Patrol

Property Retrieval

The Sheriff's Office works to maintain property in the same condition in which it was received and to preserve the evidentiary value and integrity of property for possible court presentation. Unless property is contraband, hazardous, illegal to possess or is presented into court, every reasonable effort will be made to ensure it's return to the rightful owner as soon as possible. 

Release of Evidence

Release of evidence must first be authorized by the officer assigned to the case or investigations. If you have received a letter from the Evidence Vault indicating that you may retrieve your property, the evidence release has already been approved. 

To retrieve your property from the Evidence Vault, you must first make an appointment. Appointments are normally scheduled between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday -Thursday.

• Scheduling an appointment enables staff to research and retrieve property from the vault in time for your arrival
• To speed up the process of locating and identifying property, please have the case number ready when you call
• Property can only be released to a person named in the case file, or the owner as specified in the case report. A notarized letter from the owner indicating a specific person to pick up the property will also be accepted, or a court order releasing the property can also be presented.
• A U.S. government issued photo identification card is required for all transactions.

The release of evidence is determined by Colorado State Law and other conditions as imposed by the courts or District Attorney's Office. 

For more information on evidence and property returns, contact:

Susie Allen

Evidence Technician

Phone: 303-582-1060

Bicycle Safety

Bicycling in Colorado: Rules of the Road
Ride on the right – Never ride against traffic

• Ride in the right lane, except when passing another vehicle, preparing for a left turn, or avoiding hazards.
• Always ride with the flow of traffic.
• Ride on the paved shoulder whenever one suitable for bicycle riding is present.

Ride single-file

Ride two abreast only when no motor vehicle traffic is approaching within 300 feet (front or rear) or when all cyclists are on the shoulder. On curving canyon roads, play it safe and ride single-file.

Obey traffic laws, signs and signals

• Use hand signals to indicate left or right turns, slowing, or stopping.
• Remember to obey red lights and stop signs.
• Use a headlight, taillight, and reflectors at night; make eye contact with drivers
• Never assume motorists see you or that you have the right-of-way.
• Expect the unexpected; your first responsibility is to avoid a crash.

Always wear a helmet

• Get a helmet that’s comfortable and fits well. Wear it whenever you ride… it can reduce the severity of brain injury in a crash by 88%, and it could save your life!
• Replace your helmet anytime it’s involved in a crash, or if it becomes worn out after normal wear and tear.

Rules for trails

• Ride, skate, and walk single-file, on the right side of the trail and with the flow of the other trail traffic.
• Don’t block the trail.
• Groups should be in single file when other trail users are present and should never use more than one-half of the trail to allow for the flow of traffic.

Control your speed!

Obey speed regulations. Slow down and use caution when approaching or overtaking other trail users.

Who yields the trail?

Before passing another trail user, be courteous and make your approach known. A friendly greeting like “Hello, passing on your left,” or ringing a bell, is considerate.

1. Bicyclists, skaters, walkers, and others yield to equestrians
2. Bicyclists and skaters yield to walkers
3. Bicyclists yield to skaters
4. Downhill users yield to uphill users
5. Faster users yield to slower users

Never spook animals; Leave no trace; Respect wildlife; Plan ahead
Stay on existing trails and don’t create any new ones.

Pack out at least as much as you pack in. This includes animal waste and food byproducts, as well as trash.

Carry identification and some money with you in case of emergency. 

Burglary Prevention

A burglary is reported every 15 seconds in the United States. The U.S. Department of Justice defines household burglary as “unlawful entry or attempted entry of a residence.” This crime usually, but not always, involves theft. Of all the major criminal offenses, residential burglary is the most common. Regardless of how much emphasis is placed on fighting crime, criminals are always around and tend to target the least prepared.
The Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office offers Vacation Checks for residents that plan on being out of town or away from their home. All you have to do is call the Dispatch Center at 303-582-5500 and you will be asked a series of important questions so the Sheriff’s Office can better protect your home in your absence. That’s it!  It only takes a few minutes to provide you with additional peace of mind while you are away.

DOORS and WINDOWS

• All exterior doors should be solid core or of metal construction.
• All entry doors should be equipped with a good quality deadbolt lock having a minimum of a one inch throw.
• A good quality double cylinder deadbolt lock should be used of there is glass within 40 inches of the lock
• Use a heavy duty strike plate secured with number 12 gauge three-inch wood screws.
• All exit doors with outside hinges should have their hinges secured. If you have exterior doors that open outwards you can buy or make hinges that will provide substantially more security than standard exterior door hinges.
• Install a peephole with at least a 180 degree viewing area.
• Secure all sliding glass doors with an anti-lifting device and a secondary locking device.

