Sentinel Lakewood
Jefferson County, Colorado • Volume 89, Issue 16
November 22, 2012
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourlakewoodnews.com
Davies honored for service Fallen officer remembered for humor, dedication By Clarke Reader
creader@ourcoloradonews.com Police work is a serious business, but the friends of officer James Davies remembered his dry British wit and sense of humor at his funeral on Nov. 15. Friends from the Lakewood Police Department remembered a man who was as focused on stopping crime in the city as he was in convincing a friend that eating 50 chicken McNug- Davies gets at one time was a good idea, or having a contest to see could round up the most fugitives — or “dirties” as Davies called them — in one day. Davies, of course, won the contest. “He was a practical jokester to the 10thdegree. He did impersonations and had nicknames for everybody,” said agent Justin Mains in his eulogy, who served on the Lakewood Special Enforcement Team (SET) with Davies. “He was a smart man, an intelligent man, and for him it was not about the quantity of work, but the quality.” Representatives of police departments from all over the state turned up in their blue, green and gray uniforms on Nov. 15 to pay their respects to a fallen brother, who lost his life in the line of duty. The Denver First Church of the Nazarene was full of more than 2,000 people gathered to mourn and honor the memory of Davies, who was shot and killed on Nov. 9 after a fellow officer mistakenly thought he was an armed threat. Davies was born in Darlington, England, on May 10, 1977, and moved to America after meeting his wife, Tami, while she was studying abroad. According to his friend Reese Ervin’s eulogy, Davies would joke with fellow officers that Tami had to come to England to find a husband because none of the “American blokes” were right for her. Several of the officers who worked with him remembered the man who sarcastically called the fourth of July “all traitor’s day,” and was fiercely proud of his Welsh heritage. Many of Davies’ family from England, as well as British police officers, were in attendance at the service. Lakewood Mayor Bob Murphy also spoke, telling the crowd how grateful the city was for the work Davies, and all officers do, and how much his special contributions will be missed.
Mourners make a procession from Denver First Church of the Nazarene to Jefferson County Fairgrounds in honor of Lakewood police officer James Davies on Thursday, Nov. 15. Davies was accidentally killed by a fellow patrolman’s gunfire Nov. 9. Photo by Emily Mehring Davies started at the Lakewood Police Department in April 2006, and eventually joined SET, so he could focus on finding and prosecuting sex offenders. Before he died, he had received approval to start a new sex offender unit, which the department will start in 2013. Police chief Kevin Paletta told the crowd that as much as everyone heard about who Davies was, it was only a snapshot of the
man. “You’re not seeing the whole panorama of who he was,” he said. “He lost his life doing what he loved with people he admired.” After his speech, Paletta presented Tami and their children, Chloe, 6, and Ethan, 2, with two medals: the Police Service Award, for his work on creating the sex offender unit, and the Police Cross, for families of officers who died in the line.
He also added that in May Davies will receive the department’s hall of fame award. After the service, a procession drove through the city, with children from several schools standing along the road to pay tribute to the man. “Citizens of Lakewood, you lost a great man that night,” Mains said. “He showed up every day and worked as hard as he could — that’s what the great ones do.”
The Edge Theater aims for bolder, bigger shows
2013 season brings new challenges, works
By Clarke Reader
creader@ourcoloradonews.com
The Edge Theater aims to expand its audience while pushing the envelope for theater in the area for the 2013 season “We’re looking at getting bigger and bolder shows to attract a bigger audience,” said Rick Yaconis, executive and artistic director of The Edge. “We’ve got a combination of premieres and favorites that people will recognize.” According to Patty Yaconis, Rick’s wife and executive director of The Edge, 9797 W. Colfax Ave., there was a lot of discussion back-and-forth over which eight shows should be produced, and it included talk-
ing to directors to see what they would like to do. One of the things the theater prides itself on is introducing new works to audiences, and so in that spirit the first two productions of the season will be premieres. “Newark Violenta,” which is the world premiere of the play, written by Jonson Kuhn. The Edge commissioned the work, which is a homage to stories of the Italian mafia and crimes, and tells the story of a lead trying to leave a life of crime behind him. Patty said her and her husband are big fans of David Mamet and so the second production of the year will be his work, “Race,” which is a regional premiere “We didn’t want to do one of his older productions that more people know, so we thought we’d try one of his newer ones,” Rick said. “We’re also trying to get out of
our comfort zones by doing more big-cast plays.” Part of the way the theater is hoping to draw in a larger audience is by including some works that many people will be familiar with, and so “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” by Dale Wasserman and “Cat On A Hot Tin Roof” by Tennessee Williams became part of the line-up for the year. The schedule fills out with “The Shadow Box” by Michael Cristofer, “The House of Blue Leaves” by John Guare, “The Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo” by Rajiv Joseph, and a Christmas surprise to end the year. “We’re really trying to mix things up, with the variety of works we’re producing,” Patty said. “Especially with the premieres, we want to give people a chance to support something new.” Not only does the new year bring a new
season, but the theater will soon be moving from its current location to a new one, closer to the 40 West Arts District. The details are still being finalized, but “Newark Violenta” will definitely be the last play at the original location. “We want to create something fresh for our audience,” Rick said. “We want a high entertainment value, but also depth — something we can bring a new edge to.” For more information and tickets, For more information and tickets, call 303232-0363 or visit www.theeproject.com.
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