(JULY 8, 2016) -- The utmost concern of the Colorado Department of Public Safety, today and always, is for safety: the safety of the public, of our members, and of the people we encounter day to day.
CDPS is committed to safeguarding the lives and the liberties of Coloradans and the visitors to our state, and we recognize that strong relationships with our community members are critical to our ability to uphold that commitment.
Members of the Colorado State Patrol and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation are trained in handling multiple types of incidents and calls with a focus on protecting the lives of all involved: the public, the officers, and the suspects. Troopers and agents train regularly in de-escalation of force as a tactic to reduce the likelihood of injuries.
Fairness and impartiality are core values of our agency. Our divisions have for many years followed policies and procedures to promote fair and impartial treatment of the people we serve and interact with, including policies that guide our members to treat every contact with dignity and respect.
The Colorado State Patrol is in the process of training every member of the Patrol in Fair and Impartial Policing training, and this training is also being provided to other members of the Department of Safety. Fair and Impartial Policing training aims to make law enforcement aware of unconscious biases and to take action to ensure they are not acting out of bias. As of July 8,2016, every member of CSP Command Staff (Captains and above) has attended, and 71 Sergeants, 4 Corporals and other members of the agency have completed the training. We intend to achieve 100% completion of this training by CSP members who interact with the public.
In addition to proactive training and policies, CDPS members engage in community involvement across the State of Colorado on a daily basis. We know that mutual trust is critical to safeguarding both the public and our workers entrusted with protecting their lives and liberty, and that trust is best built by proactively establishing relationships. From metro to rural towns and cities, our staff actively work to build positive relationships, work on public safety issues in partnership with community members, and ensure that the communities we serve are aware of our commitment to their safety.
Our efforts start with residents' earliest interactions with law enforcement: Public Safety personnel work closely with schools to build positive relationships with youth, educate children about the law, and support safe and positive school environments. The Colorado School Safety Resource Center offers information, resources and trainings on topics such as Restorative Justice, youth mental health first aid and positive school climate - tools that can help swing schools towards a more fair and equitable environment and potentially reduce the escalation of behavioral problems to law enforcement interventions.
Finally, our leaders are actively engaged in addressing issues of fairness and equality in the criminal justice system and promoting system-wide change. CDPS Director Stan Hilkey is the chair of the Colorado Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, dedicated staff within CDPS work daily on recommending Evidence-based best practices for criminal justice and corrections, and members of our Division of Criminal Justice are considered local and national leaders engaged in criminal justice reform.