• Windows have latches and not locks, therefore, install secondary locking devices on all windows.

  EXTERIOR and LANDSCAPE

• Install lights in areas around doors, walkways, and driveways.
• Locate outside lights high and out of reach.
• Install security cameras. Place them high enough to be out of reach. They are relatively inexpensive and many models are easy to install.
• Use inexpensive timers or photo electric cells to automatically turn the light on and off at dusk and dawn.
• Trim shrubbery and trees so doors and windows are visible from the street.
• If there is a second floor, prune the trees so that a thief cannot use them to reach a second floor window.
• To discourage an intruder, plant thorny hostile plants along, fences and near windows. A good fence should not block visibility.
• Do not leave ladders or tools outside. They can assist a person in gaining entry.
• Gates on fenced yards should be locked with good quality padlocks.

• Install large reflective numbers (minimum 3 inches) on your house and mailbox so police and other emergency personnel can find your home quickly

  ALARM SYSTEMS

• Choose a reputable, well established company.
• Learn how to use your alarm system properly to reduce false alarms. Fines can be assess for excessive false alarms.
• Do not write your alarm code/password on or near the alarm keypad.
• Put a warning sign on windows and entrances.

• Make sure your alarm call back list is always up to date.

  ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• REMEMBER to call the Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office to request a Vacation Check before leaving on vacation or whenever you will be away from your home for a lengthy amount of time. 
• Keep doors, windows and garage doors closed and locked even when at home.
• Before moving into a new house or apartment, re-key or change the locks on all exterior doors, also change the code to your garage door opener.
• Draw all curtains or shades at night to prevent viewing from street.
• Never leave a house key in an obvious place such as a mailbox, under plants or a door mat.
• When traveling, keep your home looking live-in by having grass cut, mail and newspapers picked up and lights turned off and on.
• Keep a current inventory of all your valuables. Include photos or video, descriptions and serial numbers of all electronic equipment.

Identity Theft

Identity theft is one of the fastest-growing crimes in the United States. It happens everywhere, and it could happen to you. Learn more about identity theft and prevent becoming a victim.

What is Identity Theft?

Identity theft involves the unauthorized use of another person's personal identifying information or financial identifying information to obtain cash, property, services or otherwise gain a benefit.

Common Forms of ID Theft

Flagging

Flagging is placing the red flag on your mailbox in the up position to alert the mail carried know there is outgoing mail. This also alerts identity thieves and tells them information is available to be stolen.

Skimming

Skimming is the practice of using a small electronic device to capture the information encoded in the electronic strip on the back of credit cards, debit cards and driver's licenses. Identity thieves can use skimmers to steal information in a variety of situations.

Motor Vehicle Trespass

A trespass to a motor vehicle involves someone breaking into a locked or unlocked vehicle to steal something of value. Identity thieves often break into cars to steal visible wallets and purses and use any credit cards or account information they find.

Phishing

Phishing is the deceptive use of email messages, social-networking sites, instant-messaging sites or cell phone text messages to steal your personal data (date of birth, credit card information, PIN numbers, passwords and more!).

• You believe the request for information comes from a legitimate source, but the message is from the thief. The message has been designed and written to appear to be from your financial institution.
• Your bank will never send you an email message asking you to verify or provide account information, but identity thieves use this form of deception to steal and use your information.

Social Engineering

Social engineering is the act of manipulating people into performing actions or divulging confidential information. The term applies to deception for the purpose of information-gathering or requesting money.

• The practice is often seen in dating websites.
• A target victim will be lured by ongoing conversations with a person who seems legitimate and asks for money to be sent to help them with a catastrophe of some sort, usually a hospital bill or something similar.

• Sometimes a victim will be targeted by telephone. The target will believe they are speaking to a grandson or granddaughter who needs money to help them get home or out of jail. These are also considered identity thieves!

  What to Do if You Believe Your Identity Has Been Stolen

Report the crime immediately to local law enforcement. If the crime took place in unincorporated Gilpin County, call (303) 582-5511.

What to Do if You Have Become a Victim of Identity Theft

1. Call your credit card company or bank as soon as possible to report and dispute the fraudulent charges and close the affected account(s). Law Enforcement will need any credit card statements, copies of checks or other information you obtain for their investigation.
2. Report the crime to the local law enforcement agency where you live. Have any documents or copies of documents available for the officer when making your report.
3. Contact ALL three major credit reporting agencies to place a "fraud alert" or "credit freeze" on your name and social security number and request a copy of your credit report:
   Equifax,  1-800-525-6285
   Experian, 1-888-397-3742
   TransUnion,  1-800-680-7289
4. Explore other available options:
   1. Make an ID theft report to the Federal Trade Commission  online or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP.
   2. Visit the Colorado Attorney General's website  for an "Identity Theft Repair Kit."

