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THE DETAIL NEWSLETTER May 2022

PUPPY 'ZEKE' IS READY TO WORK

Therapy dog is sworn in by the sheriff

Zeke, a 4-month-old black lab is already at work at Newton Middle School bringing comfort to kids and helping those with special needs. On April 19, the puppy was sworn in by Sheriff Tyler Brown, making him an official member of the sheriff's office.

Zeke is the newest therapy dog for Littleton Public Schools. He joins his brother Rex, who is also a therapy dog at the LPS Elementary Schools.

"He’s there to just make school a more welcoming and comfortable environment and I'm confident he's going to do great,” says sro Deputy Travis Jones, Zeke's handler.
Deputy John Gray (left) with Rex and Deputy Travis Jones (right) with Zeke. The two black labs share the same parents.

The family affair goes beyond the two brothers. Deputy Jones' father was an Aurora Police K-9 officer from 1973-1996. His dad's dog was named Zeke too.

Aurora Police Officer Danny Jones, Travis' father, with his K9 Zeke

Travis was raised with K9 Zeke, a German Shepherd, and decided to name his new dog after his father's dog. Watch the heartwarming story that aired on Rocky Mountain PBS or read the story in the Littleton Independent.

SHERIFF'S OFFICE gets four new k9s

Meet Voq, Rust, Doc & Bodhi -- four new police dogs who are ready to catch some bad guys. The K9s will officially start working the street in a few weeks after completing their testing and certification. Deputies have been training them for the past six months.

"It's unusual for a law enforcement agency to get four new dogs at once, but that's how it worked out. Last year, one of our K9s died due to a medical condition and several others were retired," says Captain Ken McKlem.

The dogs came with a hefty price tag -- $30,000 for all four -- but that's when Back the Blue K9 Force stepped in. The non-profit which buys police dogs for law enforcement agencies, purchased three of them, and the fourth was paid for by Co-Bank.

Bodhi and Deputy Howerton
Doc and Deputy Stiltner
Rust and Deputy Samador

The dogs were flown in from overseas and each one is trained by their own handler.

VOQ – A German Shepherd/Belgian Malinois mix from Hungary, trained in apprehension/guns and ammunition detention. Handler is Sgt. Starbuck (large photo, right)

RUST – A Belgian Malinois from Poland, trained in apprehension and narcotics detection. Handler is Deputy Samador

DOC – A German Shepherd/Belgian Malinois mix from Hungary, trained in apprehension and narcotics detection. Handler is Deputy Stiltner

BODHI – A German Shepherd/Belgian Malinois from Hungary, trained in apprehension and narcotics detection. Handler is Deputy Howerton

The sheriff's office now as a total of six K9’s -- five are dual-purpose dogs and one is a bomb dog trained solely to detect firearms and explosives. Click the button below to watch the latest TV interview with our K9 handlers.

ACSO'S LONGEST SERVING EMPLOYEE RETIRES

Deputy Craig Gregory aka 'Sleepy' calls it quits after 40 years

Sheriff Tyler Brown presents Deputy Craig Gregory with a plaque for his retirement

The year was 1982. Craig Gregory was 21 years old when he took a job at the sheriff's office.

Deputy Gregory's first ID card in 1982
"I remember that time vividly. Arapahoe Road was just a two lane road, Southlands Mall was a wheat field and C-470 wasn’t even built yet," says Craig Gregory.

A year later, in 1983, after attending the police academy at Camp George West in Golden, he was sworn in as a deputy sheriff.

Deputy Gregory being sworn in by former Sheriff Pat Sullivan

Gregory was born and raised in Arapahoe County. As a 1978 graduate of of Smoky Hill High School, he always knew he wanted to be a cop.

Craig Gregory (far right) at the shooting range while in high school

Gregory worked the day shift and had a tough time waking up in the morning. He would oversleep his alarm and always looked tired, so the Undersheriff at the time nicknamed him 'Sleepy.' Soon after that, he switched shifts.

"I started working the graveyard shift in Precinct 5, then eventually made the SWAT team. That's when I really began to deploy to some major incidents," says Gregory.

In 1984, he assisted the U.S. Marshal Service transporting fugitives in the Allan Berg murder case. Berg was a popular Denver radio host who was killed by white supremacists. Then in 1987, he again helped with prisoner transports during the Atlanta Prison Riots in Oakdale, GA.

When the Pope came to visit Denver in 1993 for World Youth Day, Gregory stood on the observation deck as part of a ‘watch team.’ He and his partner were the only ones allowed to carry high-powered rifles.

"i'll never forget seeing the massive amount of people from where I was standing. There were several hundred thousand people there. It was truly a sight to behold.”

A few years later in April 1999, Gregory was one of the first responders at the Columbine High School shooting. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office had requested help from other agencies. He says watching those students run out the school is another image he’ll never forget.

Photo of the Columbine High School shooting

In 2006, Gregory transferred to Investigations where he worked until 2009. He then became a background investigator for Concealed Handgun Permits where he’s worked ever since.

