July 1, 2025 • 35 mins
In the first hour of today's edition of the show, Colleen Whitlow and Justin Smith join fill-in host/Sheriff Steve Reams to talk about a local political race that's heating up and much more.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is Dan Capless and welcome to today's online podcast
edition of The Dan Caplis Show. Please be sure to
give us a five star rating if you'd be so kind,
and to subscribe, download and listen to the show every
single day on your favorite podcast platform.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Cap Show, Day two of three. The checking Out guest
host Steve Reims Well, can you sheriff filling in? It's
always a pleasure to fill in for Dan when he's
out doing his trial work or trial prep, as I
guess it is this week. But you know, it's an
interesting day when you get a chance to fill in
for one of the one of the guys that has
the biggest, one of the biggest talk shows in the
Denver metro area. And when you're doing that, sometimes you
(00:38):
get phone calls or text messages from people that say, Hey,
we'd like to get a little bit of time on
your radio show. And that's exactly what happened. At the
end of the show yesterday. We've been talking about some
breaking news that had been announced by House Rep. Ryan
Armagoss from HD sixty four. He announced that he was
going to be stepping down and relocating to Arizona to
(00:58):
pursue greener pastures for himself, and of course that leaves
an open seat. So HD sixty four, for those of
you that don't know, kind of goes around the Birthed
area up into Weld County, across the county line Johnstown, Milliken,
and over to the west side of Greeley. Also encompasses
a little bit of Mead again for those of you
(01:19):
that are familiar with northern Colorado. But it's a very
important seat because, as anyone that's been following the legislature knows,
every Republican seat matters at this point. So I believe
we're going to have a little bit of a duke
out for some folks trying to figure out how to
fill that seat or the remainder of Ryan Armagos's term.
And the first person that called and said, hey, I'd
(01:40):
like to throw my hat in the ring is the
mayor of Mead. Her name is Colleen Whitlow, and she's
with us on the line. Colleen, how are you doing
this afternoon.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
I'm very good. Thank you Steve for having me.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
You bet, it's a pleasure to have you on. And
I've known you for a while from your work down
in Mead. But today you're kind of, I guess, officially
announcing your canadacy to be a canon it for the
HD sixty four seat. Is that correct?
Speaker 3 (02:03):
I am, and I would like to say thank you
to Representative Armor godsh for these years of service not
only for the country, but for this district and for
our state.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Yeah, Ryan was a former law enforcement officer, a former
military officer or former military member. And of course, as
you said HD sixty four Rep. So, Colleen, I know
you're the mayor of Mead, but you've had an interest
in politics for quite some time. What makes you want
to jump in this HD sixty four race and exactly
what does it look like to jump in this seat
(02:35):
or to jump in the mix to run for this seat?
Speaker 3 (02:39):
Well, Steve, I want to contribute more and bring my
public service not only to this you know, this community,
but to all of the district. And then I think
I have a really good grasp of what's happening down
at the state Capitol and in our for our district.
So I really just want to expand my professional service
(02:59):
to those who and continue Representative Armags fight down at
the Capitol.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Sure, and as I've introduced to you, the mayor of me,
but give the listeners just a little bit more of
your background so they kind of know how you got
to that position and kind of what guided you to
your pathway to the mayor of Mead, Colorado.
Speaker 4 (03:20):
You bet.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
I was in the military to Air Force Airman station
over at Clark Air Base, and then I went to
Langley Air Force Base. And after that I was a
project manager for IBM. I did federal proposals mostly in
DC back and forth, and then I decided I was
going to do more of a community base, and I
became a trustee in twenty fourteen and ran for the
(03:41):
mayor of twenty eighteen, and it's concentrating on more of
giving back to those who in my local area and
currently I'm doing that and also am the vice chair
of the Denver Regional Government of COGG, which is down
in Denver. And also I serve as the Colorado Immunia
League Public Policy for as a representative. So there's a
(04:05):
lot of different things that are I contribute to and
making sure that I have the time and focus to
do the things that I need to do for my
community in this region.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
Well, God bless you for wanting to jump into one
of those House rep seats, because that is not something
that is very appealing to most, especially myself. But what
exactly does it look like when a vacancy occurs, because
it's not going to go back to an election of
the people. I know there's a vacancy committee, but what
is that constructed of, how does that what's the maneuvering
to even become a candidate and who do you got
(04:39):
to appeal to get that seat?
Speaker 3 (04:41):
Yeah, thanks for the question. The vacancy committee select selects
actually the replacement, and it's comprised of the executive committee,
elected official, the state officials, community excuse me, the commissioners
of the county commissioners, all what's encompassed in the not
just Well county and so all the precinct community, the
(05:04):
committee persons and all of that within the same political party.
And they'd have to hear adhere to the House built
twenty five Dash thirteen fifteen that was just passed last year.
And so that's concerning the vacancies of the General Assembly
which was passed and signed last year.
Speaker 4 (05:21):
But it is a very.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
Interesting process and I've already reached out to the chair
to get information on how to contact these folks to
make sure that you know, I reach out to them
and let them know that I am of you know,
wanting to do this, and I think I I know
I will do a great job for this for this
district of sixty four well, and.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
I believe there may be some competition in the works
for you. But without naming any names, obviously, what is
it that you bring to the table that maybe a
potential opponent wouldn't. What makes you the most qualified person
to fill in that seat, because you know the competentition
breeds excellence, But you know what makes you stronger than
any opponent you might face.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
Well, I've been following legislation ever since twenty fourteen. When
I became a I would say a civilian, I was,
you know, not doing project management for IBM. And I
believe that I with my background of military and project
management and legislative help and running and doing this job
as the mayor of the town of Meet and collaborating
(06:27):
with all elected officials and community members across this district,
I feel and I will do the job that is
adhere to this and I do believe that Representative Armagus
has set a high bar that I will continue to Foster.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Okay, I guess we'll just finish with this. I know
a lot of the consternation about, you know, the General
Assembly has been that a lot of the people down
there are in appointed positions, you know, in other words,
they weren't elected through the normal process. If you do
seek the seat and win, will you will you are
you vowing to run to keep that seat or you're
(07:04):
going to run for reelection if you're if you're appointed
to it as an HD sixty four Rep.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
I plan on running running a reelection to become you know,
the to fulfill everything that is in this seat for
years to come. So that's my plan. And in some
of these issues that are coming up that I would
like to bring in to prioritize is affordability, public safety,
protect tabor, and fight for our parents will rights.
Speaker 4 (07:30):
And that's what I'll do.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Okay, fair enough, well, Colleen, thanks for being on with us.
We'll go ahead and end it with that, but good
luck to you and keep us updated on how things
are going. And if if we need to get you
on again, just reach out to me. Obviously you know
how to get in contact with me. But thanks for
being on the show with us.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
Thank you, Steve again for your time, and thank you
to the viewers for listening.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
You bet so that was Colleen Whitlow, the mayor of Mead.
You know, the HD sixty four race may not mean
a lot to everyone in the state, but quite honestly,
there's not a seat in this state that isn't important.
Given the makeup of the general legislature. I think HD
sixty four is a pretty safe seat for Republicans, but
if you don't get the right candidate in there, then
(08:12):
it becomes a target for the Democrats to try to
take over. And I think that's kind of what Representative
armagust is probably trying to ensure doesn't occur with him exiting.
I don't know's if he's necessarily supporting one candidate or another,
but maybe we'll find that out if we get another
candidate on. And I think we're going to have a
(08:33):
potential opponent for Mayor Whitlow on tomorrow tomorrow at the
start of the show, so we'll get a little back
and forth and see if we can't make some difference
in that HD sixty four race. While we're sitting in
here covering Dan's show, but before we go to break
I just want to tease something that I saw this
morning on the news, and I think it probably matters
(08:54):
to a lot of you guys, and it definitely matters
to me as a person in law enforcement. You know,
we just talked about this HD sixty four race and
how important it is, and we definitely need to the
state of Colorado, whether you're a Democrat or a Republican,
needs to see some balance at the state House because
the laws in this state have gone to the way
of the criminals. In other words, the punishments are very low.
