It is true that the Basalt Police Dept. is not the 'same' as Aspen and Pitkin County law enforcement. There is an aura of community and some similar beliefs. But Basalt is more pro-active and not as 'blinders on' tolerant.
There is also the need, the same as there is for any of our community forces, for more bodies and more training to look deeper into some areas. But overall, SandBox has to agree with Curry on the point that gang activity is not out of control and that Basalt PD is on top.
Where he falls short in his perception is that there is just a 'beginning' of gang related activity in the Basalt jurisdiction that includes so closely El Jebel and Blue Lake which are partially in Eagle County.
Since 1995, which is as far back as my own memory can take me where kids and gang activity are concerned, there have been a majority of parents who realized how closely the gang problems in Carbondale relate to Basalt kids.
For at least the past 17 years it has not been fully safe to let your kids out at night past a certain hour anywhere between Basalt and Carbondale. But especially Carbondale.
For at least the past 12 years, there has been gang activity at Basalt High School, Arbaney Park, the middle school and certain pocket points downtown and on the Pan.
What a mistake it is, for Basalt law enforcement to be so casual in reporting this to the public. You see, the parents out here will see right through the press release for the falsity it is.
What a tough wake up call this is for the Town of Basalt to have the second/third warning bell be one of such severity. Now, the question is. What, exactly, is the Basalt P.D. and Eagle S.O. going to do to step up their game?
Chad Abraham:
"...Curry said authorities were taken aback by the amount of detail in the alleged scheme, which he said also involved the use of walkie-talkies.
“I’ve never seen this level of planning for any crime, whether it’s an adult or a juvenile,” he said Friday. “This is very unique to our valley.”
The bad blood between the main suspect and the potential victim allegedly involved drug dealing and a relationship with a girl, the release says....
....Much credit for disrupting the plot, Curry said, should go to Brian Lemke, the Basalt Police Department’s school resource officer.
Lemke “spoke with a juvenile who told him that the event at Arbaney Park was actually a planned assault and abduction, and not a drug deal,” the release says. “The juvenile informed officer Lemke that the map and description was for a plan by local gang members to beat, kidnap and potentially murder a rival gang member by luring him to that location.”
The juvenile who spoke to Lemke might have been approached to take part, Curry said.
Basalt police are not releasing the name of the purported gangs to protect against potential future violence. The possible victim is in police custody for an unrelated case.
Besides the diagrams, police recovered a BB gun pistol that Curry said was spray-painted black to look like a real handgun.
“It looked exactly like one of our guns,” he said.
Multiple messages left with 5th Judicial District prosecutors were not returned Friday. But Curry said the boy could be charged with conspiracy to commit assault, kidnapping and, possibly, homicide....."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
13 comments:
Come on. From the Boat House to Arbaney Park, the Pan and Fork, the KOA on 82, Orchard Plaza, El Jebowl and Sopris Village. To more parts of Missouri Heights and Reudi than cops probably know. The kids have been talking up the gangs in Carbondale, El Jebel,Basalt and Aspen for years.
The only new news here is that the local gangs have now become infiltrated with the drug culture trickle down effect from all that dope that somehow in la la land doesn't really originate with the cartels in Mexico.
Come on. Make the effort to really talk to the kids. All of us anonymous fathers out here can flush it out. Why can't the cops?
Just like the major gang recruiters awhile back pushing ElJebel kids to steal cars.
Never happened if we believe Stu.
Worst thing the chiefs and sheriffs keep doing on all this kind of thing is keeping the public in the dark. If thier hunting and pursuing methods get compromised because of an informed public yet major harm comes to that public while cops do their thing. Where's the benefit of an uninformed public? Especially parents.
This valley and all the way through Eagle county and all the way through Garfield to Mesa county is going to sweep it all under the rug and gloss over every effect going on in the area until the day comes when we're being looked after by nothing but fake badges.
