The Public Safety Bureau is made up of 3 divisions, Investigations, Operations (patrol), and Community Resource.  In total these divisions are staffed by 64 sworn deputies and 10 commanders.  The Public Safety Bureau is headed by Bureau Chief Kim Fliethman and Deputy Bureau Chief Randy Winsett. 

Patrol -

Patrol deputies are the most visible part of the sheriff�s office and are the first responders for general and emergency calls for service.  These deputies provide 24 hour coverage for all citizens of unincorporated Weld County drove an average of 77,439 miles in 2008 for a yearly total of 929,269 miles.  The crime rate in 2008 dropped by 4.6% compared to 2007 but the number of calls for service increased from 33680 to 38618, a 12.8% increase.

The total number of major crimes reported dropped from 1597 in 2005 to 1036 in 2008, a reduction of 35.13% over a three year period.

In a press release on January 29, 2009, Sheriff Cooke said, �Thanks to better cooperation between law enforcement, other government agencies, and the citizens of Weld County the rates have dropped. Advances in technology and evidence collection techniques have improved the likelihood of an arrest. The Sheriff�s mission statement to improve the quality of life in Weld County has been successful from 2005 through 2008 with fewer major crimes reported each year.�

Investigations -

For 2008 the Investigations Division worked a total of 584 cases that were either closed or are still active.  On average each investigator handled 169 cases, which included 73 major crimes per investigator throughout the year.  Throughout 2008 investigators drove 13 vehicles a total of 173,211 miles.

Although the number changes throughout the year there were approximately 121 sex offenders registered in Weld County in 2008.

The table below shows some of the crime types handled by the division in 2008.

Criminalist�(Impression Evidence Analyst)

In 2008 the crime scene specialist processed 37 cases containing 142 items for fingerprints.  He also analyzed 815 latent print impressions involving 144 cases.  He was able to make 27 AFIS (Automated Fingerprint Identification System) entries, and conduct 29 fingerprint comparisons.  Sixteen particular cases required him to compare 6,536 footwear and tire track comparisons.  In addition he responded to 11 crime scenes, processed 6 vehicles for evidence and attended 5 autopsies.  

Traffic Unit -

In 2008 the traffic unit included 10 full time deputies and one commander.  The unit conducted 9806 traffic stops and wrote 4654 citations, and 1459 warnings.  The unit investigated 573 traffic accidents, and in total Weld County had 44 traffic related deaths on the roads through 2008.  Throughout the course of their daily duties traffic deputies traveled 210,579 miles in 2008.

Community & School Resource Division -

The Community Resource (CRO) and School Resource (SRO) programs are involved in the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) and Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) programs as well as conducting citizen�s police academies and other community functions throughout the County.

CRO Deputies:

District 1  -  Deputy Lisa Carpenter        
District 2  -  Deputy Glen Cowan
District 3  -  Deputy Julie Mercer
District 4  -  Deputy Jennifer Foy

Animal Control (ACO) & Code Enforcement Officers -

In 2008 the unit responded to 3132 animal related calls, and 58 code enforcement calls. In all they handled 87 calls involving an animal bite throughout the year.  762 dogs and 252 cats were taken to the humane society and 220 summonses were issued for dog at large.  The unit also responded to 280 animal cruelty / neglect calls, but 223 were found to be non criminal.  In total the unit drove 139,537 miles in 2008, compared to 121,255 in 2007.

S.W.A.T. -

The SWAT team was established in 2006 and in 2008 responded to 18 high risk warrants, and 2 barricaded / suicidal calls; with a total of 24 arrests.  The team also assisted other area SWAT teams as requested.  The SWAT team is not a full time assignment and consists of 28 members from 6 agencies throughout the county.  Throughout the year the team logged 3072 man hours of training time.

Training -

Deputies participate in on duty monthly training to recertify in certain activities such as first aid & CPR, as well as learn the latest laws pertaining to their jobs.  In 2008 each Public Safety Bureau participated in 60 hours of training on average in addition to any specialized or individual training they may have attended.

Crime Analysis Unit -

In 2008 the crime analysis unit had one full time employee who produced crime reports based on trends and probable locations of future crime areas.

Weld�s Most Wanted -

The Most Wanted program experienced another successful year in 2008.  Tips were received by text message, email, telephone, and web site from many states and even from other countries about individuals with outstanding warrants.  Of all the fugitives listed on the Most Wanted pages each month 104 fugitives were captured during the month they were featured throughout 2008.

K-9 Unit -

During 2008 the K-9 unit assisted with perimeter security 27 times and located 64 pieces of paraphernalia.  They also performed 58 suspect tracks with a 76% success rate.  The K-9's protected their handlers 16 times throughout the year and helped locate over $19,000 in drug tainted money.  K-9 teams are also used to search buildings for suspects and in 2008 73 such searches were performed in addition to 316 car searches for illegal narcotics.