Alert on Motor Vehicle Record

If your driver's license/ID number has not been used fraudulently, but other identity theft has occurred, you may contact your local motor vehicle office to request an alert on your record to deter further fraud. Please be aware that an alert may cause closer scrutiny of anyone - including you - trying to obtain a license/ID in your name or gives your identification to law enforcement personnel.

Postal Holds

You may wish to call the U.S. Postal Service at 800-275-8777 and request to have your mail held at your local post office for pick up. This will prevent your mail from being intercepted by the individual using your identity.

Check-Approval Companies

Contact check-approval companies to determine whether your driver's license/ID has been used to write bad checks.

• National Check Fraud Service: 843-571-2143
• Scan: 800-262-7771
• TeleCheck: 800-710-9898 or 800-297-0188
• CrossCheck: 707-586-0551
• Certegy, Inc.: 800-437-5120
• International Check Services: 800-526-5380

Replacing Documents

There are various organizations that can help you replace documents that may have been stolen or lost and place alerts on those records.

• Birth certificates and other vital records: visit the website for state's vital records office 
• Social Security cards: 800-772-1213 or the US Social Security Website
• BCIS (INS) documents: 800-375-5283
• Passports: 877-487-2778

Do's and Don'ts for Identity Theft

• DO store your personal information in a safe place; e.g. in a locked cabinet or other locked location in your home.
• DO shred credit card receipts, old bank statements or any extraneous documents with your personal information.
• DO protect your PIN and passwords.
• DO remove your name from mailing lists for preapproved credit offers and your phone number from telemarketers' lists. To opt-out of preapproved credit offers, call 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688) and place your number on the National Do Not Call Registry.
• DO take your outgoing mail directly to the post office, or place your mail into a blue mailbox.
• DO check your credit card and bank account statements regularly.
• DO request and review your credit report each year.
• DO close all extraneous or unused credit card and bank accounts. Keep only those accounts you regularly use.
• DO contact your creditor or service provider if expected bills do not arrive on time in the mail.
• DO protect your mail from theft. Opt for replacing your old mailbox with one that locks mailbox.
  • DON’T give personal information to anyone by phone, mail or Internet unless you initiated contact.
  • DON’T carry your social security card in your wallet.
  • DON’T write your PIN number on the back of your ATM or debit card.
  • DON’T leave your social security card, credit cards or identification cards in your vehicle.
  • DON’T preprint checks with your social security number, driver's license number or phone number.
  • DON’T choose PINs/passwords that are easy to guess. Create a PIN or password that contains a combination of numbers and letters.

Identity Theft Protection

While there are many different services available which offer identity theft protection and to help rebuild your credit if your identity has been stolen, it is very important that you follow all other preventative steps outlined above. If you are interested in Identity Theft Protection services, a side-by-side comparison of the different services is available on Next Advisor. 

This site is provided as a public service, for informational purposes only. Please note that users of this website are responsible for independently verifying any and all information. The inclusion of links from this site does not imply endorsement or support by the Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office of any of the linked information, services, products, or providers.

Internet Safety for Teens and Parents

The Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office is dedicated to keeping the children of Gilpin County safe from Internet/Cyber predators. This is an alarming trend and we want to provide you with some useful information and tools to help you understand what an internet predator is, how they operate and how to keep your children safe.

Sexual predators DO exist and are a very real threat. They target both boys and girls of all ages and use the anonymity of the internet to their advantage since they can be whomever they want. These predators and child pornography viewers aren’t dirty old men in trench coats lurking in alleys. They come from all backgrounds.

Profile of an online predator:

It’s becoming harder and harder to pinpoint, as the internet provides opportunities for those sexual predators who otherwise would have resisted their urges. The online predator blends into society, is typically clean cut and outwardly law abiding. They are usually white, middle‐aged or younger and male. They use their position in society to throw off suspicion and can even rise to be a pillar of society and the community while actively pursuing children. They almost always appear trusting to both parents and the targeted child. Statistics show that 39% of girls and 24% of boys have been contacted online by someone with no connection to them or their friends and made them feel scared or uncomfortable.

Risky Online Behaviors

With the advent of social networking sites and detailed chat profiles, predators don’t need to work very hard to piece together information about a child online. Predators can judge by the appearance of a profile or by the behavior that a child is exhibiting whether he or she might be a prime target for an online relationship. Teens who don’t use privacy settings on social networking and gaming sites often place their information – including their deepest desires, likes and dislikes, real‐time moods, pictures, addresses and phone numbers – for anyone to see. The more risky behaviors kids engage in online, the more likely they will receive an online sexual solicitation.

