Paletta to leave department after 35-year career - #lakewoodnews

Lakewood's police chief Kevin Paletta announced his impending retirement at the end of May after 35 years with the department, including eight-and-a-half years a chief.

During his time as chief, the department maintained its Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies accreditation, which represents professional excellence and shows that the department meets the highest standards. Last October, Lakewood also was the second agency in the state to receive U.S. Department of Justice's procedural justice training, which outlines a policing philosophy that emphasizes fairness, respect, legitimacy and transparency in interactions with residents.

According to information provided by the city, Lakewood is currently designing a transition plan, which includes appointing current Division Chief Dan McCasky as interim police chief and conducting a national search for a new chief that is expected to take several months.

We called Paletta to talk about his time with Lakewood and what's next:

What made you want to be a police officer?

I was in college studying for an accounting major at Arizona State University, and I realized I didn't really like accounting. So, I leafed through schedule of classes and came across a criminal justice class. What really got me interested was when I went on a ride along. Once I did that I was kind of hooked by the freedom officers had and their ability to assist the public.

What was your background before joining Lakewood? Why did you pick Lakewood?

In my senior year I was finishing my degree and applying to law enforcement agencies in California, with no luck. I was resigned to getting on in a department in Arizona, but Lakewood's police department came to our class as part of a regional recruiting program. This was because the department required its officers to have a four year degree. I listened to what the officer had to say, and I became interested in Lakewood.

At that age I knew I wanted to try something different, rather than stay in Arizona. I came to visit and fell in love with the Lakewood area.

I started my career at Lakewood in June 1981 as officer. I served three years in the patrol division, then was a detective in the juvenile crime unit for five years. From there I transitioned to back the patrol division, and then I was promoted to sergeant.

I was promoted to chief in January, 2008.

What are some of the accomplishments as chief you're most proud of?

We'd gone through a series of personal and professional tragedies at the department when I took over as chief, so in my first six months I held meeting about our core beliefs and the fact that how we deliver services is just as important as what we do. I told them we need to provide a "wow" level of service to the public. We needed to exceed residents' expectations, respect them and have concern for their situations.

I was very proud of how we handled the Democratic National Convention in 2008. We committed half of sworn our personnel to assist with security throughout. Lakewood was hand-picked by Denver as the agency that provided security on inner perimeter of the events, and there was a good reason Lakewood was picked --; because of our professional image.

I'm also very proud of our regionalization efforts. The department has embarked on a number of projects, including a regional training academy and regional crime lab. We're in the process of setting up a regional records system and just passed a regional communication center. We did all of this because it enhances our services and reduces costs. We've done more regionalization in the past eight years than the previous 40 years.

What challenges are still facing the department?

There are always changing management challenges we face, especially with all the regionalization efforts.

Growing our relationship with community is also a big challenge. We already have a good foundation with citizens, and there are opportunities to build on that, particularly in lower income areas of city. We want people to have a new image of officers --; not the image they get off television or hearing tragic stories, but understanding that they're there to help.

What was behind the decision to retire?

It was a strictly personal decision. I've done this job for 35 years, and while I enjoy it tremendously, it is very taxing. It wears on you, and you realize you just don't have energy that the job requires, and that's when it's time to step down.

What is your favorite part about the work you do?

The people. The citizens we serve and the employees who commit to life of service are the best. Policing has changed immensely in the past 35 years, but the one thing that remains the same is that policing is a people industry.

It's all about how you treat people. When policing gets off track, it's when we've lost track of that fact.

What will you miss most about being Lakewood's police chief?

The people we work with. They're all very selfless people.

I'll also miss the opportunity to change people's lives for better. The rewards are tremendous when you improve someone's life.

from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.com/stories/Paletta-to-leave-department-after-35-year-career,213786

My Name Is... Jeff Baxter - #lakewoodnews

About me ...

I have been in ministry for 20 years, in and out of Colorado. My time has mainly been in Indiana and the Midwest. I first came out here right after seminary in 1997 and went back and forth between the Midwest and Colorado for a while. I've spent 14 years here in Colorado.

I grew up in Michigan, and have been married for 21 years. We've spent most of our days here in Colorado, and we have three kids, ages 16, 13 and 8, so we're busy.

Being a pastor ...

