| Dacono Police Department
512 Cherry Street — Post Office Box 117 Dacono, Colorado 80514 Office (303)833-3095 Fax (303)833-0634 www.daconopolice.com NEWS MEDIA RELEASE May 1, 2008 Dacono Curfew The school year will soon be ending and summer vacation season is almost here. With the end of the school year and warmer weather, more juveniles will want to be out late at night with their friends. Sometimes parents are unaware of those late night outings by their children. Sometimes those late night outings can cause problems for the juveniles and the community, including fights, narcotics use, and property damage such as grafitti. The Dacono Police Department is reminding parents and juveniles that there is a curfew ordinance in the city that will be aggressively enforced as a pro-active crime prevention measure. The intent of this enforcement effort is to protect not only the community but also the juveniles who may be out on the streets late at night. Section 10-100 of the Dacono Municipal Code makes is unlawful for any parent, guardian, or any other person having care or custody of a child at least 10 years old but not yet 16 years old to allow or permit that child to loiter or remain on any street, alley or other public place on foot or in a vehicle between 10:00 PM and 5:00 AM. Exceptions are granted if the child is involved in lawful employment; a school, church, or other organized activity; there is a reasonable necessity for an exception; or the child is accompanied by the parent, guardian, or another person age 21 or older who has permission of the parent or guardian to have custody or care of the child. If the child at least 16 but not yet 18, the curfew time begins one hour later and is between 11:00 PM and 5:00 AM. Section 10-101 of the Dacono Municipal Code makes it unlawful for a child at least 10 years old but not yet 16 years old to loiter or remain on any street, alley or other public place on foot or in a vehicle between 10:00 PM and 5:00 AM. Exceptions are granted if the child is involved in lawful employment; a school, church, or other organized activity; there is a reasonable necessity for an exception; or the child is accompanied by the parent, guardian, or another person age 21 or older who has permission of the parent or guardian to have custody or care of the child. If the child is at least 16 but not yet 18, the curfew time begins one hour later and is between 11:00 PM and 5:00 AM. If you have any questions regarding curfew in Dacono or the police department’s enforcement of the curfew ordinance, contact the Dacono Police Department at 303/833-3095. John W. Hough Chief of Police April 29, 2008 Code Enforcement / Weeds and Brush After a long winter it’s time to welcome warmer weather. But with the warmer weather comes the inevitable growth of weeds and brush, both of which are regulated by the Dacono Municipal Code. There are legal definitions in the Municipal Code that describe “weeds” and “brush” and the response authorized by the Police Department. A weed is any unsightly, useless, troublesome, or injurious plant, or any plant which is out of place at the location where it is growing. The definition of a weed also includes any rank vegetable growth that exhales unpleasant or noxious odors, and any high or rank vegetable growth that may conceal any health hazards or unsafe conditions. As defined in the dictionary when specifically coupled with weeds, “rank” means growing profusely or with excessive vigor. Brush is any volunteer growth of bushes, trees, or other plant that is growing out of place at the location where growing. Brush includes tree limbs and cuttings from trees and bushes, as well as any high or rank shrubbery growth that may conceal any health hazards or unsafe conditions. As defined in the dictionary when specifically coupled with plants, “volunteer” means growing from self-sown or accidentally dropped seed or a plant that has reseeded itself. The owner, tenant, lessee, or occupant of property in Dacono must keep all weeds cut to a height not to exceed five inches from the ground; however, Canadian thistle must be immediately and completely removed whenever it is found growing. Brush must also be removed from the property. Both weeds and brush must be properly disposed of in accordance with the Municipal Code. The legal responsibilities regarding weeds and brush extend to any sidewalk adjoining the property and to the middle of any alley adjoining the property. The Police Department, and particularly the Community Resource Officer, is authorized to examine every property believed to contain an unlawful growth of weeds or brush. The person responsible for the growth of weeds or brush, or the owner, tenant, lessee, or occupant of the property, is issued a written notice of the unlawful growth of weeds or brush. The written notice orders the elimination of the unlawful growth of weeds or brush within a reasonable time. A “reasonable time” is determined by the Police Department as the time required to remove the weeds or brush and correct the unlawful condition. It is important to be aware that the written notice is not required before an individual can be prosecuted for an unlawful growth of weeds or brush and failure to receive the written notice is not a defense to prosecution. The written notice can be legally served by posting on the property in violation, personal service to the violator, or receipt by certified mail. Failure to remove the weeds or brush by the time specified in the