(09:15):
We have no death penalty on the table anymore. Capital
crime is kind of unchecked in this state. You're not
going to be sentenced to death even if you do
the most heinous acts. And that comes to mind because
of what we heard this morning coming out of Idaho
with the Brian Coberger incident where he murdered the four
teams at the University of Idaho. As a law enforcement officer,
(09:40):
I find it just stunning to me that you can
have a state like Colorado with the population we have
and say, no, we have no death penalty on the
table in Idaho. They're arguing right now, there's some survivors
of the victims, I guess that are upset that that
death penalty has been removed in lieu of getting a
plea agreement with Brian Koberger for our life in prison sentence.
(10:05):
That's not even an option in the state of Colorado.
So I just want you to think about that a
little bit as we go to break. If that same
kind of incident, take the Boulder fire bombing, word it happen,
you can't even use the threat of a death penalty
to try to make sure that you incarcerate someone for
the rest of their life because it's not even a
tool that can be used on the table. We'll cover
(10:26):
that and a lot more when we come back from break.
But again you're listening to Steve Riams while Kenny Sheriff
here on the Dan Kapla Show six point thirty k how.
Speaker 5 (10:39):
And now back to the Dan Kaplass Show podcast.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Steve Riams filling in as Dan does some trial work today.
And when we went to break, I was talking a
little bit about a frustration that I have here in
the state of Colorado, and I have to believe some
of you have that same frustration, and it's that the
criminal justice system in this state has become quite the joke.
You know, you can commit the most heinous crimes in
this state and not even be subjected to the death penalty.
(11:05):
And well, I know that's a that's an issue in
many states across across the nation. In the western state
of Colorado, it seems almost sacrilegious that the death penalty
would be removed from penalty penalty options for the worst
criminals out there. I'd kind of like to know what
you guys think. As the law enforcement officer. Maybe I'm
(11:25):
jaded on this, maybe I look at it the wrong way,
but text Dan. You can text Dan at five seven
seventy three nine, or you can call in three o
three seven one three eight two five five. I'd love
to have a back and forth with you on your
opinion on this, on this issue, but I can tell
you the lessening of penalties in the state of Colorado
has become maddening. I mean, we see guys just going
(11:47):
through a revolving door in and out of my jail.
You know, they get they get picked up for some
pretty pretty terrible crimes. They face a judge the next morning,
get a pr bond, and they're right back out on
the street. For things that before would have been a
no bond charge. We're gonna have George Brockler on towards
the end of the show to talk about a case
he recently he recently had some success on and and
(12:10):
I think you're going to be shocked at the sentence
that this individual got for possession of child pornography. While
it's a great it's a great win for George Brockler
the end of the at the end of all this,
you're going to go, that's that's the that's the penalty
this guy gets. And I don't want to ruin the
interview because George is a great storyteller, but it's just
so frustrating in the world of law enforcement right now
(12:31):
to know that people can go out and do an
act similar to what happened down on the Pearl Street
Mall and Boulder, and the worst thing that's going to
happen is they're going to get three hots and a
cot the rest of their life while they're sitting in
an air conditioned jail or prison somewhere in the state,
probably watching cable TV and being fat, dumb and happy.
(12:52):
For those of you that love your your freedom. Yeah,
that's that's a little bit of a shock to not
be able to go out and walk around and do
things outside. But quite frankly, you shouldn't walk on the
face of the earth when you do something like what
happened down in Boulder or at many of the other
incidents we've seen across the state of Colorado. Again, text in,
call in. You can text start to text with Dan
(13:13):
at five seven, seven, three nine or call in three
oh three seven one three eight two five five. I
know this is a touchy topic, but you have to
have an opinion on it, and I'd love to hear
you here what you guys have to say and have
a little back and forth. But when we talk about
the state of Colorado and how important it is for
these House seats and these Senate seats, just remember it
(13:33):
was when we started losing that majority down to the
State House and at the end the Senate that we
can no longer block bills that would remove the death penalty.
And Ronde Fields herself, Senator Ronde Fields, if you'll remember
this story, her son, Javon Marshall Fields, was killed by
a guy named Sir Mario Owens, and long story short,
(13:56):
he was murdered and Sir Mario Owens was basically trying
to from what I remember the story, trying to silence
anyone from from UH, basically diming him out for some
other crimes. Long story short, he was sentenced to death
for his crimes against Senator Fields, his son, and while
(14:19):
Senator Fields was still an active senator, she actually had
her arm twisted enough to remove the option of death
penalty in the state of Colorado for UH, for crimes,
even for the one, even for the person that had
killed her own son. To me, that's just it's outrageous
that that even even someone who's been in that situation
(14:42):
can say, you know, I'm gonna I'm going to follow
the tide of the Democrats. We're going to remove this
because that's what's the best for you know, for my party.
It just it flies in the face of all logic,
and it looks like we have a collar up on
the line. Well, give him just a second to kind
of get programmed here. In the meantime, I read a
couple of these texts. One of our best texters, Steve
(15:03):
in Littleton. He says, I guess our caller hung up,
says Stephen Littleton says it seems everything the Colorado dims
have done to punish criminals has been done begrudgingly and
with the least amount of inconvenience to those criminals. Yeah,
I couldn't agree more. I don't think they try to
punish criminals. I think they tried to coddle criminals. You know,
(15:24):
there's not much there's not much desire to keep folks
in jail. And if you're a retired law enforcement like
Steve is, you know, you deal with the same two
percent of the population over and over and over again
until finally they tip to a point where yep, they've
committed the worst of the worst. Maybe we get life
in prison, but life in prison doesn't even mean life
in prison in the state of Colorado. Then we have
(15:45):
another texture that's a holdover from well, I guess not
a holdover, but an early texture. As a response from yesterday,
some of you guys that were listening yesterday, you'll know
that I had Dick Wadhams on and he's always a
controversial character for conservative listeners to a degree. And the
text here says Steve, I enjoyed your interview with Dick
Watdams yesterday. I know many have problems with him. But
(16:07):
in the words of the NATO Chief Mark rut, Daddy
has to sometimes use strong language. And that's from again
a loyal listener, Patty. You know, I find it interesting
whenever we have Dick Watams on the show, because he
is a controversial figure. But having said all that, you know,
wouldn't you rather have that guy helping you get in
(16:27):
the right direction and get some Republicans elected than that
not having Republicans at all. A few more text rollings
rolling in and says Dan, I'm in favor of the
death penalty. Well good, that's at least two of us.
Another one here says, I say lock up all the criminals,
not laundry, detergent max penalties for all crime, including jaywalking,
scare the baddies into being lawful. That's Joseph down in Pueblo.
(16:50):
You know there's some truth to that. If you give
everybody a walk on the low level stuff, then you
know they're not really disincentivized from committing those high level crimes.
Sometimes you just flat out have to make an example
out of someone, and I can't think of a case
in this state where we've truly gone after someone and
made a hard example out of him in recent time.
(17:11):
You know, I'll give George Brockler a lot of credit
for what he's done with the Aurora Theater suspect, But
even then, no death penalty. You know, we couldn't get there,
and I think the death penalty option may have been
removed by the time that case went to trial. It's
just frustrating. And then you see what's going on up
in Idaho. They do have the death penalty available and
(17:33):
it's by firing squad, which if the death penalty ever
comes back to the state of Colorado, I hope it's
in that version. All that being said, you've got a
couple of families up there that are arguing over whether
this guy should get a plea agreement and get to
just spend life in jail or should he be shot
and killed. Today, I can't think of a more counterintuitive
(17:54):
thing than what we're seeing here in Colorado. We'll go
to break when we come back. We're gonna have another
law and Order guy on with Justin Smith, the new
NSA executive director. If you listened to the Dan Capless
Show here on six point thirty k High with will
County Sheriff Steve.
Speaker 5 (18:06):
Rings you're listening to the Dan Kaplis Show podcast.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
There's Steve Rams setting in in the driver's seat today,
filling in for Dan as he does some trial prep.
