WEEK OF MAY 9, 2024
VOLUME 122 | ISSUE 24
Police union blasts sheriff, county
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Bus assault case spurs preemptive changes in policies BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
the Sheriff and the County have committed multiple unfair labor practices under Colorado Law.” The union did not respond to requests for comment from the Douglas County News-Press. Undersheriff David Walcher took issue with the union’s characterization of the sheriff ’s office, saying leaders “didn’t intimidate or ‘interfere’ with anyone or anything.”
Douglas County School District is proactively changing its bus monitoring policies in response to allegations that a former Littleton School District paraprofessional harmed children with disabilities as they rode the bus. The district said it will begin randomly checking video feeds from transportation for special education students, as well as have staff speak with students on a random basis about their experiences taking thirdparty transportation. “We are making improvements as a result of the Littleton situation,” Chief Operations Officer Rich Cosgrove said at a recent board meeting. In April, former Littleton Public Schools employee Kiarra Jones, 29, was charged with third degree assault against a juvenile, a felony. Jones is also alleged to have beat other students who are autistic and non-verbal. Englewood police, the charging agency, continues to investigate the case to see if other children were harmed and if more charges are warranted.
SEE ALLEGATIONS, P5
SEE CHANGES, P8
A sign marks the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office at the Robert A. Christensen Justice Center near Castle Rock, pictured in PHOTO BY ELLIS ARNOLD February. BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
A local police union has accused Sheriff Darren Weekly and other Douglas County officials of engaging in unfair labor practices during an effort to unionize the sheriff ’s office. The accusations come as the union — the local Fraternal Order of Police branch — canceled an election that would have al-
lowed sheriff ’s office employees to choose to be represented by the union. The union indicated that it may try to reschedule the election in the coming months. “Despite recent events, we remain committed to moving forward with this important initiative,” the FOP branch wrote on its Facebook page, adding: “We decided that going forward would not be prudent because we believe that
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