This is not an economic, political or material world here anymore that is sheltered from the real world. We have really hurting families that are working 2 and 3 jobs. Where do these cops think these kids are able to have the power of their parents watching eyes? They walk out the door and Nanny is dead on right. For at least 12 to 18 yrs. now we have had gangs throughout the valley. Used to be just latino. It's been worse peer pressure for our kids for a long time now. SRO's are great but let's not forget that they are one cop for the whole school. And have only so much power. No. The problem is tolerance and attitudes like this press release. This kind of glazing over is doing nobody any good and cops need to change the way they interact in public relations. Serious arrests on adults would help a lot. And serious consequences on kids instead of this tolerance for juvenile crime we've got going on.
Quite a few true stmts. anon. But not there with you on the fake badges thing. I think most all of the cops in all 4 counties from Mesa to Pitkin are very good. I do think they are the way they are led to be though. We've got problems in all of them to some extents but it's the rare one jurisdiction or two out of some of them that it's serious. They are trying but they just have to go from fast walking now to a sprint or things are going to get ahead of them. Any time the folks know more than the cops, that's a real problem.
one of the problems is the cops keep getting beat up....they combat this and use all the tools available and then get called racist by circ and people like Anita Sherman when they collaborate with ICE to get the ones here illegally thrown out of the country...they try every day to fight gang activity but when they have the local media and libs trashing them what do you expect them to do?
What was done to Alvaro Agon by 'JustAnita', CIRC, AJUA and everyone who ganged on him around the valley, in the press, in public displays but most of all the internet was criminal. Here was one of the best cops ever in this valley, young and had his whole career in front of him. He had to move to find peace and have a life. Agon woke up one day and his life as he knew it was over. Not even guilty and because of a crafted hit plan, his life was done. Sherman and crony helpers, CIRC, AJUA none of them cared (and knew it was false) to even check the information before attacking him. I don't care what any chief or sheriff, even Lou is saying that it's all just part of the job. No, it's not. Not that extreme. Then there's the message that sends to all the citizens who care enough to be watching. That no matter how far over the line others push the social murders in this valley and no matter how credible that person hurt is nobody is going to do anything to stop it or help them get their life back. Instead, we're going to hold press conferences to at least a couple of newspapers who will twist every word said. Then attend meetings to listen to these (what, triple crime with being illegal too?) perpetrators slam us and demand we do what they're basically trying to blackmail us into. While people like councilmen, mayors, commissioners, some attorneys, school principals and superintendents and more citizens like Sherman harbor and shelter them from any consequences. What kind of message is that sending to our kids? These that are being pressured by illegals, drugs and gangs? What it tells them is that there isn't anybody in charge. They can pick up the paper and read all about the attitude toward drugs and gangs Pitco has. They can look all around at the court reports and see that there really aren't any options because we don't have the right leadership at the top. I don't know what cops are supposed to do, anon. As a dad and somebody who's never turned back away from real problems that people I care about are facing, I honestly can't get my head completely around the whole dynamic of what's going on around my area communities and counties. I just know one thing. Things getting a lot worse isn't an option. I'm not prepared to head into older years after the recession we're just crawling out of not feeling secure that corruption in my town isn't going to hold me down from my potential earnings. I'm not ready to have my babies getting married and bringing me grandkids that are raised in an environment of gangs and drugs. When you check statistics, this valley has a ratio (especially Aspen and Basalt) of double the amount of cops public safety says we should have for every person in our population. This isn't LA. But when you add up the hands on involvement of the commissioners and councils, DA's, we have near zero. We have no programs at their hands. No extra funding. We have never had a task force except what our cops put together. Never. What it looks like to most of us out here is the answer to the problems is enforcing a zero tolerance policy. Zero tolerance for either electing them or let them sit there non-performing to meet the real needs. Zero tolerance in their turning backs on cops with no support or perps with no consequences that are severe enough. There's a hammer that needs to come down and give a wakeup call. I think some of that has already happened out here and cops should be feeling pretty good about it. There's open talking in threads like this. There's tips busting trafficking and sharp tips coming in anonymously. These parents turned these kids in. Only tip I can say to put my two pennies in to you is that cops probably need to maximize the assets like those that are out here. And start doing some civil disobedience to their elected leaders themselves. Every person I know is hungry for some kind of sign and direction. Leadership for lack of a better way to say it.