And it's with great pleasure I get to introduce this
next guest. He's been a longtime partner in the county
to the west of mine, in the Larimer County. Up
until just a couple of years ago, Justin Smith was
a Larimer County sheriff for three terms. I started a
(18:38):
couple of years in the sheriff's seat before I did,
and he has now moved on to the National Sheriff's
Association as the executive director, which is a pretty big gig.
And on the line with us is Justin Smith. Justin,
how you doing.
Speaker 4 (18:53):
Gee, Great to hear from you, Great to be on
with you.
Speaker 2 (18:55):
It's great to have you Justin. You know, we've always
kind of gone back and forth in a joking way
about you know, how crazy crime in Colorado has gotten.
And I know that I can't have you on the
show without at least giving you a little bit of
time to talk about some of the frustrations you felt
during your time as as sheriff over in Larmer County.
I know one of your big issues was the legalization
(19:16):
of marijuana, but you were also a big force in
the state when the magazine band went in, when the
magazine capacity ban went in. How do you feel now,
since you've kind of walked away from the from the
actual role of sheriff, what's crime in Colorado feel like
to you now?
Speaker 6 (19:33):
Well, see, you know, I don't have the day to
day knowledge of reading the daily reports and having you know,
that level of activity. But certainly it is continued to
be concerning because, yeah, I came into the business in
nineteen ninety one in Colorado and watched the crime drop
in half across the country, decreased dramatically in Colorado, and
(19:55):
you know that last few years I was in office,
we just had a lot of the tool stripped away
from law enforcement, and that has certainly been frustrating. I know,
there's thankfully been some advancements. We've regained some ground in
the last couple of years. I've seen you know, you
and other sheriffs and police departments really working at it.
Speaker 4 (20:13):
But well, I just.
Speaker 6 (20:15):
It's frustrating to watch peace officers out there having to
fight with one hand tied behind their back.
Speaker 4 (20:21):
Just working to protect the public.
Speaker 6 (20:23):
So there's definitely been some concerning things at the state
level in recent years, you know, but again it hasn't
it hasn't brought down the willingness of those of you
still in service.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
Yeah. I think with the passage of Centate Bill two seventeen,
the Law Enforcement you know, the Law Enforcement Accountability Act,
where they removed qualified immunity for law enforcement officers in Colorado.
That's a one off bill. You don't see it anywhere
else in the country, although there's several that have tried
to replicate it, even at the federal level. You know,
that's set Colorado on a path that is unlike any
(20:56):
other state. Having said that you're going to be come
the executive director, you're on the pathway to be the
executive director for the National Sheriff's Association, which does some
stuff obviously nationwide and advocacy for the sheriffs. How did
you decide to put in for that position? And better yet,
how'd you land that thing?
Speaker 4 (21:17):
I bought my wife's.
Speaker 6 (21:18):
Asking me that, you know, for me what I was
elected sheriff by the citizens.
Speaker 4 (21:24):
Of my county.
Speaker 6 (21:25):
I stepped in, you know, as you had with the
County Sheriffs of Colorado, our state association, we got active,
took apart in recognizing that, and then in the years
after I just I got involved with the National Sheriff's Association,
which really kind of collaborates what all the states are
doing at that state level.
Speaker 4 (21:44):
It becomes that that.
Speaker 6 (21:45):
National voice and deals with federal issues. But I got
involved there, was was selected by my fellow sheriffs to
serve on their board of directors and eventually on the
executive board. By the time that I was term limited
out back in twenty twenty two, I stepped away a bit,
but I did really active from the side. I hung
(22:08):
out a shamble as it were, and got involved in
consulting in public safety, stayed involved with National Sheriffs on
a variety of issues, and was aware that the longtime
executive director was retiring, you know, sometime in the future.
That came around this year, and you know, for me,
obviously it just simply comes down to this. There obviously
(22:30):
has never been a better job than serving the citizens
in a county as their elected sheriff and having the
ability to do what.
Speaker 4 (22:37):
You need to do. Once that ends, you know, the.
Speaker 6 (22:41):
Next step for me was what else would be next
most satisfying, and that was to serve America's three thousand
and eighty one elected sheriffs because around the country they're all.
Speaker 4 (22:51):
Facing different challenges.
Speaker 6 (22:53):
So the opportunity to serve those sheriffs on that national level,
to help collaborate on role issues and the things that
are going on, just seem like a natural fit. And
you know, lo and behold, things worked out the way
they did. And I was just recently selected and I'll
take that position officially at.
Speaker 4 (23:13):
The beginning of the year.
Speaker 6 (23:13):
I'll be transitioning later in the fall at National Sheriff
which you know, the flip side means a time within
the Beltway, which is a change certainly for us. But
sometimes you sometimes you do what you have to do
because that's where you need to be to stand with
and stand for America's sheriffs.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
Yeah, and you know, for the listeners, you know, they're
not going to interact with the National Sheriff's Associate Association
every day, but they do most most listeners are pretty
familiar with who their local sheriff is. So how does
the National Sheriff's Association kind of support those local sheriffs?
You know, on a more direct basis, like, what is
your role there end upholding those those three thousand plus
(23:52):
sheriffs across the nation.
Speaker 4 (23:55):
Well, there's there's a variety of ways we do that.
Speaker 6 (23:58):
A primary one is being that connection one with federal agencies.
Speaker 4 (24:03):
You know, as county sheriffs.
Speaker 6 (24:05):
So we were from our counties, but we were chartered
essentially under our state constitution and state statutes be carried
those out. However, in doing that, we all know that
the ability to work with our federal partners in a
positive way is critical.
Speaker 4 (24:21):
You know.
Speaker 6 (24:21):
The reality is, no matter how powerful the county sheriffs
of Colorado are collectively, they.
Speaker 4 (24:27):
Don't have a voice to be able to really get
the ear of the FDI, the DEA on.
Speaker 6 (24:33):
Land security, et cetera. But where national sheriffs comes in again,
they're in Washington.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
D c.
Speaker 6 (24:38):
Which is where you have to be daily interactions at
that level with those federal agencies.
Speaker 4 (24:43):
And then really it's.
Speaker 6 (24:44):
Their role to bring those issues and concerns of the
states sheriffs around the country. Do those federal officials voice
those speak collectively? That's one part and the other is
while sheriffs don't enforce federal law, we are impacted certainly,
as you know, Steve, by federal law and some of
the challenges to come through. So National Sheriffs is a
(25:06):
voice in that way with Congress to lobby Congress, and
certainly I would say Congress comes to the sheriffs, and
we're getting back in that role a little bit more
finding out what things can they do to be helpful
to local communities when it comes to safety. And then
there's the issues of training that goes along. Certainly there's
a lot of training that goes to the state level,
but collectively we can come together. It brings sheriffs together
(25:29):
on those variety of issues just to promote public safety
and best practices. We're able to go to the different states,
find out who's got some things that are working that
are helpful and share the share the things that Colorado
is successful at and bring things to Colorado that some
of our other states. Florida has a very very powerful
and active State Sheriff's Association and we certainly pick up
(25:52):
a lot from them.
Speaker 4 (25:53):
So National Sheriffs really just kind.
Speaker 6 (25:56):
Of becomes the hub of that to help each of
the states sheriffs.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
Yeah, and you know, when you're talking about trying to
figure out how to work with your federal partners. I mean,
there's the best example I can think of right here
in the state of Colorado is I think most of
your sheriffs, if not the majority of sheriffs in the state,
want to have a relationship with ICE. But we've had
a bunch of state legislators who have said, we really
don't think that's a great idea. You know, they're not
out interacting with criminals, they're not out interacting with the
(26:23):
bad guy on the street. As the NSA executive director,
do you see yourself kind of advocating for that relationship
to be rebuilt, not just for the sheriffs here in
Colorado with ICE, but the sheriffs across the nation, because
I think that's the way that this issue get gets corrected.
Speaker 4 (26:40):
I thought you're absolutely right, Steve.
Speaker 6 (26:42):
I think that the challenge there is our federal partners
don't necessarily always understand the conditions on the ground, and
you certainly speak to that of Colorado.