In his 40 years at the ACSO, Gregory has worked under five sheriffs – Nelson, Sullivan, Robinson, Walcher and Brown.

Former Sheriff Ed Nelson presents Gregory with an award in 1982

Now, at 61, Sleepy is turning out the lights in his office for good. So will he miss working?

"I’ll miss the camaraderie, re-hashing old stories and the calls I went on. I'll miss the people a lot. I made some good friends here," says Gregory.
Gregory was gifted with the Remington rifle he used on the SWAT team from 1992-2006

Sleepy says he plans to start traveling soon. He wants to hit every national park in the U.S. But first, he's headed to Hawaii and Alaska.

“My girlfriend retired three days before me. We have a lot planned, but we’re just going to play it by ear and see where the wind takes us.”

Farewell Sleepy. Thank you for serving this agency and the community for so many years. We will miss you dearly.

CITIZENS GET A UNIQUE INSIGHT TO POLICE WORK

By Ginger Delgado, Public Information Officer

I've been working at the sheriff's office for three years as a Public Information Officer or PIO. My job involves communicating with the news media and the public and acting as a spokesperson for the sheriff. The job is similar to public relations, which is why I thought I'd share the funny meme below.

In short, I try to put our agency in the best light possible -- not a tough job, when you work with the best (okay, I'm a little biased). Despite my title, I'm not a sworn peace officer, I'm a civilian employee, so I've never had the training a deputy sheriff goes through. I decided the next best thing was to attend our Citizens Academy, where I could learn first-hand what each department at our agency does.

That's me in the black jacket

The Citizens Academy is held twice a year, in the Spring and Fall. It's four weeks long and it's free to the public. The Spring session just ended a few days ago. There were 30 people in my class, including business professionals, teachers, stay-at-home moms, retirees, a deputy District Attorney and even an elected official.

That's Don Sheehan, Centennial City Council Member in the front row, second from left.

In the first two weeks, we covered a lot of ground. We toured the Arapahoe County jail...

Learned about the bomb squad...

Where to fly (and not to fly) drones...

and rode (really fast) with lights and sirens to see how deputies drive during a police chase.

We learned many more things in the classroom too, such as the history of the sheriff's office, how investigations are handled, what patrol deputies do and how the court system works.

The last two weeks went by fast. We learned about the crime lab, narcotics, school resource officers, SWAT, hostage negotiations and more. Then came the final day, when the SWAT team and snipers gave us an inside look at what goes on during a high-risk call.

SWAT & snipers doing a demo
The K9 Unit and Rust, one of our newest police dogs, talks about apprehending suspects using canines

I also tried my hand at the firearms simulator.

That's me in a shooting scenario

Then, after spending a month in the academy, it was graduation time and each one of us walked away with our own Certificate of Completion.

Deputy Jason Presley, left, is the coordinator of the Citizens Academy.

To wrap things up, my time in the Citizens Academy was profound. To experience it first-hand and learn the values and practices from some of the most highly-experienced deputies in the country was a life-changer (yes, our special teams are some of the top in the U.S.!). I know I can speak for everyone in my class when I say THANK YOU to the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office for giving us a window into what you do. It not only dispels any concerns or misconceptions, but more importantly, it builds lasting relationships between citizens and police.

Learn more about the Citizens Academy by clicking the button below. The next one is in the Fall. Registration opens in September.

SAVE THE DATE! The community is invited to collect their confidential documents and destroy them securely at our annual Shred-a-thon event scheduled for Saturday, May 14, 2022 from 7am-Noon. The goal is to help residents prevent identity theft and ensure that their shredded documents are recycled. There will be no charge, however attendees will be asked to make a voluntary donation to Metro Denver Crime Stoppers, a non-profit organization that pays reward money to those who provide anonymous information about crimes and wanted persons that help keep the greater metropolitan area safe. More info HERE.

calling all dog lovers!

Join hundreds of your fellow animal lovers this summer for the first annual RexRun 2022! Registration is now open to walk or run with your furry friend in person or virtually to make a difference in the lives of police K9s and school therapy dogs.

Rex and his handler, Deputy John Gray

Mark your calendars for this highly-anticipated event which takes place on August 6, 2022 at Dove Valley Regional Park, 7900 S. Potomac St. in Centennial.

Rex, the dog behind the inspiration for this race, is a one-year old black lab school therapy dog. Rex and his handler are assigned to five elementary schools in the Littleton Public School District to bring smiles and comfort to the students.

Rex with kids at Ford Elementary School

Join us as we lead our pups on a 5K walk/run around beautiful Dove Valley Park with even more festivities continuing after the race, such as a law enforcement softball tournament, bounce houses, face painters, balloon artists plus hundreds of vendors.

This race will help raise money for Back The Blue K-9 Force to help fund more police K9s and therapy dogs, purchase their safety gear and pay for their medical needs.

Early bird registration for the race is $45 until June 1. Each registration receives a FREE Rex poker chip. Click HERE to register now! If you'd like to be a vendor or sponsor, click HERE.