Week of February 23, 2023
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DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
ParkerChronicle.net
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17 | SPORTS: PAGE 22
VOLUME 21 | ISSUE 13
Lawmakers look to stiffen penalty for auto theft Sheriffs support it, others do not BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Imagine walking out of your home or work or the store, and your car isn’t where you left it. Panicked, you call the police to report a theft. That’s the scenario thousands of
Coloradans have likely endured in recent years as motor vehicle thefts have become a notoriously common crime in the state. State lawmakers want to change that, putting forth a bill with support from Republicans and Democrats that would tighten the penalty for auto theft. Local law enforcement leaders, too, are on board. “Stolen vehicles in the state of Colorado is the nexus for many crimes in our communities,” said
Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly. “Many people who are intent on committing crimes, be it burglaries, robberies, homicide, or breaking into other vehicles to get valuables from those vehicles or sell those vehicles on the black market or to fuel a drug habit, they often do that in a stolen vehicle.” Colorado’s number of attempted and completed auto thefts stayed relatively consistent from 2008 to 2014 but started rising in the next
few years. After flattening again, the number boomed amid the coronavirus pandemic, more than doubling from 22,000 in 2019 to 45,000 last year, according to Colorado’s database of reported crimes. The state has become known for the problem: Colorado led the nation in 2021 with the highest overall vehicle theft rate at 661 thefts per 100,000 people, according to the SEE THEFT, P2
Parker educates citizens through police academy 800 have taken part BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
ers. Many of the projects incorporate the uncut or “live edge” of a tree and colored epoxy as part of the design. The company also sells slabs of hardwood like black walnut, white oak and sycamore to other woodworkers. “We pay attention to every aspect of our job, and we are very meticulous about picking out something that is going to last, something
The Parker Police Department’s Citizens Academy is more than showing residents what police officers do. The academy takes a dive into every aspect of the law enforcement agency and allows residents to give feedback. “It’s been like opening the doors so you can kind of see behind the curtains on how this all works,” said Commander Chris Peters. “Getting feedback is the essence of the citizens academy.” With 40 people participating per session, the Parker Citizens Academy has had nearly 800 graduate from the 15-week program. One night a week, participants hear from police officers and those who work in the crime scene unit, dispatch staff and victims advocates. When residents have questions or concerns about how the department is doing something, Peters said instructors should be charged with taking those comments back to those divisions or sections. “For us to be legitimate in Parker, we need to do what Parker wants us to do,” said Peters. The program focuses on criminal law, mounted patrol, evidence, dispatch, traffic laws, DUI laws, accident reconstruction, K-9’s, and youth education programs. There is also an optional opportunity to go to
SEE WOODWORKER, P10
SEE POLICE, P11
This on-trend river table was created with tinted epoxy and hardwood for a Blacksheep Woods customer in San Diego. PHOTO COURTESY OF BLACKSHEEP WOODS
Woodworker adds Parker showroom Blacksheep Woods has environmental approach BY RACHEL LORENZ SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Garrett Pickrel, a U.S. Navy sailor turned IT professional turned woodworker, is expanding his business’s presence in Colorado with a showroom in Parker.
“I’m super stoked that I have a storefront,” Pickrel, owner of Blacksheep Woods, told Colorado Community Media. Located at the corner of Dransfeldt Road and Parkglenn Way, the 2,500-squarefoot space — filled with hunks of fragrant wood and a handful of finished tables — opened to the public in January. Blacksheep Woods creates custom wood counters, bars, fireplace mantels and tables for its custom-