I think there need to be more busts. Not a police state but the kids have grown up with that attitude leaders have put out there like a banner that this is the way you get to be. Sure, the parents turned them in it's all good. But how did they hatch something like this or the kids stealing cars awhile back or the star jock like Puder have the time to get as far as they did? Then what do we expect anybody to do when here we are, a bunch of adults sitting around talking about it. cops aren't the only group out there anon that's struggling. We do tell civic leaders and we do more than just sit around on a chat. It goes nowhere. What's wrong in this valley is power. social, political, money and effects on lives. It's like that vicious 40 year cycle up valley has just streamed on down slope. It's better for me since divorce and my kids because I have extended family through work and friends. We circle the wagons and our lives are looked after by each other. Being honest it's sad to say not much is really trusted outside of that circle. Lots of social and business but when it comes right down to it trust is guarded. That's the way you prevent becoming an Alvaro Agon. Nanny's right on about the time frames in Basalt and Carbondale. This stuff's been around for a long time and our kids have talked it for a long time spreading word through sports and activities. It's time cops listened with different ears.
Ok, everybody. I'm still not feeling well and that's it for the day. Know that your emailed comments won't go up until wee hours or sometime tomorrow. Or, you can also just post direct if you wish. Please self-moderate this evening. I know there are quite a few hot topics and more sensitive area posts. Please act accordingly and appropriately.
I think that a part of the problem is the ignorance of comments like yours, anonymous. Cops aren't getting beat up except for the extremes like Agon. Those kind of hate-fests are done by really just a very small minority of bullies in this valley. Of which you sound like you might be such a troll. The kids in Basalt from what I hear aren't illegals. Fu's right. The problem is what the culture created by the adults is teaching. There are a lot of reasons probably. But the point is the events that are really happening, like what these kids have done. There's a local Sheriff around that tells his county to stick to just the facts. Not a bad idea, you think?
I think you're being harsh, mack. If anonymous is a true troll (and it is sounding suspect) give them credit for the words of the point whether they meant it sarcastic or not. Cops do follow as much as they can to do and I think we all have to trust that thought. No choice but. sumfu has valid points that the real and lasting answers to a lot of our problems in justice in the valley is for the top cops and federal agencies to take a strong stand.
The blinders on, apathy approach message to kids is bad enough. For a region that drives its full economy on whether or not the world wants to come visit and drop vacation money, it's mind-blowing that we can't even capitalize on the greed of our cities and counties long enough to get the drugs under control. With any luck the next roundup by Agent Schrant and his DEA will be bigger, stronger and to the belly of the beast. The cues from crimes like this one are over the top and rich with details that reveal a real problem. The biggest cue of all is how far they got without anyone having a clue. It's pretty obvious by now that it's only going to be through voters and outside intervention that prevention works its way back into the valley vocabulary.
Is anybody else noticing that the fact that they admit to a drug deal isn't even part of the conversation from Basalt PD???!
Drugs were the first attraction. Drugs, people. Drugs.
All the rest of it came after.
Anybody out there in local elected oversight even thinking about asking the cops "what kind of drugs"???!! Coke? Pot? Heroin? Meth? Bath Salts?
disgusted, fed up and had enough has said it all. Get to the belly of the beast in all area problems, folks.
cut them some slack, anon. cops might have said what they think about the drug angle and it never made the press. chalk up another reason why every single cop department in the area needs to take a page from Lou and create their own digital media on a website. Just the Facts. then again, how much more proof does anybody need that it's all repressed? closed door official meetings hiding behind private entity clauses when they have half their money coming in from public. bocc's and councils and trustees never pushing the prosecutors and some cops for answers. only one small newspaper brave enough to not pass the buck or write trash. people standing up and voicing get the worst backlash imaginable. how much more proof does anybody need that nobody's voice is going to get heard right, even our good cops?
btw on the subject of the black widow troll in this thread, here's the key phrase:
"people like Anita Sherman when they collaborate with ICE to get the ones here illegally thrown out of the country..."
Far as I know there is no "collaboration with ICE". mack's not being harsh at all, just smart. where would circ and ajua be without imbalanced media and all probable illegal internet use by their supporters?
Post a Comment