I was on a short-term mission trip to Romania in summer of 1993 and God did two things on trip --; there was a girl on the trip I fell in love with, who is now my wife, and he called me into full-time ministry. I was in the middle-to-end of my undergrad stuff in Michigan and knew I needed to go in for more training, so I headed to seminary after that trip and got married.

I went to Columbia International University in South Carolina, and Fuller Theological Seminary for my doctorate in Family Ministry.

A new home at River Church ...

I came to this church in October and we changed the name to River Church from Light and Life Community Church, complete with a new logo, webpage, all that jazz. I came from Foothills Bible Church in Littleton, where I had been for seven years.

This is my first lead pastor position, but I've been an associate pastor for a long time. I knew God was calling me to be a lead pastor, but I was probably dragging my feet a little bit. It's been an exciting journey since been here. We've seen growth and we're trying to rebrand. I don't want to be known as the best-kept secret behind the Olive Garden anymore.

I've only been at churches with congregations of 600 and above, so coming to a smaller church to revitalize and rebuild is new and exciting, challenging.

My favorite part of my job ...

I love teaching the Bible, I love helping some sometimes complex things be easy to understand and helping folks know who Jesus really is and bring the Bible to life.

I love being a resourceful generalist and having your hands in a lot of different things.

We're a super diverse congregation, economically, ethnically, and we're intergenerational. It's really fun to have diverse people to minister to. There are lots of challenges around that, but super fun.

Our biggest challenge is being known. We're not a typical church, we're primed to grow, and I want to help individuals grow and our church grow.

River Church is at 220 S. Yarrow St. For more information, visit www.riverchurchmovement.org.

from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.com/stories/My-Name-Is-Jeff-Baxter,213785

Young man's blues - #lakewoodnews

For generations, the Army was the place boys were sent to be made into men.

That's certainly the case in Neil Simon's classic, "Biloxi Blues" --; but it's never that simple. Along the way, the characters learn the road to adulthood can be both rough and beautiful.

The show runs at Miners Alley Playhouse, 1224 Washington Ave. in Golden, May 20 through June 26. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 6 p.m. on Sunday.

"It's a beautifully told story about a young man's transition into manhood," said director Kate Gleason. "There are a lot of funny moments, but there are also some really beautiful moments of drama."

"Bilxoi Blues" is the second part of a trilogy focusing on Simon's semi-biographical character, Eugene Morris Jerome. Eugene (John Hauser) gets drafted into the Army during World War II and is sent to Biloxi, Mississippi, for his basic training. The new recruits serve under hard-nosed Sgt. Merwin J. Toomey (Jude Moran) and must find their feet under their new circumstances.

"The story is told through Eugene's perspective, but it's really about all these boys," said Hauser. "It's about them becoming their own people in this time and place."

This is the first time Gleason and Hauser have worked at Miners Alley, but they said they're having a blast bringing the show together, especially in the theater's intimate space.

"Eugene talks to the audiences a lot, so I love how close everyone is in Miners Alley," Hauser said. "It allows me to bring the audience in instead of pushing the characters out."

The fine-tuning process continued all the way up to opening, and Gleason said the cast has been working well together.

"It's both adorable and heartbreaking to see these boys in the Army uniforms," she said. "When you think about where they're going in the war, it adds another layer."

The camaraderie between the boys, both during the performance and off stage, is what makes the show special, Hauser said.

"It's a great ensemble --; there's no weak links," he said. "It's so funny, and everyone is perfectly cast in this show."

from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.com/stories/Young-mans-blues,213576

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Nothing like glue to keep a team together - #lakewoodnews