Speaker 4 (26:51):
Sheriffs are put between.
Speaker 6 (26:52):
The proverbial rock and a hard place in that we
have to comply with state law. But at the same time,
when when legislators and other folks in the state passed
and put things into effect that essentially can maybe not
just put the sheriff in. I mean, granted we're not
enforcing federal law. However to in some form obstruct federal officials,
(27:17):
and you know what, I know that's not a role
that the law law enforcements can get any more than
we would tolerate federal officials obstructing Colorado law.
Speaker 4 (27:27):
So I think that's a piece.
Speaker 6 (27:28):
And certainly there was that question that came out recently
of you know what they called on the side the
nasty list from from ICE in DHS on you know,
sheriffs that were you know, under sanctuary counties or CenTra.
Speaker 4 (27:44):
Non complied and.
Speaker 6 (27:45):
And NSA worked with the states and we pushed back
and said what came out from DHS was not after it,
it was not appropriate, it didn't help, and we got
that list pulled down and we simply went back with
let's have a conversation.
Speaker 4 (27:59):
We're not against the issue.
Speaker 6 (28:01):
Of calling out those who are not cooperating, but you happy,
but you know, in our business, facts are facts, and
you have to have your facts lined up. And National
Sheriff did speak up for the States on that issue.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
Well, justin I can't be more proud to have someone
from Colorado representing the National Sheriff's Association. I can't be
more proud to have my former colleague from a neighboring county,
Larimer County, in that same seat. And Justin, I'm proud
to see you out there. I'll the luck to you
to do the best work out there. And remember, don't
(28:33):
forget us little guys here in the state of Colorado.
Speaker 6 (28:36):
I keep up the fight here, Steve, proud to work
for you in this new role.
Speaker 2 (28:40):
You bet, thanks for coming on with This's Justin. So
that was Justin Smith, former Larmer County sheriff, now the
executive director incoming executive director for National Sheriff's Association. And
while that may not seem like much to the day
to day listener, that's a big win for the state
of Colorado, and I half believe that's some of the
(29:00):
reason that he got that position. In essay, is focusing
on those states where they need to make the biggest
push and try to get sheriffs back in control of
kind of law and order in an individual state. So
with that, we'll go to break. When we come back,
we'll do a little bit of clean up before we
go to a second hour. But keep tuning in, keep listening,
and throw those texts in if you'd like. Text Dan
(29:21):
at five seven, seven, three nine. We're talking about death penalty,
We're talking about sheriff's roles. Text in with whatever you'd like.
We'll go to break. You're listening to Steve Raims here
on the Dankaples Show as your guest host.
Speaker 5 (29:38):
And now back to the Dan Tapless Show podcast Driver's
seat today.
Speaker 2 (29:43):
Like I said earlier in the show, it's always a
good time to drive the get behind the wheel of
the big the big machine here that Dan normally pilots
on a daily basis, But I've kind of challenged you
guys a little bit to text in tell me what
you think about Colorado's removal of the death penalty option
based on the case we've been watching out of Idaho
with Brian Coberger as the suspect. In addition, call in
(30:05):
three o three seven one, three eight two five five.
I love having those conversations with you. I know a
few of you are a little bit shy and you
don't necessarily want to get on the radio, but that's okay.
We'll go to a couple of texts here. I got
one to say, Sheriff, when are you going to hear
our When are we going to hear a statement from
you similar to one that we hear from Grady Polk
down in Florida. Uh, the one that tells people to
(30:25):
go ahead and shoot the bad guy if they break
into your house, because law enforcements going to stand behind
them and not be at odds with the citizens. We
sure love to hear something from our chief law enforcement officers.
So you stand saying that you stand with armed citizens. Look,
I'm not a guy that likes to get on social
media and make platitudes, but I've made it very clear
(30:48):
to the citizens of Welld County and to my constituents
that I believe they have to have a personal investment
in their own public safety or their own personal safety.
And I encourage people to be armed. I encourage people
to protect themselves, and I encourage people to know the
law around doing so. Making a video about it.
Speaker 7 (31:06):
You're not giving yourself due diligence.
Speaker 2 (31:09):
Oh yeah, Why is that.
Speaker 7 (31:10):
Because you texted Ryan the other day because he texted
you about what you would do.
Speaker 2 (31:17):
Oh if someone tried to take over the zoo. They're
not taking over the zoo.
Speaker 7 (31:20):
It ain't happening, not in Weld County.
Speaker 2 (31:24):
No. You know, we stand pretty firm against crime in
Weld County. And that takes me to another text here
somebody being a little snarky, I think it says, with
Colorado being the number two most violent state in the nation,
how is it the sheriff can host this show. Well,
it's because we uphold the rule of law in Weld County,
and believe it or not, I don't work twenty four
(31:44):
hours a day at the Sheriff's office, so I can
go in early. I can leave a little early, come
down to the show, I can catch things later on
once I get home. I can come in on the weekends.
And I have this cool thing called a cell phone,
although I hate it, but I can be in contact
with my folks pretty much twenty four hours a day,
and oftentimes I am. So that's what happens when you
(32:06):
have good staff, and you have good people that work
for you, and they're all rowing in the same direction.
I don't have to micromanage them. I believe that they
can be adults and police the county while I'm not there.
Speaker 7 (32:18):
So one of the funniest things you missed on. I
believe it was Friday. I could be wrong, could have
been Thursday, might have been Friday. Still have Metallica brain.
But Dan ended the show by saying, why don't we
just let all of the animals out of the cages
(32:42):
to zoo.
Speaker 2 (32:43):
I'm telling you that would.
Speaker 7 (32:44):
Fight the teens who are trying to take it over.
And I said, hey, that would be our own alligator Alcatraz.
Speaker 3 (32:56):
You know.
Speaker 2 (32:57):
The funny thing is all they had to hear was
a little bit of threat that someone was ready for them,
and they didn't even show up. I mean, it's it's
kind of like, man, it's the thing that you do
when you're raising kids, and don't make me get involved, right,
And for the zoo to shut down, and for Denver
ped to not take a little different stance or I
shouldn't even say Denver PEDI who knows the Denver administration.
(33:19):
It's just frustrating because it Embolden's lawlessness. And I'm glad
it didn't happen. I hope it doesn't happen somewhere else.
But this is what happens when you handcuff law enforcement.
Going back to what Justin Smith said, when you.
Speaker 7 (33:31):
Play they only they actually attacked one of my favorite places,
the shops at Northfield, because one of my favorite restaurants
there is Texas Day Brazil.
Speaker 2 (33:44):
And so you I assume it's back open, but you
couldn't eat there that night.
Speaker 7 (33:48):
I mean it's a tourist scaria. Have you never been
to a curiscaria?
Speaker 3 (33:53):
No?
Speaker 2 (33:53):
Oh my gosh, I don't even know what that is.
Speaker 7 (33:55):
Oh my gosh. It's a Brazilian steakhouse where you have
a token kind of thing and you flip it over
red or green. Green means you get a lot of meat. Okay,
red means you got to stop. Well, I guess, so good.
Speaker 2 (34:14):
Is it back open? Did they destroy the place?
Speaker 7 (34:16):
No, they didn't. They just fought and it was like
in like an open area or something.
Speaker 2 (34:22):
The disrupted the operation.
Speaker 7 (34:24):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2 (34:25):
So here's the thing. You live in a crappy area.
Don't live down here in the metro area. Move to
Weld County. We don't have those restaurants you're talking about, though.
We have things like Texas Roadhouse and other things up
I don't know. We have just traditional steak in Weld County.
You know, steak and taters like like you do in
the South. So going back to the text line, here
(34:47):
quite a few of you, Dan, I'm in favor of
the death penalty. Dan, I'm in favor of the death penalty.
