Colorado Springs Police Department - Public Service Hero of the Year

Company: Colorado Springs Police Department
Company Description: The City of Colorado Springs is the 39th largest city in America with an estimated 2020 population of nearly 490,000 people. The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) has a staff of 1088, between sworn civilian employees; they cover an area of nearly 200 square miles answering over 300,000 calls a year.
Nomination Category: COVID-19 Response Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Public Service Hero of the Year

Nomination Title: Sergeant Jason Newton

2020 started off with the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) Community Relations Unit hitting the ground running, attending hundreds of events. As the unit was hitting its stride, then COVID-19 Pandemic put a stop to almost all community events.

The CSPD Community Relations Unit under the direction of Sergeant Jason Newton, went right to work finding new and innovative ways to connect with our community. One example, was that they moved online, with a virtual community relations series. The department saw a great response from the community on our social media platforms. We saw our audience grow by thousands of followers, engagement numbers rise to all-time highs, with many of the posts performing 90-95% better than other posts. The feedback was wonderful, as we found a new and innovative way to connect and strengthen our bond with the community. Sgt. Newton worked closely with our public information office and created unique one-of-a-kind virtual content that was a model for agencies across the country. It was not only emulated by other agencies, but also other cities and even a professional sports team.

The summer brought challenges as protest erupted throughout the country. Sgt. Newton was one of hundreds of officers called in to work the protest. As he worked the front-line of the protest, having people throw stuff, yell, cuss, make death threats, etc.He did not let that stop him from reaching out and making a connection with our community. Sgt. Newton along with other officers found ways to connect with the protesters, showing compassion and and building bridges within our community.

Sgt. Newton did not stop there, over the next few months he had follow-up conversations with many of the organizers and they have helped with calming people and even went out of their way to show support for CSPD. We have also seen how taking time to listen came back and two of the protestors became part of our Chief's Steering Committee. After spending time getting to know more about the department, the protestors have publicly defended the department and have moved to work with us for positive change.

Letters from council member and a community member

Chief, I just want you to express my appreciation to Sgt. Olav Chaney and Sgt. Jason Newton for how they handle the crowd of demonstrators last night. They conveyed the absolute right message and created a situation where dialogue and hope felt very possible. Yes, the crowd was doing it right, but so were they. Good work!

Dear Colorado Springs Police Department, This is the first time I have ever emailed the Police Department, but after watching the sensitive way our officers interacted with frustrated members of the Colorado Springs Black community by reaching out to them personally, by taking a knee, by listening to the pain and despair from our Black community members and friends — on behalf of all of us who value fairness — I commend you. It could not have been easy. As a member of this community for over forty years, I stand with the department as you move forward with a commitment to communicate more deeply to develop stronger relationships with all community members. You have made me proud. May you have the courage to continue on this path.