Crime Stoppers—Anonymity and Rewards

Neighbors,

I participated in an excellent presentation last eve, learning about Crime Stoppers, crimestop.net, 719-634-STOP (7867). Screen shots attached.

For years many have experienced long wait times to report criminal or suspicious behavior when calling the nonemergency line, 719-444-7000, and reporting online at coloradosprings.gov/police-department (left column) isn’t for emergency reports, as 911 is. With each, you’ll be asked your name and phone number. Even if you do not wish to be identified, chances are, you are still traceable.

Crime Stoppers is an alternative, offering anonymity and rewards for your tips. Those answering the phone or receiving your tip online will never ask for nor even want your name or number.

A partnership between the community, schools, law enforcement, and media, and funded 100 percent by donations, Pikes Peak Area Crime Stoppers exists in El Paso and Teller counties, helping the applicable law enforcement agency—city, county, military—solve crime to bring fugitives to justice. The more successful Crime Stoppers is, the more rewards they pay, so they gratefully accept donations. 

Officially formed in Albuquerque in 1976,* Crime Stoppers began with the premise that witnesses would be willing to offer information if they could remain anonymous, with the possibility of earning cash rewards for information leading to an arrest or conviction. Crime Stoppers provides an excellent platform to more quickly get criminals off the streets.
* en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_Stoppers

Take time to view their site.

Garbage Day Bear Feast

Wednesday, Sept. 21, 11:30 a.m., 812 Sirius Drive: Mom and the kids ripping and tearing.

When the city finally re-passed an existing law—take your garbage out on trash pickup morning and place your containers safely out of sight and reach after trash is hauled away—renaming it the Bear Management Area (6.4.106), people seemed to finally listen to common sense. But taking trash out at the permissible 5:00 a.m. doesn't stop bears from their hunger.

https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/coloradospringsco/latest/coloradosprings_co/0-0-0-25081

6.4.106: ESTABLISHMENT OF THE BEAR MANAGEMENT AREA:

The City of Colorado Springs hereby finds that the area within Colorado Springs located west of lnterstate-25 (I-25) has experienced a high incidence of bears foraging for food in waste containers and other sources, occurring at levels that pose a threat to the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens and visitors to the City. In light of such finding, the "Bear Management Area" is hereby established. This area is located generally west of I-25 but is more specifically denoted in the Bear Management Area Map adopted by City Council and updated from time to time. (Ord. 19-72)

6.4.107: COLLECTION AND DISPOSAL WITHIN THE BEAR MANAGEMENT AREA:

The following requirements apply to collection and disposal of waste within the Bear Management Area:

   A.   Within the Bear Management Area, all attractant waste must be secured within a functioning bear resistant container, secured structure, or secured dumpster enclosure at all times except as authorized in this section.

   B.   Non-bear resistant waste containers may be placed at the designated collection location on the scheduled collection day no earlier than 5:00 A.M., and must be removed from the collection location and secured as soon as practicable after collection service has been provided, but no later than 7:00 P.M. on the same scheduled day.

   C.   Any other waste stored in waste containers and stored outside must be sufficiently free from attractant waste so that it is not an enticement to bears.

   D.   Any organizer conducting a special event within the Bear Management Area pursuant to a permit required by City Code section 3.2.404 must remove or secure within a bear resistant container, secured dumpster enclosure, or secured structure attractant waste from the area, subject to the requirements contained in the permit, but no later than one (1) hour following completion of the event each day. (Ord. 19-72)

Charging Bear and Scat

 Neighbors,

Eastern Bear Creek is living up to its name. 

Three weeks ago (later August), neighbor Patty said a guy from Canada was photographing a sow and two cubs, between 9:00 and 10:00 a.m. I think she said, on the two-bridge trail south of EPC Parks' maintenance building near where the six beavers built a pond. 

Two weeks ago, someone reported that a sow with two cubs had charged a jogger's dog in the same location. After hearing that story again yesterday, I met up with Robert this morning who frequents the park, and he said it was his friend Jay and his dog who were charged. Another gal told me she watched the cubs frolicking or destroying "that short tree over there."