One person here says, I couldn't take someone's life, but
I understand the need for it. We're gonna take this
last break of the hour. When we come back, we're
going to have another governor candidate names Jason Clark. You're
definitely going to want to tune in. This guy is
not a traditional candidate, and I think you may really
(35:09):
enjoy the interview. You're listening to the Dan Cafleis Show
out here on six point thirty KHA with Will Kenny,
Sheriff Steve Rings
This is Dan Capless and welcome to today's online podcast
edition of The Dan Caplis Show. Please be sure to
give us a five star rating if you'd be so kind,
and to subscribe, download and listen to the show every
single day on your favorite podcast platform.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Cap Show, Day two of three. The checking Out guest
host Steve Reims Well, can you sheriff filling in? It's
always a pleasure to fill in for Dan when he's
out doing his trial work or trial prep, as I
guess it is this week. But you know, it's an
interesting day when you get a chance to fill in
for one of the one of the guys that has
the biggest, one of the biggest talk shows in the
Denver metro area. And when you're doing that, sometimes you
(00:38):
get phone calls or text messages from people that say, Hey,
we'd like to get a little bit of time on
your radio show. And that's exactly what happened. At the
end of the show yesterday. We've been talking about some
breaking news that had been announced by House Rep. Ryan
Armagoss from HD sixty four. He announced that he was
going to be stepping down and relocating to Arizona to
(00:58):
pursue greener pastures for himself, and of course that leaves
an open seat. So HD sixty four, for those of
you that don't know, kind of goes around the Birthed
area up into Weld County, across the county line Johnstown, Milliken,
and over to the west side of Greeley. Also encompasses
a little bit of Mead again for those of you
(01:19):
that are familiar with northern Colorado. But it's a very
important seat because, as anyone that's been following the legislature knows,
every Republican seat matters at this point. So I believe
we're going to have a little bit of a duke
out for some folks trying to figure out how to
fill that seat or the remainder of Ryan Armagos's term.
And the first person that called and said, hey, I'd
(01:40):
like to throw my hat in the ring is the
mayor of Mead. Her name is Colleen Whitlow, and she's
with us on the line. Colleen, how are you doing
this afternoon.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
I'm very good. Thank you Steve for having me.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
You bet, it's a pleasure to have you on. And
I've known you for a while from your work down
in Mead. But today you're kind of, I guess, officially
announcing your canadacy to be a canon it for the
HD sixty four seat. Is that correct?
Speaker 3 (02:03):
I am, and I would like to say thank you
to Representative Armor godsh for these years of service not
only for the country, but for this district and for
our state.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Yeah, Ryan was a former law enforcement officer, a former
military officer or former military member. And of course, as
you said HD sixty four Rep. So, Colleen, I know
you're the mayor of Mead, but you've had an interest
in politics for quite some time. What makes you want
to jump in this HD sixty four race and exactly
what does it look like to jump in this seat
(02:35):
or to jump in the mix to run for this seat?
Speaker 3 (02:39):
Well, Steve, I want to contribute more and bring my
public service not only to this you know, this community,
but to all of the district. And then I think
I have a really good grasp of what's happening down
at the state Capitol and in our for our district.
So I really just want to expand my professional service
(02:59):
to those who and continue Representative Armags fight down at
the Capitol.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Sure, and as I've introduced to you, the mayor of me,
but give the listeners just a little bit more of
your background so they kind of know how you got
to that position and kind of what guided you to
your pathway to the mayor of Mead, Colorado.
Speaker 4 (03:20):
You bet.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
I was in the military to Air Force Airman station
over at Clark Air Base, and then I went to
Langley Air Force Base. And after that I was a
project manager for IBM. I did federal proposals mostly in
DC back and forth, and then I decided I was
going to do more of a community base, and I
became a trustee in twenty fourteen and ran for the
(03:41):
mayor of twenty eighteen, and it's concentrating on more of
giving back to those who in my local area and
currently I'm doing that and also am the vice chair
of the Denver Regional Government of COGG, which is down
in Denver. And also I serve as the Colorado Immunia
League Public Policy for as a representative. So there's a
(04:05):
lot of different things that are I contribute to and
making sure that I have the time and focus to
do the things that I need to do for my
community in this region.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
Well, God bless you for wanting to jump into one
of those House rep seats, because that is not something
that is very appealing to most, especially myself. But what
exactly does it look like when a vacancy occurs, because
it's not going to go back to an election of
the people. I know there's a vacancy committee, but what
is that constructed of, how does that what's the maneuvering
to even become a candidate and who do you got
(04:39):
to appeal to get that seat?
Speaker 3 (04:41):
Yeah, thanks for the question. The vacancy committee select selects
actually the replacement, and it's comprised of the executive committee,
elected official, the state officials, community excuse me, the commissioners
of the county commissioners, all what's encompassed in the not
just Well county and so all the precinct community, the
(05:04):
committee persons and all of that within the same political party.
And they'd have to hear adhere to the House built
twenty five Dash thirteen fifteen that was just passed last year.
And so that's concerning the vacancies of the General Assembly
which was passed and signed last year.
Speaker 4 (05:21):
But it is a very.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
Interesting process and I've already reached out to the chair
to get information on how to contact these folks to
make sure that you know, I reach out to them
and let them know that I am of you know,
wanting to do this, and I think I I know
I will do a great job for this for this
district of sixty four well, and.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
I believe there may be some competition in the works
for you. But without naming any names, obviously, what is
it that you bring to the table that maybe a
potential opponent wouldn't. What makes you the most qualified person
to fill in that seat, because you know the competentition
breeds excellence, But you know what makes you stronger than
any opponent you might face.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
Well, I've been following legislation ever since twenty fourteen. When
I became a I would say a civilian, I was,
you know, not doing project management for IBM. And I
believe that I with my background of military and project
management and legislative help and running and doing this job
as the mayor of the town of Meet and collaborating
(06:27):
with all elected officials and community members across this district,
I feel and I will do the job that is
adhere to this and I do believe that Representative Armagus
has set a high bar that I will continue to Foster.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Okay, I guess we'll just finish with this. I know
a lot of the consternation about, you know, the General
Assembly has been that a lot of the people down
there are in appointed positions, you know, in other words,
they weren't elected through the normal process. If you do
seek the seat and win, will you will you are
you vowing to run to keep that seat or you're
(07:04):
going to run for reelection if you're if you're appointed
to it as an HD sixty four Rep.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
I plan on running running a reelection to become you know,
the to fulfill everything that is in this seat for
years to come. So that's my plan. And in some
of these issues that are coming up that I would
like to bring in to prioritize is affordability, public safety,
protect tabor, and fight for our parents will rights.
Speaker 4 (07:30):
And that's what I'll do.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Okay, fair enough, well, Colleen, thanks for being on with us.
We'll go ahead and end it with that, but good
luck to you and keep us updated on how things
are going. And if if we need to get you
on again, just reach out to me. Obviously you know
how to get in contact with me. But thanks for
being on the show with us.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
Thank you, Steve again for your time, and thank you
to the viewers for listening.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
You bet so that was Colleen Whitlow, the mayor of Mead.
You know, the HD sixty four race may not mean
a lot to everyone in the state, but quite honestly,
there's not a seat in this state that isn't important.
Given the makeup of the general legislature. I think HD
sixty four is a pretty safe seat for Republicans, but
if you don't get the right candidate in there, then
(08:12):
it becomes a target for the Democrats to try to
take over. And I think that's kind of what Representative
armagust is probably trying to ensure doesn't occur with him exiting.
I don't know's if he's necessarily supporting one candidate or another,
but maybe we'll find that out if we get another
candidate on. And I think we're going to have a
(08:33):
potential opponent for Mayor Whitlow on tomorrow tomorrow at the
start of the show, so we'll get a little back
and forth and see if we can't make some difference
in that HD sixty four race. While we're sitting in
here covering Dan's show, but before we go to break
I just want to tease something that I saw this
morning on the news, and I think it probably matters
(08:54):
to a lot of you guys, and it definitely matters
to me as a person in law enforcement. You know,
we just talked about this HD sixty four race and
how important it is, and we definitely need to the
state of Colorado, whether you're a Democrat or a Republican,
needs to see some balance at the state House because
the laws in this state have gone to the way
of the criminals. In other words, the punishments are very low.