These risky behaviors include:

• Posting personal information
• Interacting with online strangers
• Placing strangers on buddy lists
• Sending personal information to strangers
• Visiting X‐rated sites
• Seeking pornography online
• Talking about sex with strangers

Warning Signs:

The internet is a worldwide network that stretches far beyond the grasp of the US judicial system, therefore, parents must be on guard to protect their families. Your child may be in contact with an online predator if he or she:

• Becomes secretive about online activities
• Becomes obsessive about being online
• Gets angry when he or she can’t get online
• Receives phone calls from people you do not know or makes calls to numbers that you do not recognize
• Receives gifts, mail, or packages from someone you do not know
• Withdraws from family and friends
• Changes screens or turns off the computer when an adult enters the room
• Begins downloading pornography online

If you feel your child is in danger, DO NOT IGNORE IT!!!

• Contact local law enforcement immediately. Information that could help law enforcement is often time‐sensitive and the sooner you call, the sooner they can investigate the problem.
• Save all of the email, text messages, documents, chat logs or whatever else you have that may be helpful in an investigation.
• Keep the lines of communication OPEN with your child.

What Kids Can Do

Activities that may seem fairly harmless to your child can lure the attention of predators. Here are some precautions your child can take — with your help — that may help him or her steer clear of predators.

Profile and content

The profile information and content you generate is critical. The images, opinions and personal information you share can be used by others to manipulate you, blackmail you, or literally locate you. Use a neutral profile photo that doesn’t show your face; consider a photo of an object or landscape. Never take nude or semi-nude photos of yourself or allow someone else to do so. Remember, anything you say or post can live forever online if re-posted by someone else.

Screen names

Select gender-neutral and age-appropriate screen names. You can inadvertently give out a lot about yourself with a screen name like “britt98” (Brittany, born in 1998?). Screen names that suggest sex, violence or drugs, which might seem fun or funny, can draw attention from the wrong people.

Privacy settings

On Facebook and other social sites, lock down your privacy settings so that only your approved friends can see your photos, video and updates. Leaving privacy open is like inviting strangers to tag along with you everywhere you go.

Friends list

While it may be tempting to build the largest friend list possible, to appear more connected or popular, you should only accept friend requests from people you actually know, and trust

Say no to creepers

If you are contacted, in any format, by someone you don’t know, do not respond. Use your settings to block that person from contacting you. Never agree to meet someone in person whom you met online. If you’re contacted by an adult you know, talk to your parents about the communication.

Posting is Forever

It's important for teens to realize that anything they post online, while editable, can be saved while it's live. Any user can save, keep or distribute photos or text. This means that sexual photos, photos depicting drug use, gang signs, threats against others or criminal behavior are all potentially permanent collector's items for their classmates, friends, enemies, parents and total strangers.

What Parents Can Do

Every child is different. Different ages, maturity levels and special circumstances will dictate what’s appropriate for each child. The most important thing parents can do is stay involved with kids’ online activities and help them understand the dangers. Sooner or later they’ll be on their own, and will need that foundation of online common-sense. Until then …

• Keep a computer in a well-trafficked room in your home. Remember that smartphones are just small computers … limit private access to them as well.
• Stay involved in your child’s online activities. Insist on access (including passwords!) to social networking, e-mail, texting and gaming. Check them periodically.
• Find out what online safeguards are in place at your child's school, friends’ homes, and any other place where your child may be using computers or video games.
• Consider down market mobile phones that don’t offer photo, video or Internet capabilities.
• Remember, predators aren’t always strangers. “Grooming” by trusted adults plays a huge role in child predation. Watch for changes in your child’s relationships with adults. Adults who work with children and teens have professional boundaries; cultivating significant online or text-based relationships with individual children is not appropriate.

Listed below are some websites that you can visit to educate yourself and your child about the dangers of these predators, what you can do to protect yourselves and what to do if you believe you or your child has contact with someone who you believe may be an internet or cyber predator.

 

Internet Safety 101

CyberTipline 

Family Watchdog 

SOTAR (Colorado Law Enforcement Sex Offender Registration website) 

Take Meds Back Program

Gilpin County is pleased to announce that we are a part of the Take Meds Back program.

This program helps residents of Colorado safely dispose of unused and expired prescription medications. Safe disposal keeps meds like opioids, sedatives, and stimulants from being misused or abused. It also helps protect Colorado’s precious environment and wildlife.

A permanent drug drop-off box has been installed in the outer lobby of the Sheriff's Office. The public can drop permitted drugs off 24 hours a day.

If you have questions, you can call the Gilpin County Sheriff's Office at 303-582-1060 from 8am to 5pm.