is hard to say, since VSU works with acute trauma, and gives referrals to victims to outside agencies when it comes to taking a deeper look. Page 5 There are different parts of the brain that are impacted by trauma. The brain develops from the bottom up, and executive function is one of the last things to develop. Senses are greatly heightened when the body is in fight or flight mode. Talking through sensory memories helps victims to process what happened. The human brain is unable to tell the difference between physical danger and mental/emotional danger. Trauma can occur in seconds, and victims have to deal with the repercussions often for years. Board Member Question: Does it help victims if you arrange for a better environment for an interview? Yes, especially for sex assaults, making sure the victim is comfortable is important. Noisy hallways, body language, the layout of the room, can all impact a victim’s comfortability. Board Member Question: How do VSU members take care of themselves? It can take years for staff to figure out what works for them. Meeting with the staff psychologist, knowing that coworkers will understand if extra time is needed, and incorporating self-care practices are all valuable ways in which victim advocates can care for themselves. Board Member Question: Do you have a high turnover rate for volunteers? 12 years is the average length of term that volunteers serve. It is very rewarding work, and if anyone knows of anyone who would have interest in participating, they are encouraged to apply. Britta Davis’s contact information is listed in the pamphlet, and board members are welcome to reach out with any questions. 8. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS a. Veronica Olivas attended a training session through the League of Women Voters about Immigration 9. STAFF REPORTS a. FCPS has added an additional IA investigator to their staff, Jason Curtis, who will be assisting Kim Cochran in investigations. 10. OTHER BUSINESS 11. ADJOURNMENT Page 6 a. Amy Hoeven motions to adjourn at 6:58 pm, which was seconded by Elizabeth Grant. Motion passed. Minutes approved by the Chair and a vote of the Board/Commission on 02/12/2025 Signature: 01/08/2025 – MINUTES