(09:15):
We have no death penalty on the table anymore. Capital
crime is kind of unchecked in this state. You're not
going to be sentenced to death even if you do
the most heinous acts. And that comes to mind because
of what we heard this morning coming out of Idaho
with the Brian Coberger incident where he murdered the four
teams at the University of Idaho. As a law enforcement officer,
(09:40):
I find it just stunning to me that you can
have a state like Colorado with the population we have
and say, no, we have no death penalty on the
table in Idaho. They're arguing right now, there's some survivors
of the victims, I guess that are upset that that
death penalty has been removed in lieu of getting a
plea agreement with Brian Koberger for our life in prison sentence.
(10:05):
That's not even an option in the state of Colorado.
So I just want you to think about that a
little bit as we go to break. If that same
kind of incident, take the Boulder fire bombing, word it happen,
you can't even use the threat of a death penalty
to try to make sure that you incarcerate someone for
the rest of their life because it's not even a
tool that can be used on the table. We'll cover
(10:26):
that and a lot more when we come back from break.
But again you're listening to Steve Riams while Kenny Sheriff
here on the Dan Kapla Show six point thirty k how.
Speaker 5 (10:39):
And now back to the Dan Kaplass Show podcast.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Steve Riams filling in as Dan does some trial work today.
And when we went to break, I was talking a
little bit about a frustration that I have here in
the state of Colorado, and I have to believe some
of you have that same frustration, and it's that the
criminal justice system in this state has become quite the joke.
You know, you can commit the most heinous crimes in
this state and not even be subjected to the death penalty.
(11:05):
And well, I know that's a that's an issue in
many states across across the nation. In the western state
of Colorado, it seems almost sacrilegious that the death penalty
would be removed from penalty penalty options for the worst
criminals out there. I'd kind of like to know what
you guys think. As the law enforcement officer. Maybe I'm
(11:25):
jaded on this, maybe I look at it the wrong way,
but text Dan. You can text Dan at five seven
seventy three nine, or you can call in three o
three seven one three eight two five five. I'd love
to have a back and forth with you on your
opinion on this, on this issue, but I can tell
you the lessening of penalties in the state of Colorado
has become maddening. I mean, we see guys just going
(11:47):
through a revolving door in and out of my jail.
You know, they get they get picked up for some
pretty pretty terrible crimes. They face a judge the next morning,
get a pr bond, and they're right back out on
the street. For things that before would have been a
no bond charge. We're gonna have George Brockler on towards
the end of the show to talk about a case
he recently he recently had some success on and and
(12:10):
I think you're going to be shocked at the sentence
that this individual got for possession of child pornography. While
it's a great it's a great win for George Brockler
the end of the at the end of all this,
you're going to go, that's that's the that's the penalty
this guy gets. And I don't want to ruin the
interview because George is a great storyteller, but it's just
so frustrating in the world of law enforcement right now
(12:31):
to know that people can go out and do an
act similar to what happened down on the Pearl Street
Mall and Boulder, and the worst thing that's going to
happen is they're going to get three hots and a
cot the rest of their life while they're sitting in
an air conditioned jail or prison somewhere in the state,
probably watching cable TV and being fat, dumb and happy.
(12:52):
For those of you that love your your freedom. Yeah,
that's that's a little bit of a shock to not
be able to go out and walk around and do
things outside. But quite frankly, you shouldn't walk on the
face of the earth when you do something like what
happened down in Boulder or at many of the other
incidents we've seen across the state of Colorado. Again, text in,
call in. You can text start to text with Dan
(13:13):
at five seven, seven, three nine or call in three
oh three seven one three eight two five five. I
know this is a touchy topic, but you have to
have an opinion on it, and I'd love to hear
you here what you guys have to say and have
a little back and forth. But when we talk about
the state of Colorado and how important it is for
these House seats and these Senate seats, just remember it
(13:33):
was when we started losing that majority down to the
State House and at the end the Senate that we
can no longer block bills that would remove the death penalty.
And Ronde Fields herself, Senator Ronde Fields, if you'll remember
this story, her son, Javon Marshall Fields, was killed by
a guy named Sir Mario Owens, and long story short,
(13:56):
he was murdered and Sir Mario Owens was basically trying
to from what I remember the story, trying to silence
anyone from from UH, basically diming him out for some
other crimes. Long story short, he was sentenced to death
for his crimes against Senator Fields, his son, and while
(14:19):
Senator Fields was still an active senator, she actually had
her arm twisted enough to remove the option of death
penalty in the state of Colorado for UH, for crimes,
even for the one, even for the person that had
killed her own son. To me, that's just it's outrageous
that that even even someone who's been in that situation
(14:42):
can say, you know, I'm gonna I'm going to follow
the tide of the Democrats. We're going to remove this
because that's what's the best for you know, for my party.
It just it flies in the face of all logic,
and it looks like we have a collar up on
the line. Well, give him just a second to kind
of get programmed here. In the meantime, I read a
couple of these texts. One of our best texters, Steve
(15:03):
in Littleton. He says, I guess our caller hung up,
says Stephen Littleton says it seems everything the Colorado dims
have done to punish criminals has been done begrudgingly and
with the least amount of inconvenience to those criminals. Yeah,
I couldn't agree more. I don't think they try to
punish criminals. I think they tried to coddle criminals. You know,
(15:24):
there's not much there's not much desire to keep folks
in jail. And if you're a retired law enforcement like
Steve is, you know, you deal with the same two
percent of the population over and over and over again
until finally they tip to a point where yep, they've
committed the worst of the worst. Maybe we get life
in prison, but life in prison doesn't even mean life
in prison in the state of Colorado. Then we have
(15:45):
another texture that's a holdover from well, I guess not
a holdover, but an early texture. As a response from yesterday,
some of you guys that were listening yesterday, you'll know
that I had Dick Wadhams on and he's always a
controversial character for conservative listeners to a degree. And the
text here says Steve, I enjoyed your interview with Dick
Watdams yesterday. I know many have problems with him. But
(16:07):
in the words of the NATO Chief Mark rut, Daddy
has to sometimes use strong language. And that's from again
a loyal listener, Patty. You know, I find it interesting
whenever we have Dick Watams on the show, because he
is a controversial figure. But having said all that, you know,
wouldn't you rather have that guy helping you get in
(16:27):
the right direction and get some Republicans elected than that
not having Republicans at all. A few more text rollings
rolling in and says Dan, I'm in favor of the
death penalty. Well good, that's at least two of us.
Another one here says, I say lock up all the criminals,
not laundry, detergent max penalties for all crime, including jaywalking,
scare the baddies into being lawful. That's Joseph down in Pueblo.
(16:50):
You know there's some truth to that. If you give
everybody a walk on the low level stuff, then you
know they're not really disincentivized from committing those high level crimes.
Sometimes you just flat out have to make an example
out of someone, and I can't think of a case
in this state where we've truly gone after someone and
made a hard example out of him in recent time.
(17:11):
You know, I'll give George Brockler a lot of credit
for what he's done with the Aurora Theater suspect, But
even then, no death penalty. You know, we couldn't get there,
and I think the death penalty option may have been
removed by the time that case went to trial. It's
just frustrating. And then you see what's going on up
in Idaho. They do have the death penalty available and
(17:33):
it's by firing squad, which if the death penalty ever
comes back to the state of Colorado, I hope it's
in that version. All that being said, you've got a
couple of families up there that are arguing over whether
this guy should get a plea agreement and get to
just spend life in jail or should he be shot
and killed. Today, I can't think of a more counterintuitive
(17:54):
thing than what we're seeing here in Colorado. We'll go
to break when we come back. We're gonna have another
law and Order guy on with Justin Smith, the new
NSA executive director. If you listened to the Dan Capless
Show here on six point thirty k High with will
County Sheriff Steve.
Speaker 5 (18:06):
Rings you're listening to the Dan Kaplis Show podcast.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
There's Steve Rams setting in in the driver's seat today,
filling in for Dan as he does some trial prep.