Crime Lab -

The Forensic Lab has one forensic chemist serving the Weld County Sheriff�s Office, the Greeley Police Department and other agencies that are involved in the Weld County Drug Task Force. The forensic chemistry specialties are accredited by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors � Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD-LAB), a national accrediting body. In addition to working chemistry cases, this employee also serves as the laboratory director for the Greeley-Weld County Forensic Laboratory and is the direct supervisor of the Weld County Sheriff�s office personnel assigned there.

This lab is locally funded, 50:50, by the Weld County Sheriff�s Office and the Greeley Police Department. In addition to funding the forensic chemistry services, equipment and training funds are included for the other lab specialties mentioned above. In addition to the area of chemical analysis, the laboratory has personnel involved in latent print examination, footwear and tire track comparison, and analysis of digital evidence casework. The Sheriff�s Office has a latent print examiner that is also qualified in footwear and tire track comparison and an investigator/digital evidence examiner assigned to the lab. The Police Department has an investigator/ fingerprint examiner and two investigators/digital evidence examiners assigned to the lab. All lab personnel are proficiency tested each year and are all court-qualified.

Chemical Analysis Section

2008 COMPLETED
DRUG ANALYSIS 114 cases 272 items
ARSON ANALYSIS 7 cases 37 items
METH LABS 3 cases 20 items
TOTAL 124 cases 329 items

2008 Backlog
DRUGS 18 cases
ARSON 1 case
METH LAB 1 case
TOTAL 20 cases

Cases were analyzed for the Weld County Sheriff�s Office, the Greeley Police Department and seven different police departments throughout Weld County.

The forensic chemist is a peer reviewer for arson analysis cases for analysts at the Wyoming State Crime Lab.

Chemical Analysis Activity
Of note this year in the chemical analysis section, there was a purchase of a new FTIR in 2008, adding dramatic efficiency to the chemical analysis section. This new instrument is used in a vast majority of the cases analyzed. Other activity is the continued involvement of the laboratory director in planning for the Northern Colorado Regional Crime Lab.

Comparison Section

Latent fingerprint cases (includes AFIS, comparison, and processing):
2008 Totals 492 cases total item data not collected
BACKLOG 49 cases total item data not collected

Serial number restorations:
2008 Totals 0 cases
BACKLOG 0 cases

Shoe/Tire Comparisons:
2008 Totals 16 cases total item data not collected
BACKLOG 0 cases

Comparison Section Activity
Of note this year in the comparison section is the continued involvement in the Northern Colorado Regional Crime Lab. To that end, planning began for the moving of this discipline to the fort Collins Police Services Laboratory to bring all latent print examiners under one roof in Northern Colorado to combine there talents, instrumentation, and share the caseload. This will result in more effective service to all agencies in Northern Colorado. This group was also awarded a grant through the Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program to receive new equipment and training to further improve their ability to provide effective and efficient service.

Digital Evidence Section

Digital Media cases (includes computers and cell phones):
2008 Totals 157 cases total item data not collected
BACKLOG total case and item data not collected

Audio/Video Analysis:
2008 Totals 128 cases 191 items
BACKLOG 52 cases total item data not collected

Digital evidence unit activity
The digital evidence section was able to acquire two new Forensic Recovery of Evidence Devices (FRED�s) as well as a Forensic recovery of Evidence Server. These will replace the older FRED�s that had been purchased and give the digital Evidence section the ability to network in-house so that casework can be stored, processed, and completed in a significantly more timely and effective manner. Also of note is the relocation of this section to an office space in northern Greeley. This move took them from a cramped 220 square-foot space to an office that can accommodate seven analysts. As the talks of regionalization of forensics in Northern Colorado progress, the digital evidence section continues to be involved. With the new location of this section, it will serve Northern Colorado�s needs for expansion.

Field Training Officers (FTO) -

As a collateral duty certain deputies serve as field training officers (FTO�s).  The FTO�s are responsible for training each new patrol deputy prior to the new deputy taking calls on their own.  The program pairs new deputies with alternating FTO�s for a period of about 3 months.  In addition to training with FTO�s new deputies are required to attend in house classes for about 3 months to learn the sheriff�s office policies and procedures as well as certify in skills such as arrest control and firearms.

Joint Terrorism Task Force -

The WCSO has been involved with the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) since 2002. Our involvement includes sharing of information at the local, state, and federal levels. This includes assessment of threats involving weapons of mass destruction, sabotage, intelligence, and risk assessment of public utilities or other identified targets. The Sheriff�s Office personnel are responsible for Northeastern Colorado JTTF involvement.

During 2008, the JTTF looked into several suspicious incidents, which after investigation, were deemed to be non-criminal in nature.  The Sheriff�s Office is one of only two law enforcement agencies in Northern Colorado to participate in the JTTF.