written notice is a violation of the Municipal Code. If a person fails to comply with the written notice, the weeds or brush may be cut or removed by City employees or private vendors hired by the City. This is in addition to prosecution for violation of the Municipal Code. The entire cost of the removal, including administrative, inspection, and incidental costs, will be assessed against the property in the form of a lien until it is paid. Before the City enters a property and cuts or removes the weeds or brush, the Police Department will provide the violator with a “Notice of Intent to Enter Property and Cut or Remove Weeds or Brush” by either personal service or certified mail. The notice will include a statement that the City or its private vendors will enter the property and cut or remove the weeds or brush on a specific date, at least ten days after the personal service or certified mailing date. The notice will also include a description of the weeds or brush to be cut or removed and a statement regarding the violator’s right to request a hearing within three days before the Chief of Police to contest the notice. If the violator fails to request such a hearing within three days, the City will cut or remove the weeds or brush. The hearing, if requested, will be on a date determined by the Chief of Police but before the date specified for the removal of the material. The hearing is limited to a determination if the material to be cut or removed is an unlawful growth of weeds or brush under the Municipal Code definition. The burden of proof rests with the violator. If the Chief of Police determines the material is properly defined as an unlawful growth of weeds or brush, the City will cut or remove the material on the date specified in the notice. An important reminder. It is unlawful for any person to interfere with, obstruct, or prevent a City employee or a private vendor hired by the City from entering property to cut or remove weeds or brush. If you have any questions about weeds and brush and the Police Department’s Municipal Code enforcement policy, contact Community Resource Officer Kelli Revoir at 303/833-3095. John W. Hough Chief of Police AED's in Patrol cars The Dacono Police Department has equipped its patrol vehicles with automatic electronic defibrillators (AED’s) that enable trained police personnel to safely administer critical lifesaving cardiac resuscitation to victims of traumatic injuries or heart attacks. With over $9,600 in grant funds obtained from the Victim Assistance Law Enforcement (VALE) Board in February, the police department purchased five AED’s for patrol units and two additional stationary AED’s that are strategically located in City Hall and the police facility. Every member of the police department and the City Hall staff have been trained in the use of the AED’s by Officer Dan Ferris who is a certified instructor in first aid and cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The AED’s were purchased with the goal to ensure that critical lifesaving devices used by trained personnel would be available to enhance the safety of members of the community during life threatening incidents. The reality is that law enforcement personnel are many times the first to respond to the scene of traumatic incidents that involve serious bodily injury or the potential for death. Without the availability of an AED as a possible lifesaving device, law enforcement personnel are limited in their ability to perform life saving measures. The intent of purchasing the AED’s was not to take over the emergency medical responsibilities of the Mountain View Fire Protection District that services Dacono. But the immediate availability on the streets of Dacono of an AED and law enforcement personnel trained in its use would provide one more layer of life saving capability, a level of redundancy, if emergency medical personnel were already committed to a fire or another emergency medical incident. John W. Hough Chief of Police Glen Creighton Enforcement (Speed Limit 25 MPH) The final phase of Dacono’s three-year infrastructure improvement project is coming to a close with the paving of Glen Creighton Drive. The roadway was once severely damaged and deteriorating with an inverted or reverse crown profile in the center that caused water to pool in the middle of the street. Now the roadway is wide and newly paved with turn lanes, striping, and a raised crown profile that allows water to drain into the gutters and then into the improved storm sewer. But the new roadway may prove a temptation to motorists to speed. A word of advice from the Dacono Police Department- Don’t speed on Glen Creighton Drive. The police department is well aware of the improved condition of Glen Creighton Drive and the likely temptation for motorists to speed. Glen Creighton Drive is a major roadway in Dacono with heavy traffic volume, particularly during early morning and evening commuter hours. The street is lined with driveways and intersections. There are large numbers of children in the area who not only play in the front yards of residences on Glen Creighton Drive but also will now be using the improved sidewalks. For all these reasons the police department will be strictly enforcing traffic violations, particularly excessive speed, on Glen Creighton Drive. Don’t find yourself receiving an excessive speed violation citation. A speed violation citation can be expensive in court and in your vehicle insurance rates and can result in