And it's with great pleasure I get to introduce this
next guest. He's been a longtime partner in the county
to the west of mine, in the Larimer County. Up
until just a couple of years ago, Justin Smith was
a Larimer County sheriff for three terms. I started a
(18:38):
couple of years in the sheriff's seat before I did,
and he has now moved on to the National Sheriff's
Association as the executive director, which is a pretty big gig.
And on the line with us is Justin Smith. Justin,
how you doing.
Speaker 4 (18:53):
Gee, Great to hear from you, Great to be on
with you.
Speaker 2 (18:55):
It's great to have you Justin. You know, we've always
kind of gone back and forth in a joking way
about you know, how crazy crime in Colorado has gotten.
And I know that I can't have you on the
show without at least giving you a little bit of
time to talk about some of the frustrations you felt
during your time as as sheriff over in Larmer County.
I know one of your big issues was the legalization
(19:16):
of marijuana, but you were also a big force in
the state when the magazine band went in, when the
magazine capacity ban went in. How do you feel now,
since you've kind of walked away from the from the
actual role of sheriff, what's crime in Colorado feel like
to you now?
Speaker 6 (19:33):
Well, see, you know, I don't have the day to
day knowledge of reading the daily reports and having you know,
that level of activity. But certainly it is continued to
be concerning because, yeah, I came into the business in
nineteen ninety one in Colorado and watched the crime drop
in half across the country, decreased dramatically in Colorado, and
(19:55):
you know that last few years I was in office,
we just had a lot of the tool stripped away
from law enforcement, and that has certainly been frustrating. I know,
there's thankfully been some advancements. We've regained some ground in
the last couple of years. I've seen you know, you
and other sheriffs and police departments really working at it.
Speaker 4 (20:13):
But well, I just.
Speaker 6 (20:15):
It's frustrating to watch peace officers out there having to
fight with one hand tied behind their back.
Speaker 4 (20:21):
Just working to protect the public.
Speaker 6 (20:23):
So there's definitely been some concerning things at the state
level in recent years, you know, but again it hasn't
it hasn't brought down the willingness of those of you
still in service.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
Yeah. I think with the passage of Centate Bill two seventeen,
the Law Enforcement you know, the Law Enforcement Accountability Act,
where they removed qualified immunity for law enforcement officers in Colorado.
That's a one off bill. You don't see it anywhere
else in the country, although there's several that have tried
to replicate it, even at the federal level. You know,
that's set Colorado on a path that is unlike any
(20:56):
other state. Having said that you're going to be come
the executive director, you're on the pathway to be the
executive director for the National Sheriff's Association, which does some
stuff obviously nationwide and advocacy for the sheriffs. How did
you decide to put in for that position? And better yet,
how'd you land that thing?
Speaker 4 (21:17):
I bought my wife's.
Speaker 6 (21:18):
Asking me that, you know, for me what I was
elected sheriff by the citizens.
Speaker 4 (21:24):
Of my county.
Speaker 6 (21:25):
I stepped in, you know, as you had with the
County Sheriffs of Colorado, our state association, we got active,
took apart in recognizing that, and then in the years
after I just I got involved with the National Sheriff's Association,
which really kind of collaborates what all the states are
doing at that state level.
Speaker 4 (21:44):
It becomes that that.
Speaker 6 (21:45):
National voice and deals with federal issues. But I got
involved there, was was selected by my fellow sheriffs to
serve on their board of directors and eventually on the
executive board. By the time that I was term limited
out back in twenty twenty two, I stepped away a bit,
but I did really active from the side. I hung
(22:08):
out a shamble as it were, and got involved in
consulting in public safety, stayed involved with National Sheriffs on
a variety of issues, and was aware that the longtime
executive director was retiring, you know, sometime in the future.
That came around this year, and you know, for me,
obviously it just simply comes down to this. There obviously
(22:30):
has never been a better job than serving the citizens
in a county as their elected sheriff and having the
ability to do what.
Speaker 4 (22:37):
You need to do. Once that ends, you know, the.
Speaker 6 (22:41):
Next step for me was what else would be next
most satisfying, and that was to serve America's three thousand
and eighty one elected sheriffs because around the country they're all.
Speaker 4 (22:51):
Facing different challenges.
Speaker 6 (22:53):
So the opportunity to serve those sheriffs on that national level,
to help collaborate on role issues and the things that
are going on, just seem like a natural fit. And
you know, lo and behold, things worked out the way
they did. And I was just recently selected and I'll
take that position officially at.
Speaker 4 (23:13):
The beginning of the year.
Speaker 6 (23:13):
I'll be transitioning later in the fall at National Sheriff
which you know, the flip side means a time within
the Beltway, which is a change certainly for us. But
sometimes you sometimes you do what you have to do
because that's where you need to be to stand with
and stand for America's sheriffs.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
Yeah, and you know, for the listeners, you know, they're
not going to interact with the National Sheriff's Associate Association
every day, but they do most most listeners are pretty
familiar with who their local sheriff is. So how does
the National Sheriff's Association kind of support those local sheriffs?
You know, on a more direct basis, like, what is
your role there end upholding those those three thousand plus
(23:52):
sheriffs across the nation.
Speaker 4 (23:55):
Well, there's there's a variety of ways we do that.
Speaker 6 (23:58):
A primary one is being that connection one with federal agencies.
Speaker 4 (24:03):
You know, as county sheriffs.
Speaker 6 (24:05):
So we were from our counties, but we were chartered
essentially under our state constitution and state statutes be carried
those out. However, in doing that, we all know that
the ability to work with our federal partners in a
positive way is critical.
Speaker 4 (24:21):
You know.
Speaker 6 (24:21):
The reality is, no matter how powerful the county sheriffs
of Colorado are collectively, they.
Speaker 4 (24:27):
Don't have a voice to be able to really get
the ear of the FDI, the DEA on.
Speaker 6 (24:33):
Land security, et cetera. But where national sheriffs comes in again,
they're in Washington.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
D c.
Speaker 6 (24:38):
Which is where you have to be daily interactions at
that level with those federal agencies.
Speaker 4 (24:43):
And then really it's.
Speaker 6 (24:44):
Their role to bring those issues and concerns of the
states sheriffs around the country. Do those federal officials voice
those speak collectively? That's one part and the other is
while sheriffs don't enforce federal law, we are impacted certainly,
as you know, Steve, by federal law and some of
the challenges to come through. So National Sheriffs is a
(25:06):
voice in that way with Congress to lobby Congress, and
certainly I would say Congress comes to the sheriffs, and
we're getting back in that role a little bit more
finding out what things can they do to be helpful
to local communities when it comes to safety. And then
there's the issues of training that goes along. Certainly there's
a lot of training that goes to the state level,
but collectively we can come together. It brings sheriffs together
(25:29):
on those variety of issues just to promote public safety
and best practices. We're able to go to the different states,
find out who's got some things that are working that
are helpful and share the share the things that Colorado
is successful at and bring things to Colorado that some
of our other states. Florida has a very very powerful
and active State Sheriff's Association and we certainly pick up
(25:52):
a lot from them.
Speaker 4 (25:53):
So National Sheriffs really just kind.
Speaker 6 (25:56):
Of becomes the hub of that to help each of
the states sheriffs.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
Yeah, and you know, when you're talking about trying to
figure out how to work with your federal partners. I mean,
there's the best example I can think of right here
in the state of Colorado is I think most of
your sheriffs, if not the majority of sheriffs in the state,
want to have a relationship with ICE. But we've had
a bunch of state legislators who have said, we really
don't think that's a great idea. You know, they're not
out interacting with criminals, they're not out interacting with the
(26:23):
bad guy on the street. As the NSA executive director,
do you see yourself kind of advocating for that relationship
to be rebuilt, not just for the sheriffs here in
Colorado with ICE, but the sheriffs across the nation, because
I think that's the way that this issue get gets corrected.
Speaker 4 (26:40):
I thought you're absolutely right, Steve.
Speaker 6 (26:42):
I think that the challenge there is our federal partners
don't necessarily always understand the conditions on the ground, and
you certainly speak to that of Colorado.
Speaker 4 (26:51):
Sheriffs are put between.