Additionally, a week ago a small pile of scat was on the northern Center for Creative Leadership trail, and this morning, a v-e-r-y large pile o' scat sat by the utilities boxes on Skyway Blvd between Eric and the Daves' houses, immediately north of Morning Star.

We've seen and photographed many bears over the years, but rarely do we hear of charging sows. If reporting to Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), 719-227-5200 (weekends 719-544-2424), they only accept first-person sightings, no second-hand news as you're receiving from me.

Here is a shot of the twins Bonnie Light took in 2020, and a couple I shot in the backyard. 

7:00 p.m. on 7/07

You are invited to an old-fashioned sing-along in west Bear Creek Park’s pavilion 1, which legally seats 150, but with room to place your blankets and chairs on the surrounding grass.

On Thursday eve, July 7, from 7:00 ’til 9:00, Joe Uveges and KJ Braithwaite welcome your voices with theirs in song. They’ll be singing and strumming to "You Are My Sunshine," "I've Been Working on the Railroad," "It's a Grand Old Flag," "My Girl," "Que Sera, Sera," "Down in the Valley,"  "Moon River," and many more. Stretch your memory and voice, and if you have a Rise Up Singing songbook, carry it with you.

Hosted by the Skyway Association, which comprises 1,200 homes in Skyway Park and Skyway Park Estates, we encourage you to wear a name tag and meet your neighbors—several of whom are new to the area. Invite your neighbors, because not every resident is on this list. We also welcome our friends in Ivywild and surrounding neighborhoods, but please leave your pets at home.

Donations for our musicians are always graciously appreciated.

A note from El Paso County Parks: 

• The consumption/use of alcohol is prohibited in any County parks. 
  
• Glass containers of any kind are prohibited. 
  
• Pavilion 1 has three grills.*
• If you have more trash than will fit in the park trash cans, we kindly ask that you bag it up and take it with you. 

FREE Chipping June 6–10, Aug. 29–Sep. 2, 2022

Hello, neighbors,

It's our twice-annual impetus to mitigate potential wildfire. The Skyway Association has been a liaison between the CSFD and nearly 1,200 residents since 2011 because of the region’s concern about wildfire’s potential devastation.

Our free chipping dates are June 6–10, August 29–September 2, 2022. Please see CSFD's guidelines at https://www.coswildfireready.org/neighborhood-chipping-program and sign up below Chipping Requests."

You MUST REGISTER and follow CSFD guidelines, or piles will NOT be picked up. Be sure to keep a record of time and dollars spent for 2022 and submit to Melissa in early November, Melissa.Hoffman@coloradosprings.gov.

So pull out your saws, cut with care, neatly stack branches butt end toward the street in 5' x 5' x 5' stacks, place within five feet of the roadway by 8:00 a.m. June 6 or August 29, and if you've signed up, the crew will chip those babies right in front of your house one of the days during the week you've selected.

Leigh

Note from Melissa about the CSFD website: There is a new feature. About halfway down the form, you will see a map. If you have a resident that is unsure of what neighborhood they fall into (I know the boundaries we use are odd), they can use this tool. At the top of the map there is a box that says “Find Address or Place." They can type their address into this box, and it will pull up the neighborhood that they are in.  

Couple of notes I want to touch on for this year: 

1. Residents can sign up at any time. 
2. Please remind residents that they must sign-up if they want their piles chipped. If they do not sign-up, their piles will not be chipped by us. I know in the past we have been lenient with residents if they forgot to sign up. However, that will not be the case this year. With the program expanding and the number of people that we now service, we simply do not have time and we are not allowed to pick up piles that aren’t registered.
3. Piles need to be within 5’ of the road, stacked in 5’x5’x5’ dimensions with cut ends facing the road. They can do as many piles as they want, but they can’t do a single, 20’ long pile of slash. We will not chip that. 

If you have any questions, please let me know. 

Melissa Hoffman, Colorado Springs Fire Department Wildfire Mitigation Program Coordinator

375 Printers Parkway • Colorado Springs, CO 80910

Office: 719.385.7493 • Fax: 719.385.7334

“Sharing the Responsibility”