Did Longmont Police Services make a formal statement on the findings of the Weld County report? Was an apology provided? Absolutely, please watch the video released by Public Safety Chief Mike Butler regarding the findings of the Weld County Sheriff’s Department. Link to video

What is the process the city is utilizing to look into the allegations of unconstitutional searches by the police at Suites?

This is a 3-step process. We are at Step #2 as of 7/20/17.

• Step 1) Conduct an independent investigation into the allegations. The City of Longmont utilized the Weld County Sheriff’s Office to conduct the investigation. A similar process is used in all Longmont police-involved shootings as well as other large investigations. This step is complete and the report was received on July 10, 2017.
• Step 3) Release of Permissible Information.  The Public Safety Department will make every effort to release additional information as allowed by law following the conclusion of the internal review.

• Step 2) Longmont Police will conduct an internal administrative review based on the report from the Weld County Sheriff’s Office.  The results are being reviewed by both command staff and by the citizen-based Police Professional Standards Review Panel. This panel reviews internal investigations of police officers by the department for thoroughness, fairness, objectivity and completeness and makes recommendations to the Public Safety Chief.  The panel members are selected by the city manager. In the meantime, Longmont Police have already begun taking corrective actions to ensure that this never happens again as the Weld County report indicated that the actions were not in alignment with Longmont Police policies and procedures. The actions taken includes:
  
  1. Reiterate and continue to clarify how and when our canines are used.
  2. Reinforce and continue the process for documenting how and when consent is obtained. 3. Reinforce and continue the need for communication with supervisors as outlined in our procedure.
  
  

  The Weld County report has been turned over to the police Professional Standards Unit (PSU). The PSU’s primary responsibility is to ensure the integrity of the police department and direct its efforts toward the impartial investigation of complaints; facilitate prompt disciplinary action; identifying unclear or inappropriate policies or procedures; and identifying conditions that may contribute to misconduct, exposure to liability or poor efficiency.    

  The public has the right to expect efficient, fair and impartial law enforcement, and employees have a right to expect that complaints against them will be fully and fairly examined. Therefore, complaints must be thoroughly investigated and properly adjudicated for the protection of both the public and the employees.
  
  

Will the full police investigative report from Weld County be released? No. The Colorado Open Records Act and Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act prohibit the release of Criminal Justice Records. State statute references to open records: 24-72-200.1 et seq. CORA, 24-72-301 et seq. CCJRA. Link to information regarding open records

How many K9s does Longmont Police have? The department has two dogs.

Why were the results of the Weld County report released on Friday just prior to city office closure? The report was received on Monday, July 10, 2017. On Tuesday the report was reviewed by the city attorney’s office and outside legal counsel. On Wednesday and Thursday, the city attorneys met individually with members of the city council to determine appropriate action.  On Friday, public information staff drafted the press release for the content that could be released based on state statute and coordinated with a videographer to film the Public Safety Chief’s comments. It was never the intent of city staff to release this information secretly or on a slow news day. It was the intent of staff to get this information released as expediently as possible.
 
What does the 4^th Amendment actually say?  “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”

What is the Longmont Housing Authority (LHA) doing to investigate?  LHA conducted its own investigation. The report is available at the following link

How is the Longmont Housing Authority connected to the City of Longmont? Who does LHA report to? The LHA is organized under Part 2, Article 4, Title 29 of the Colorado Revised Statutes (also known as the “Housing Authorities Law”).  All local Housing Authorities are created under this statute and are considered quasi-governmental entities.  The LHA reports to a 7 member Board of Directors appointed by city council. The LHA can seek and receive funding from the City, primarily from the CDBG/HOME programs, the local Affordable Housing Fund or the local Human Services Agency funding program on a specific project-by-project basis.  The LHA does not receive any ongoing monetary or in-kind support from the City unlike many other Housing Authorities across the state.

 
What is supportive housing?  Supportive housing is a combination of housing and services intended as a cost-effective way to help people live more stable, productive lives, and is an active “Best Practice” across the United States. Supportive housing is widely believed to work well for those who face the most complex challenges—individuals and families confronted with homelessness and who also have very low incomes and/or serious, persistent issues that may include addiction or alcoholism, mental health, HIV/AIDS, diverse disabilities (e.g., intellectual disabilities, mobility or sensory impairments) or other serious challenges to a successful life.  Supportive housing can be coupled with such social services as job training, life skills training, alcohol and drug abuse programs, community support services (e.g., child care, educational programs, group gatherings), and case management to populations in need of assistance.  Supportive housing is intended to be a pragmatic solution that helps people have better lives while reducing, to the extent feasible, the overall cost of care.  As a widely supported means to address homelessness (i.e., lack of a place to live or adequate housing), supportive housing seeks to address two key problems:

•             Without housing, it is difficult to mitigate or address the factors which lead to homelessness (e.g., lack of adequate income) and other expensive problems which burden social service systems.

•             Without supportive services, the tenant is likely to regress or have a difficult time staying in their housing because of the reasons that led to their loss of housing in the first place.

Support services can be integral to maintaining the housing, supporting the tenant, learning cooperative relationships, increasing financial and economic security, contributing to the family and neighborhoods, and providing growth opportunities to return to a better life situation.