Speaker 6 (26:52):
The proverbial rock and a hard place in that we
have to comply with state law. But at the same time,
when when legislators and other folks in the state passed
and put things into effect that essentially can maybe not
just put the sheriff in. I mean, granted we're not
enforcing federal law. However to in some form obstruct federal officials,
(27:17):
and you know what, I know that's not a role
that the law law enforcements can get any more than
we would tolerate federal officials obstructing Colorado law.
Speaker 4 (27:27):
So I think that's a piece.
Speaker 6 (27:28):
And certainly there was that question that came out recently
of you know what they called on the side the
nasty list from from ICE in DHS on you know,
sheriffs that were you know, under sanctuary counties or CenTra.
Speaker 4 (27:44):
Non complied and.
Speaker 6 (27:45):
And NSA worked with the states and we pushed back
and said what came out from DHS was not after it,
it was not appropriate, it didn't help, and we got
that list pulled down and we simply went back with
let's have a conversation.
Speaker 4 (27:59):
We're not against the issue.
Speaker 6 (28:01):
Of calling out those who are not cooperating, but you happy,
but you know, in our business, facts are facts, and
you have to have your facts lined up. And National
Sheriff did speak up for the States on that issue.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
Well, justin I can't be more proud to have someone
from Colorado representing the National Sheriff's Association. I can't be
more proud to have my former colleague from a neighboring county,
Larimer County, in that same seat. And Justin, I'm proud
to see you out there. I'll the luck to you
to do the best work out there. And remember, don't
(28:33):
forget us little guys here in the state of Colorado.
Speaker 6 (28:36):
I keep up the fight here, Steve, proud to work
for you in this new role.
Speaker 2 (28:40):
You bet, thanks for coming on with This's Justin. So
that was Justin Smith, former Larmer County sheriff, now the
executive director incoming executive director for National Sheriff's Association. And
while that may not seem like much to the day
to day listener, that's a big win for the state
of Colorado, and I half believe that's some of the
(29:00):
reason that he got that position. In essay, is focusing
on those states where they need to make the biggest
push and try to get sheriffs back in control of
kind of law and order in an individual state. So
with that, we'll go to break. When we come back,
we'll do a little bit of clean up before we
go to a second hour. But keep tuning in, keep listening,
and throw those texts in if you'd like. Text Dan
(29:21):
at five seven, seven, three nine. We're talking about death penalty,
We're talking about sheriff's roles. Text in with whatever you'd like.
We'll go to break. You're listening to Steve Raims here
on the Dankaples Show as your guest host.
Speaker 5 (29:38):
And now back to the Dan Tapless Show podcast Driver's
seat today.
Speaker 2 (29:43):
Like I said earlier in the show, it's always a
good time to drive the get behind the wheel of
the big the big machine here that Dan normally pilots
on a daily basis, But I've kind of challenged you
guys a little bit to text in tell me what
you think about Colorado's removal of the death penalty option
based on the case we've been watching out of Idaho
with Brian Coberger as the suspect. In addition, call in
(30:05):
three o three seven one, three eight two five five.
I love having those conversations with you. I know a
few of you are a little bit shy and you
don't necessarily want to get on the radio, but that's okay.
We'll go to a couple of texts here. I got
one to say, Sheriff, when are you going to hear
our When are we going to hear a statement from
you similar to one that we hear from Grady Polk
down in Florida. Uh, the one that tells people to
(30:25):
go ahead and shoot the bad guy if they break
into your house, because law enforcements going to stand behind
them and not be at odds with the citizens. We
sure love to hear something from our chief law enforcement officers.
So you stand saying that you stand with armed citizens. Look,
I'm not a guy that likes to get on social
media and make platitudes, but I've made it very clear
(30:48):
to the citizens of Welld County and to my constituents
that I believe they have to have a personal investment
in their own public safety or their own personal safety.
And I encourage people to be armed. I encourage people
to protect themselves, and I encourage people to know the
law around doing so. Making a video about it.
Speaker 7 (31:06):
You're not giving yourself due diligence.
Speaker 2 (31:09):
Oh yeah, Why is that.
Speaker 7 (31:10):
Because you texted Ryan the other day because he texted
you about what you would do.
Speaker 2 (31:17):
Oh if someone tried to take over the zoo. They're
not taking over the zoo.
Speaker 7 (31:20):
It ain't happening, not in Weld County.
Speaker 2 (31:24):
No. You know, we stand pretty firm against crime in
Weld County. And that takes me to another text here
somebody being a little snarky, I think it says, with
Colorado being the number two most violent state in the nation,
how is it the sheriff can host this show. Well,
it's because we uphold the rule of law in Weld County,
and believe it or not, I don't work twenty four
(31:44):
hours a day at the Sheriff's office, so I can
go in early. I can leave a little early, come
down to the show, I can catch things later on
once I get home. I can come in on the weekends.
And I have this cool thing called a cell phone,
although I hate it, but I can be in contact
with my folks pretty much twenty four hours a day,
and oftentimes I am. So that's what happens when you
(32:06):
have good staff, and you have good people that work
for you, and they're all rowing in the same direction.
I don't have to micromanage them. I believe that they
can be adults and police the county while I'm not there.
Speaker 7 (32:18):
So one of the funniest things you missed on. I
believe it was Friday. I could be wrong, could have
been Thursday, might have been Friday. Still have Metallica brain.
But Dan ended the show by saying, why don't we
just let all of the animals out of the cages
(32:42):
to zoo.
Speaker 2 (32:43):
I'm telling you that would.
Speaker 7 (32:44):
Fight the teens who are trying to take it over.
And I said, hey, that would be our own alligator Alcatraz.
Speaker 3 (32:56):
You know.
Speaker 2 (32:57):
The funny thing is all they had to hear was
a little bit of threat that someone was ready for them,
and they didn't even show up. I mean, it's it's
kind of like, man, it's the thing that you do
when you're raising kids, and don't make me get involved, right,
And for the zoo to shut down, and for Denver
ped to not take a little different stance or I
shouldn't even say Denver PEDI who knows the Denver administration.
(33:19):
It's just frustrating because it Embolden's lawlessness. And I'm glad
it didn't happen. I hope it doesn't happen somewhere else.
But this is what happens when you handcuff law enforcement.
Going back to what Justin Smith said, when you.
Speaker 7 (33:31):
Play they only they actually attacked one of my favorite places,
the shops at Northfield, because one of my favorite restaurants
there is Texas Day Brazil.
Speaker 2 (33:44):
And so you I assume it's back open, but you
couldn't eat there that night.
Speaker 7 (33:48):
I mean it's a tourist scaria. Have you never been
to a curiscaria?
Speaker 3 (33:53):
No?
Speaker 2 (33:53):
Oh my gosh, I don't even know what that is.
Speaker 7 (33:55):
Oh my gosh. It's a Brazilian steakhouse where you have
a token kind of thing and you flip it over
red or green. Green means you get a lot of meat. Okay,
red means you got to stop. Well, I guess, so good.
Speaker 2 (34:14):
Is it back open? Did they destroy the place?
Speaker 7 (34:16):
No, they didn't. They just fought and it was like
in like an open area or something.
Speaker 2 (34:22):
The disrupted the operation.
Speaker 7 (34:24):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2 (34:25):
So here's the thing. You live in a crappy area.
Don't live down here in the metro area. Move to
Weld County. We don't have those restaurants you're talking about, though.
We have things like Texas Roadhouse and other things up
I don't know. We have just traditional steak in Weld County.
You know, steak and taters like like you do in
the South. So going back to the text line, here
(34:47):
quite a few of you, Dan, I'm in favor of
the death penalty. Dan, I'm in favor of the death penalty.
One person here says, I couldn't take someone's life, but
I understand the need for it. We're gonna take this
last break of the hour. When we come back, we're
going to have another governor candidate names Jason Clark. You're
definitely going to want to tune in. This guy is
not a traditional candidate, and I think you may really
(35:09):
enjoy the interview. You're listening to the Dan Cafleis Show
out here on six point thirty KHA with Will Kenny,
Sheriff Steve Rings
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