penalty points being levied against your driving record. For your own sake, and the safety of the children and other residents and motorists in the area of Glen Creighton Drive, watch your speed. Slow down. Or face the consequences. John W. Hough Chief of Police National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) In traumatic injuries there is an expression- the “golden hour”- that is commonly used by emergency medical care providers, from paramedics to emergency medicine physicians. If you are able to receive stabilizing emergency medical care within that “golden hour,” those short 60 minutes, your chances of survival dramatically increase. The same is true in cases of missing or lost children. If law enforcement can implement a well-planned and coordinated response to a missing or lost child incident within two hours, the chances of finding a missing or lost child and safely returning that child to his or her family dramatically increase. Two hours may not seem like such a long time, but to a missing or lost child and his or her family it is an eternity. It is within those two hours that the overwhelming majority of missing or lost children are physically or sexually abused or killed. This is just one of the many critical facts presented by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in Alexandria, Virginia. I had the opportunity to attend a two-day training seminar at NCMEC in early September. The seminar is completely funded by NCMEC- from travel to lodging costs- through federal funding and corporate sponsorship. The seminar included police, sheriff, and dispatch center command staff personnel from across the nation. One point that became very obvious during the training was that an incident involving a missing or lost child literally tears a community apart regardless of whether the outcome of the incident is tragedy or elation. The child, the family, law enforcement, and the entire community, particularly in smaller towns and cities- no one is left unaffected or undamaged. The sense of security that families and communities try so hard to preserve is destroyed for a long time, if not forever. There is guilt that eats away at family members, law enforcement, and other community members. But what is most important is that the innocence of a child is lost forever. That can never be brought back. There is a fine balance between creating community paranoia about missing or lost children and ensuring that families take the proper precautions to safeguard their children and respond appropriately if a child is missing or lost. But some things are certain. We cannot fail to educate the community. We cannot be so naïve as to believe that a missing or lost child incident will not occur in our communities. And we in law enforcement must be prepared to respond correctly and rapidly to a missing or lost child incident. The information that NCMEC provides on how to respond to missing and lost children is being immediately incorporated into Dacono Police Department policy and procedures and a first responder checklist so that we can be better prepared to quickly provide the best possible response if we are faced with such a critical incident. The additional free resources that NCMEC can provide to a local police agency facing the crisis of a missing or lost child are substantial- from experts in search coordination to computer analysts and retired federal investigators. The Dacono Police Department will take full advantage of all those resources. As parents and family members you must help us if your child is missing or lost. The most critical thing you can do if you believe your child is missing or lost is to contact the police immediately. Do not wait to see if your child will return home. Remember those critical two hours can make so much difference in the survival of your child. We would much rather respond immediately to the report of a missing or lost child, only to discover that the child has returned home safely, than to respond after a lengthy delay, a delay that destroys or scatters potential evidence and aids in the escape of an abductor with your child. Have a current photograph of your child available. Remember what your child was wearing so you can provide a clothing description. But above all, just call the police immediately. There are many other educational points that we will provide to families and children in future articles. I would strongly encourage you to visit the NCMEC website at www.missingkids.com. It has a wealth of information to safeguard your children against predators of all types, including internet predators. Another website sponsored by NCMEC is www.netsmartz.org which contains information on computer and internet safety for children of all ages from pre-teens to older teenagers. The website has interactive and highly entertaining games and videos for younger children and videos of emotional interviews that are more appropriate for older youth. As a parent, consider making www.netsmartz.org the home page on your home computer. The Dacono Police Department website at www.daconopolice.com has established a link to NCMEC. It is our sincere hope that our community never, ever has to face the profound crisis of a missing or lost child. But if that type of traumatic event should ever happen here, we will be prepared and we will use every available resource. Because in the end, it’s all about our kids. John W. Hough Chief of Police |
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