Glue is an adhesive used to stick things together.It's also often difficult to remove from your hands. So it is only fitting to declare that senior Alyssa Kaiser was the glue that held Ralston Valley's girls soccer team together.Injuries sidelined as many as eight starters during the season but Kaiser, the Jefferson County League Player of the Year, was a leader who helped the team focus and play well."She's the one senior that didn't get hurt and she's the one player that continued to do her role as a center midfielder in passing the ball, even though her top targets weren't there anymore because they were sitting down," said Ralston Valley coach Kamee Morwood. "She continued to be a leader on the field and off the field and to encourage her teammates."She came in as a freshman and really helped changed Ralston Valley soccer. Her points are divided between assists and goals and that is not the norm."Kaiser, who signed to play soccer at the University of Tulsa, finished the season with 56 points on 19 goals and 18 assists and helped the Mustangs to a 10-5-1 record after a first-round playoff loss to Rock Canyon."It was really difficult," admitted Kaiser. "I had to work a lot harder and I had to trust other teammates that I hadn't played with all the time. It was really difficult for us, but we powered through it and made it to the playoffs. I love distributing the ball to people and making them look good."Tradition looming this season in baseballThe diamond, I've noticed, has become a bit more smart-looking this season.More baseball teams and several individual players are wearing their baseball uniforms the way they were designed to be worn with stirrups showing.It's the old-school way. The traditional way.In the 1990s, most professionals started wearing their pants down to their cleats without the stirrups (uniform socks) showing. Glad to see some young players are not following the trend.5A lacrosse pairings on the markWhenever pairings are announced to state playoff competition there is always some head-scratching from coaches, players and parents.This season, the boys Class 5A lacrosse pairings were right on the mark as the four top seeds advanced into semifinals, which were held May 18.No. 4 Cherry Creek played top-seeded Regis Jesuit and No. 2 Mountain Vista challenged No. 3 Arapahoe.Names, potential are similarThe state track meet for all classifications will be held May 19-21 at Jefferson County Stadium and two freshman girls with similar names could be heard from -- if not this weekend -- then in the future.Arapahoe's Anna Hall, whose older sister Julia also is a standout, won the 110- and 300-meter hurdles and the high jump during the May 12-14 Centennial League meet.Anna Hart of ThunderRidge was the Continental League champion in the 400 meters and triple jump to help the Grizzlies win the team title.

from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.comhttp://douglascountynewspress.net/stories/Nothing-like-glue-to-keep-a-team-together,213549?branding=15

Lakewood school puts on a show of hands - #lakewoodnews

Princesses, sharks, a panther, a street rat and other famous Disney characters lined up inside Vivian Elementary School's gym, to tell a story through song and sign language.

"In a faraway land a young prince lived in a faraway castle ...," said sixth-grader Leilani Johnsen-Soto as she narrated the story of "Beauty and the Beast."

On May 10, these 24 students, all hearing abled, began to share the story of eight well-known children's musicals by signing and singing along to two classic tunes in their final rehearsal for their annual Movie Musical Night.

"Now, go on and get up," said the club's founder, Karen Chernoff at the start of rehearsal. "I want to do a few songs and the narration today."

And the stories began.

Over the course of the next hour, the students, aided by six staff interpreters and club alumni, signed the story of each movie plot --; "The Lion King," "Aladdin," "Mary Poppins," "Willy Wonka," "Finding Nemo," "The Jungle Book" and "The Wizard of Oz" --; showcasing their skills in public speaking and signing.

"Two more days guys, just two more days," Chernoff said encouragingly to her students as she gave them some final directions. "Let's do Hakuna Matata!"

"Yeah," they replied in excitement, jumping into position.

As the students --; ages kindergarten through sixth grade --; signed along to the lyrics, their excitement and energy for their final show grew.

"Let's do the Candy Man, do the Candy Man!" said Crimson McCarthy, a third-grade student in the club.

"How about Tale as Old as Time?" Chernoff replied.

Since January, the club --; held at the school for the past 15 years --; has been learning the words and practicing their signing skills along with the music, rehearsing twice a week for the show.

A center-based school, Vivian Elementary is known for their deaf and hard-of-hearing program. Currently, the school has 20 students who are hard-of-hearing or deaf, and six interpreters who aid them in their day to day education. Upon her arrival at the school, Chernoff decided she wanted to help increase communication among these students and their peers while making a more welcoming environment, so the sign club was born.

"We love it because we are able to teach our hearing students how to sign so they can communicate with their classmates and in the world," said Tori Mason, one of Vivian's sign language interpreters.

Normally a mix of deaf, hard-of-hearing and hearing abled students, the 18-week club practices the language through music and theatre, each encouraging students to communicate in alternative ways.

Along with the spring performance, the club performs a holiday show, "Signs of the Holidays," at local Barnes and Nobles bookstores and the Colorado Mills Mall.

And on May 12, after months of rehearsal, the students finally got their chance to show off their skills.

Dressed up in their costumes and with their various makeup designs painted on, the sharks from Finding Nemo, the princesses --; Jasmine, Belle and Nala, the panther Bagheera and a street rat named Aladdin took to the stage.

"And now I'm in a whole new world with you," they signed together.

from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.comhttp://lakewoodsentinel.com/stories/Lakewood-school-puts-on-a-show-of-hands,213745?branding=15