Chronicle Parker
PARKER 3/15/13
Douglas County, Colorado • Volume 11, Issue 20
March 15, 2013
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourparkernews.com
Dems not unified on gun measures Questions focus on rights, realism By Vic Vela
vvela@ourcoloradonews.com
Trainer Jimmy Vanhove works with dogs Feb. 27 for law enforcement officers from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office and Commerce City police. Photos by Courtney Kuhlen
Police dogs get special training World-renowned handler visits Highlands Ranch By Ryan Boldrey
rboldrey@ourcoloradonews.com Jimmy Vanhove has been involved with training attack dogs his entire life. After growing up watching his father ply the trade, the Frenchman has made a life for himself as one of the world’s most renowned trainers of police and military dogs. Vanhove, who moved to the United States just a little over two years ago, is the lead decoy trainer for i-K9 in Alabama
and travels the country working with police dogs. One look at his black and blue, scratched-up biceps and you know his is not the normal line of work. “I’ve been bitten lots,” he said. “For the dog, it’s just fun. It’s not like they want to hurt people. But once a dog bites, I want him to stay on the bite. I don’t want 20 bites. I want one bite in one place.” Vanhove wears a bite suit when training the dogs in order to not get bitten too badly, but he doesn’t seem to mind when the dogs get the best of him. His technique, which has won numerous European competitions, involves distracting the dog to the best of his ability, all while teaching the dog to stay on the bite. He spent three days this past week at Warriors Youth Sports in Highlands Ranch,
working with five members of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit, two from the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office unit and one dog from Commerce City. “He is here for two purposes: One is to teach our people how to decoy properly and two is to problem-solve any problems we have with our dogs, to teach them to bite correctly,” said Douglas County Sheriff’s Deputy Todd Tucker. Tucker, who has been with the department for 10 years, formerly working in undercover narcotics, just started working in the K-9 Unit in January. His dog, Zoos, is one of five in Douglas County’s unit. Each of the dogs goes through a 15-week training process before being allowed in the field. Zoos just started that training. Dogs continues on Page 10
Democrats on March 11 went five-forfive on their surviving pieces of gun-control legislation, including victories on a bill that places limits on high-capacity ammunition magazines and one that institutes universal background checks on all gun sales and transfers. But three of the bills passed the Senate without unified Democratic support — and Report those votes came after two other lawmakers killed their own controversial bills last week, before they were ever debated. The recent activity on all five gun bills spanned two days, beginning on March 8, following lengthy and often emotional debate that took place on the Senate floor. While Democrats by and large feel like they have struck a balance between respecting Second Amendment rights and trying to curb gun violence, at least one elected official wonders if her party may have overreached in its gun-control efforts. “I’m concerned that this may have woken up people,” Sen. Lois Tochtrop, a Thornton Democrat, told Colorado Community Media. Tochtrop voted against limiting ammunition magazines to 15 rounds and requiring that all gun sales and transfers be subject to background checks. Tochtrop voted for the three other bills: One prohibiting domestic violence offenders from having access to guns; one
Capitol
Guns continues on Page 7
Victim support is crucial element of justice Advocates spread calm, help illuminate system By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz@ourcoloradonews.com In a time of crisis, sometimes the best thing to have is a shoulder to cry on. Being that shoulder is just one of the many functions of a victim’s assistant, the people who respond to crime scenes alongside police. They are called, sometimes in the middle of the night, to provide whatever comfort and guidance they can. Whether it’s the scene of a homicide, sex assault or, most commonly, domestic violence, an assistant typically informs victims of their rights and directs them to a qualified counselor to deal with the emotions involved. Victim’s assistants in Douglas County work closely with the district attorney’s office to help victims navigate the court system. The majority of the time, though, it’s simply a matter of lending an ear. “We want to empower them and we sometimes go to court, but mostly we want them to be with people,” says Nancy Prokop, victim assistance coordinator for the Parker Police Department.
Patty Moschner, victim assistance coordinator for the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, said removing the fear of what comes next is a critical part of her job. She offers information on how the criminal justice system works and what to expect to “take some of the anxiety away.” Other times, it’s dealing with the aftermath in ways that some might not think about: clean-up services in cases of violent death in the home, replacing door locks or windows after someone has broken in, helping to arrange funeral services, and learning how to receive notification of when a perpetrator will be getting out of jail. In dealing with those who have experienced violent crime or are family survivors in cases of violent and sudden death, victim’s assistants use their list of resources and direct them to physical or psychological therapy. “People really need help getting through the trauma of victimization because they never think it will be them,” Moschner says. “It’s horrifying what people do to other people.” Short-term crisis intervention is not exactly a science, because every crime has different circumstances. Over her 27-year career, Prokop has seen just about everything. She has helped, just to name a few,
Nancy Prokop, victim assistance coordinator for the Parker Police Department, says an average of 1,000 victims of crime are supported each year. Photo by Chris Michlewicz victims of the Aurora theater shooting, the Columbine High School massacre and even the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center when she was based in New Jersey. Justice continues on Page 10
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