Chronicle Parker 4/26/13
Parker
Douglas County, Colorado • Volume 11, Issue 26
April 26, 2013
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourparkernews.com
Criminal charges increase in 2012 Police say rise is linked to proactive enforcement By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz@ourcoloradonews.com
Parker resident Nina Fatchett, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, follows the motions of Parker Adventist Hospital’s lead occupational therapist June Hartmann, right, during an “LSVT BIG” therapy session April 12. Photo by Chris Michlewicz
New hope for neurology patients Exaggerated motions aid balance, dexterity By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz@ourcoloradonews.com Patients with neurological impairments are using exaggerated movements to regain balance and muscle dexterity. Modeled after Lee Silverman Voice Treatment LOUD, a program designed to improve enunciation and speech volume in Parkinson’s patients, the “BIG” version is helping people like Nina Fatchett regain independence. The 70-year-old Parker woman was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis two years ago and visits the Center for Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine at Parker Adven-
tist Hospital four times a week for exercise sessions with Dr. June Hartmann, the lead occupational therapist for outpatient rehabilitation. The hospital became certified in LSVT BIG in December, and the few patients who have gone through the specialized treatment have shown vast improvements in mobility. Fatchett’s normal walking pace had become a shuffle, her balance was shaky, and she lost range of motion in her arms. But four visits to Hartmann per week for the last month, plus daily half-hour-long sessions at home, have helped her accomplish everyday tasks that had become difficult. “It’s easier to get towels out of the washer because those are heavy, and I can reach up and put the dishes away,” Fatchett said. “Things like that make a big difference.” And “big” is a key word in the therapy. Hartmann said changes in the brain’s abil-
ity to communicate with the rest of the body cause the slower movements to go unrecognized by the patients. The deliberate movements involved in the exercises feel big to them, but they are actually moving normally, Hartmann says. Therapists record before and after videos to monitor progress, and patients are often stunned by their improvement. “She gets it all back because she’s doing these every day,” Hartmann says of Fatchett’s prescribed exercises. The exaggerated movements used in BIG borrow from the LSVT LOUD therapy, which gained popularity after being developed in the 1990s by a group of Colorado researchers. Parkinson’s patients often begin to mumble because of neurological damage, and medical experts discovered that facial muscles and speech memory can be reTherapy continues on Page 8
Sheriffs plan suit over gun-control laws Columbine victim’s father sees ‘sour grapes’ in complaints By Rhonda Moore
rmoore@ourcoloradonews.com The list of sheriffs who plan to challenge the state’s new gun-control legislation has grown to include at least 40 of Colorado’s 62 sheriffs. Elbert County Sheriff Shayne Heap, Douglas County Sheriff David Weaver and Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson are among the group seeking to overturn the recently passed state laws, which set limits on ammunition magazines and expand Weaver background checks for firearms transfers. Independence Institute attorney David Kopel, who is directing the planned lawsuit, says the laws run counter to the Second Amendment and “violate the highest law in the country, the Constitution of the United States of America.” Heap and Weaver both claim the new laws will make it harder for law-abiding people to defend themselves. Kopel claims the background-check law could criminal-
ize the actions of innocent people. Their words ring hollow to Tom Mauser, whose son Daniel was killed at Columbine High School and who serves as spokesman for gun-control group Colorado Ceasefire. “It’s all nonsense,” said Mauser, who characterized the sheriffs’ claims as “sour grapes.” The sheriffs simply “don’t like that those two bills passed” and “they have become a voice for the NRA and Rocky Mountain Gun Owners,” Mauser said. Kopel’s courtroom experience on Second Amendment issues includes a 2008 Supreme Court case, The District of Columbia v. Heller, in which the court ruled that the District of Columbia could not ban handguns or self-defense with a handgun in a person’s home. “They’ve outlawed an accessory that is essential to the use of a firearm,” Kopel said of Colorado’s limit on magazines. “We are challenging the background-check bill for temporary and innocent transfers. With the new law, if your friend from out of town comes to visit and you loan him your gun to hunt, you’re a criminal. That is overreaching and unreasonable.” Kopel’s institute will represent the sheriffs free of charge. Weaver made his position on the issue clear in an April 5 letter released by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
“I don’t think the laws will make people safer,” Weaver wrote. “Tighter gun laws will not prevent criminals from getting guns. The laws will only make it harder for citizens to defend themselves.” Heap echoed Weaver’s sentiments, calling the laws “unenforceable.” Heap posted an online message criticizing the legislation in a video that garnered close to 500,000 hits. “Extreme Democratic legislators have unilaterally decided that making it harder for you to defend yourself will somehow make you safer, or at least make them feel better,” Heap said. “Extreme Democratic legislators continue to disregard the will of the people in search of their own personal and political agendas.” Mauser finds the arguments by the sheriffs and their lawyer empty. “They think (the gun-control laws) are difficult to enforce, as if there are no other laws that are difficult to enforce,” he said. The Supreme Court ruled that the Second Amendment grants an individual right to gun ownership, but that restrictions are allowable, Mauser said. “You can’t pass a law as restrictive as Washington, D.C., but this isn’t anything like Washington, D.C.,” he said. He said the Colorado laws provide “reasonable restrictions to keep guns out of the Lawsuit continues on Page 8
The number of charges for DUI and sexual offenses in Parker skyrocketed last year, but police say it’s the result of more proactive enforcement. The Parker Police Department released year-over-year crime statistics as part of its Annual Report for 2012, and charges for sexual offenses rose nearly 52 percent, from 83 in 2011 to 126. The number of counts filed for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs went up almost 76 percent, from 161 in 2011 to 283 in 2012. Laurie Milord, crime analyst for the Parker police, said the department’s aggressive approach to taking down online predators, via its Internet Crimes Against Children unit, has resulted in more charges being filed against alleged perpetrators. “Most cases resulted in three or four charges per case, so that’s why it went up significantly,” Milord said. “And it will continue to go up in that category because the FBI changed its definition of sexual assault, so more cases will fall under that category.” Similarly, grant funding has enabled Parker police to beef up DUI patrols and checkpoints, causing the sharp increase in the category. Milord cautioned that the figures can be deceiving because they reflect the number of charges filed with the district attorney’s office, not the number of incidents that took place. The department uses a tally of incidents internally to guide decision-making. Sgt. Chris Peters, who leads the department’s investigations unit, said the crime stats affect strategic planning by highlighting “hot-button issues” to which command staff can shift more resources. When there is a marked increase in one category over a prolonged period, officials can decide whether to reassign detectives or implement more training for patrol officers to address the problem. The down-to-the-detail statistics can be “instrumental” in day-to-day operations, Crime continues on Page 8
Laurie Milord, crime analyst for the Parker police, says the number of criminal charges filed in 2012 went up 18 percent. Photo by Chris Michlewicz
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