WEEK OF DECEMBER 19, 2024
VOLUME 23 | ISSUE 42
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Douglas County Schools OKs AP African American studies course Board gives unanimous approval after initial delay BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Jacob Tarr, an officer with the Lone Tree Police Department, went viral in November for his bodycam footage and neighborhood Ring video that PHOTO BY HALEY LENA showed him using a child’s bike to chase a suspect who had taken an electric scooter.
Police chase featured an ‘ah-ha’ moment like no other Lone Tree police officer borrows a child’s bike during hot pursuit BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
There are defining moments in nearly every police officer’s career that they will always remember. Lone Tree’s Officer Jacob Tarr never imagined one of his defining moments would
involve training wheels. Tarr was involved in a pursuit through the Acres Green neighborhood in late November – and what helped him chase down the suspect was none other than a child’s bicycle. “I think this one is definitely going to be a story that I’ll never live down,” said Tarr. “There’s been a lot of jokes cracked around here — (even) may or may not have had a tricycle on my desk.” Being in law enforcement means every day looks a bit different, and for Tarr, Nov. 23 was no exception.
VOICES: 12 | LIFE: 16 | CALENDAR: 19 | PUZZLES: 23
The pursuit
As the sun began to set on that late November day, Lone Tree police got a call about a theft at the nearby Kohls. Tarr said theft calls from Kohls often involve armloads or full carts of merchandise. Tarr made a note of the suspect’s description while making his way to the scene. Upon arrival, Kohl’s employees pointed toward the suspect, who had gone near the back of the building. But once Tarr exited his vehicle, the suspect took off running and went up an embankment toward the Acres Green neighborhood.
Captured on his bodycam, Tarr was trailing behind the suspect on foot, climbing over fences and someone’s yard — all while airing information to dispatch. Meanwhile, the suspect had stolen an electric scooter from someone’s property and continued to try to flee from Tarr. “He grabbed that scooter,” Tarr said, “Then I saw that there was a big hill (and) that he started to gain some pretty good momentum.” Tarr said he began to feel a little defeated knowing the
In a unanimous decision, the Douglas County school board approved an Advanced Placement African American studies course, amid concerns that the content is divisive. After hearing from numerous advocates for the course, the board had a quick and largely agreeable discussion on approval. In November, the board postponed approving the AP class because board members said they didn’t feel informed enough and community members raised questions about the curriculum. School board President Christy Williams initially asked to postpone the vote to learn more about the class, to see if it aligns with the district’s equity policy and avoids critical race theory. Critical race theory is an approach to studying racism in the United States and how it intersects with institutions, according to Associated Press reporting. On Dec. 10, Williams said her concerns were addressed after she learned more about the course, including that it has seen revisions since it was first introduced. “It gave me the opportunity to dig into the curriculum,” Williams said. “It helped me understand and learn.” The course “examines the diversity of African-American experiences through direct encounters with rich and varied sources,” drawing on literature, the arts, humanities, political science, geography, and science, according to the College Board, which administers AP classes for high schools across the nation. Topics in the course extend from early African kingdoms to the contemporary moment. Though the AP African American studies class was only recently introduced, it’s already received a lot of SEE STUDIES, P10
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