Public Safety Commission  
Meeting Minutes  
Thursday, May 2, 2024  
3:00 PM  
Castle Rock Municipal Courtroom  
100 Perry St., Castle Rock, CO 80104  
This meeting is open to the public. Please note that all times indicated on the agenda are approximate and  
interested parties are encouraged to be present earlier than the posted time.  
The Public Safety Commission meets monthly at the Town of Castle Rock Fire and Rescue Headquarters or Police  
Department.  
Call to Order and Attendance  
Chairperson Marsh called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m.  
Guest: Deputy Chief Oren Bersagel-Briese for Chief Croom  
6 - Andy Powell, Don MacBrayne, Richard Morton, Carl Smith, Steve Thayer, and Debra Beck  
Present  
2 - Sam Varela, and Kim Stremel  
Attendance  
Approval of Meeting Minutes  
PS 2024-013  
PSC April 4,2024 Minutes  
Attachments: PSC April 4, 2024 Minutes  
Mr. MacBrayne moved to approve the April 4, 2024 minutes. Ms. Van Court  
seconded the motion; the motion carried.  
9 - Hammelman, Powell, MacBrayne, Morton, Smith, Thayer, Beck, Van Court, and Marsh  
Yes:  
Fire Department Report  
PS 2024-014 CRFD March Report  
Attachments: CRFD March Report  
Deputy Chief Rich Martin retiring in July  
Hiring Updates  
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Backfilling 3 positions; candidates will begin the Fire Academy in August  
Active recruitment for a Plans Examiner  
Light Up Red campaign  
Honors fallen firefighters This nationwide lighting, sponsored by the National  
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Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF), leads up to the National Fallen  
Firefighters Memorial Weekend on May 4-5, 2024  
Introduction and Bio of Deputy Chief of Operations - Oren Bersagel-Briese  
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25 years of service with CRFD; Training Chief for the past 5 years  
4th generation firefighter  
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Grew up in VA; relocated to Colorado in 1999  
Committee members did a brief question and answer session with Deputy Chief  
Bersagel-Briese regarding his new role within the department.  
Police Department Report  
PS 2024-012 CRPD March Report  
Attachments: CRPD March 2024  
Hiring Updates  
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This week the department extended 2 conditional offers to 1 lateral candidate  
and 1 academy recruit  
The last recruitment saw over 120 candidates and it was narrowed down to a  
group of 10 candidates  
The PD currently has 1 vacated position to fill  
Department Updates  
2024 Citizens Academy is currently in progress  
Five-Year Strategic Plan  
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Presented with recommended changes from the April 4th meeting  
The Strategic Plan will be presented to Council on May 21st  
The Commission asked how many members of the public attended the Strategic  
Plan on April 29th, to which Commander replied no members from the  
community attended.  
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Vote on Strategic Plan - Chairperson Marsh made a motion to recommend to  
Council to adopt the Castle Rock Police Department’s Strategic Plan as  
presented. The motion was passed 8-0 (Commission Member Smith was not  
present for the vote due to a technical difficulty)  
New Business  
Member Smith asked the group if they knew anything about a survey being conducted  
by the Town to add a ballot measure in November asking voters to approve a .2%  
public safety tax? Many members of the Commission are aware of the survey which is  
randomly being sent through text messages inviting Castle Rock residents to participate.  
Citizens can also access the on-line version through a link on the Town of Castle Rock’s  
Facebook page.  
Old Business  
N/A  
Commissioner Comments and Questions  
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Councilmember Cavey asked if interior drones are used by the PD?  
Commander Varela answered they are in use and the department has numerous  
drone pilots  
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Would the department ever consider the use of a robot dog ? Commander  
Varela advised robotics are currently being used on the SWAT team. Drones  
have actually replaced some jobs done by robotics  
Member Van Court asked if training change as technology changes?  
Commander Varela said training adjustments are absolutely necessary due to  
technology advances  
Member Morton asked how will the conservative budget present challenges to  
both the Fire and Police Departments? Councilmember Cavey responded the  
Town isn’t cutting anything, they are monitoring revenue and expenditures, then  
prioritizing future needs. She added that CR is the only “full-service”  
municipality in Douglas County providing municipal Police and Fire services  
Councilmember Cavey asked about the implications of HB24-1372 - a bill  
regulating the use of prone restraint by law enforcement. Commander Varela  
advised the bill has been pared down and will most likely become policy  
development and training requirement for law enforcement agencies. He went  
on to say that in Castle Rock, all Use of Force are entered into early warning  
systems are monitored by the Professional Standards unit. All incidents are  
looked at individually and include the review of body-worn-camera footage  
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Adjourn  
Mr. Hammelman made a motion to adjourn the meeting; Mr. Morton seconded the  
motion. All were in favor.  
The meeting adjourned at 4:04 p.m.  
The next Public Safety Commission meeting is scheduled for June 6, 2024 at 3:00  
p.m. at the Police Department.