Richard Morton

Trevor Knotts

Public Safety Commission

Meeting Minutes

Robert Dziubla

Andy Powell

Laurie Van Court

Steven Goedecke

Steve Thayer

Clark Hammelman

Thursday, December 4, 2025

3:00 PM

Castle Rock Municipal Courtroom

100 Perry St., Castle Rock, CO 80104

Call to Order and Attendance

Chairperson Hammelman called the meeting to order at 3:02 p.m.

9 -

Present

Clark Hammelman, Richard Morton, Laurie Van Court, Andy Powell, Robert Dziubla, Trevor

Knotts, Steve Thayer, Laura Cavey, and Steven Goedecke

3 - Jack Cauley, Norris Croom, and Kim Stremel

Attendance

Approval of Meeting Minutes

PS 2025-029 Public Safety Commission Meeting Minutes - November 6, 2025

Attachments: PSC 11.06.25 Minutes

Commission Member Van Court requested the question posed concerning the

Fire Department's Chief Medical Officer be included in the discussion notes.

Chairperson Hammelman requested notation of the January meeting date change

from January 1 to January 8, 2026.

PS 2025-030

CRFD October Report

Attachments: CRFD October Report

Station 156 Neighborhood Meeting: The November 16th neighborhood

meeting was held to discuss Station 156. Area residents raised numerous

infrastructure-related questions. Chief Croom and Mark Marlowe the

director of Castle Rock Water, met with residents to address concerns.

Councilmember Cavey stated she is also available to meet with

community members to answer questions.

Certificates of Participation: The first reading was approved. The

second reading is scheduled for the 16th of December. As a reminder, the

COPs will be issued in January to bridge an $8 million funding gap.

Staff Updates: Logistics Chief, Jeff Wenzel, from Rio Rancho, New

Mexico,will begin on January 5, 2026.

An academy graduation is scheduled for December 19th; the department

is already down two personnel heading into next year.

Plane Crash Incident: A plane lost power near Prairie Hawk and

Wolfensberger and performed an emergency landing. There were no

injuries or fire. Castle Rock Fire and Castle Rock Police both responded

and had the roadway reopened within two hours. Approximately 10 gallons

of fuel were on the ground, with no fuel leakage issues.

Commission Member Questions from the monthly report:

Commissioner Dzuibla asked what a jersey barrier is; staff explained it is a

concrete barrier.

Commissioner Dzuibla also asked about 260,000 Facebook impressions;

staff confirmed impressions vary depending on the topic.

PS 2025-031

CRPD October Report

Attachments: CRPD October Report

Leadership Development: The Chief and Commander Varela attended a

leadership summit with Simon Sinek. They collaborated with chiefs and

sheriffs from across the county to discuss leadership topics, best

practices, and professional policing issues.

Starlighting Event: Approximately 47,000 attendees participated, with no

major issues reported.

Therapy Dog Program: Buttercup, a therapy dog, retired after four years

of service. Scott Gillespie was recognized for his work developing the

School Resource Officer Therapy Dog Program and has been invited to

present at the IACP Wellness Conference.

Infinite Game of Policing: Chief Cauley presented this program at the

DC Police Leadership Academy - an international program dedicated to

career development for policing leaders. Chief Cauley is considering

sending CRPD personnel to participate in the future.

Recruitment and Training: Three recruitments remain open, and

retaining over hire status continues to be challenging. An Animal Welfare

Officer and a Dispatcher will attend the academy in January.

Adoption of 2024 MTC: New regulations prohibit the use of golf carts on

roadways and restrict e-motorcycles and dirt bikes. Officers typically need

to make contact with the driver to determine compliance. Chief Cauley

encouraged residents to review the updates through the Town’s social

media campaign. Councilmember Cavey added that Council also adopted

a policy allowing vehicles with expired plates, no license, or no insurance to

be towed.

Drone Program: The second of four drones entered service just before

Thanksgiving. Staff movement within the building is occurring due to

promotions. Additional personnel, including dispatchers, are being trained

as drone pilots.

New Business

Old Business

Introduction of newly appointed PSC member, Steven Goedecke.

The Philip S. Miller Foundation Resource Grants presented to Council on

November 18th were approved.

Commission Vacancy:

One six-month vacancy remains.

The position was advertised by the Town Manager’s Office, with no

responses received.

Staff recommended leaving the position vacant.

Motion by Chairman Hammelman to approve the position vacancy

of the Castle Rock Public Safety Commission. Motion seconded

Commission Member Morton. The motion passed unanimously.

Commissioner Comments and Questions

Commissioner Dzuibla asked whether a citizen at Target wearing

camouflage clothing and openly carrying a firearm warrants a 911 call?

The Chief explained that open carry is legal, however, businesses may

restrict entry, and CRPD cannot take action unless behavior is suspicious.

Commissioner Hammelman asked about enforcement of federal laws near

schools.

The Chief advised calling if something appears suspicious so officers can

check it out.

Commissioner Van Court asked whether DCSO notifies CRPD during DUI

stops involving a grappler.

The Chief explained notification does not always occur if CRPD assistance

is not needed.

Commissioner Dzuibla asked whether written warnings affect a driving

record; the answer was no.

Commissioner Morton asked whether AI may require a dedicated staff

member in the future. The Chief stated AI may eventually become both a

specialty and a common tool.

Use of AI and Photo Verification: Commissioner Van Court asked how

CRPD verifies photos submitted by the public that is seen on social media

or for evidentiary purposes .The Chief stated that additional verification

steps are taken and authentication experts may be used as AI adoption

increases.

Adjourn

The meeting was adjourned at 3:58 p.m.