44057EE3846205C68725835400728F81 Hearing Summary

Stan Hilkey, Executive Director of the Department of Public Safety appeared before the committee in accordance with the SMART Government Act and Joint Rule 25. He distributed the following documents to the committee:

• SMART Act hearing presentation (Attachment I);
• Regulatory Agenda (Attachment J);
• Strategic Policy Initiatives (Attachment K);
• Performance Plan (Attachment L);
• 2019 Legislative Priorities (Attachment M); and,
• Decision Item Summary (Attachment N).

Mr. Hilkey explained the agency's background, accomplishments, and customer service initiatives.  He answered questions about firearm application denials.  Mr. HIlkey next discussed budget requests, as well as the agency's legislative and regulatory agenda.  Committee members raised questions about hate crimes and the need for training to ensure that jurisdictions are labeling crimes correctly. 

John Camper, Director of the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the Department of Public Safety, answered committee questions about black market marijuana investigations.  Mr. Camper also highlighted CBI achievements and customer service initiatives, as well as provided an update on identity theft and the financial fraud unit. 

Chief Matt Packard of the Colorado State Patrol in the Department of Public Safety next discussed strategic policy initiatives, as well as the reduction in the number of fatal and injury crashes across the state.  Discussion followed about the effectiveness of public campaigns and community engagement.  

Mike Morgan, Director of the Division of Fire Prevention and Control in the Department of Public Safety, discussed the division's strategic policy initiatives and the challenging fire season this past summer.  In answer to committee questions, Mr. Morgan said that the increase in fires is due to a number of factors, including, but not limited to, people living closer to wildland-urban interfaces, population increase, climate change, and drought.  The committee asked questions about slash and burns and other mitigation opportunities.  Mr. Morgan also commented on working with federal and local agencies in an effort to curtail fires.  Director Hilkey suggested a need for a state fire commission.  The committee discussed pine beetle mitigation and managing fires with a more aggressive and integrated approach. 

Kevin Klein, Director of the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management in the Department of Public Safety, discussed the various offices in the division.  He also covered strategic policy and customer service initiatives, as well as achievements and successes.  He noted that CBI and the Division of Homeland Security work in the same facility.  

Joe Thome, Director of the Division of Criminal Justice, provided the committee an overview of the division, as well as covered strategic policy initiatives, achievements, and successes.  Committee members asked questions about the Sex Offender Management Board (SOMB).  Mr. Thome responded that an independent entity is looking at SOMB by-laws and determining potential conflicts of interest.  He also noted that the SOMB is looking internally at polygraph testing.  Questions were raised about the movement of offenders from the Department of Corrections to community corrections, as well as a performance-based evaluation of community corrections.  Mr. Thome discussed an incentivized community corrections system and geographic issues in terms of placements.  The committee discussed the number of referrals in relation to the actual number of available beds.