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Good morning and welcome to the Board of
County Commissioners meeting.

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Today is Tuesday, September 8th.

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We do begin each of our meetings with an
invocation, and this morning, um,

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we have someone from Citywide Prayer and
Decision Point Ministries,

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and I would invite you to come and
introduce yourselves,

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and I'll invite everyone here to stand and
join us.

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Good morning.

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I have a wonderful Korean name, Daisap
Han.

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So let's pray.

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So Father, what a blessing it is to be
here at El Paso, um,

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County Commissioners meeting.

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Father, thank you, Lord, for these, uh,

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wonderful servant leaders that you have
chosen to serve not only our county,

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but their decisions will impact our state
in this 150th anniversary year,

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as well as our nation and even beyond.
Lord, I ask that you would bless them.

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You would also, um, Bless our county, uh,
county clerk, Father,

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and their families and their staff, Lord.

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And I pray that you would provide them
with wisdom and guidance, uh, this hour,

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this morning, as they will make some
important decisions on behalf of El Paso

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County. Thank you, Lord, for being with us
this morning. In Jesus' name, amen.

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Commissioner

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Williams,

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if you'd lead us

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in the pledge.

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Item 3.

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Item number 3 is staff emergency items,

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and I'm unaware of any staff emergency
items today.

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Item 4.

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Item number 4 is changes, postponements,
and notice of the next meeting.

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I'm unaware of any changes or
postponements to today's agenda,

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and the next meeting will be Thursday,

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September 10th at 9 o'clock for land use
and then the Board of Adjustment.

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Item 5.

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Item number 5 is the consent calendar
including items 5A through 5N4.

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Okay, is there anyone here who wishes to
speak on an item on the consent calendar

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today? Okay, seeing none,

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I'll bring it up here for any comments or
a motion from commissioners.

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I move approval of the consent calendar.

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Second.

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Okay, it's been moved and seconded. One
more opportunity for any comments.

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Seeing none, we'll call the roll beginning
with Commissioner Wysong.

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Aye.

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Vice Chair Nelson.

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Aye.

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Commissioner Applegate.

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Aye. Commissioner Williams?

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Aye.

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And the chair votes aye. That passes 5-0.
Item 6.

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Item number 6 is the proclamation
recognizing September 11th as Patriot Day

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recognizing September 11th as Patriot Day
and

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National Day of Service and Remembrance
2026.

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Bill Wysong, Commissioner, Board of County
Commissioners.

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Commissioner Wysong.

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Thank you, Madam Chair.

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Need a motion for the proclamation
recognizing September 11th As Patriot Day

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recognizing September 11th As Patriot Day
and

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National Day of Service and Remembrance
2026.

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Whereas our nation made an unbreakable
promise never to forget the nearly 3,000

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souls who were senselessly killed on
September 11th, 2001.

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On this sacred day, Patriot Day,

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we in El Paso County honor that commitment
and Whereas,

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we remember the tremendous bravery of our
first responders who rushed without

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hesitation into the void of debris and
smoke to rescue those in despair.

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In the heroism of the passengers aboard
Flight 93 who summoned the courage to

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Flight 93 who summoned the courage to
charge

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the terrorists in a counterattack that
saved countless lives.

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And whereas, Americans had a shared sense
of anguish on September 11th,

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followed by a profound spirit of unity.

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People of different ages, backgrounds,

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and abilities found meaning in public
service after the 9/11 attacks.

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Many people channeled their emotions by
enlisting in the military,

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founding charities, contributing to
philanthropic causes, Flying the American

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philanthropic causes, Flying the American
flag,

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donating blood, and helping those in need
in other ways.

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And whereas, in late 2001, as part of
Operation Enduring Freedom,

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thousands of servicemen and women from our
local military installations were

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deployed to support the counterterrorism
operations in Afghanistan and other

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countries. And whereas,

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the men and women Serving in Cheyenne
Mountain on September 11th were involved

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Mountain on September 11th were involved
in a

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critical role. The airmen, soldiers,
sailors stationed at Peterson Space Force

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sailors stationed at Peterson Space Force
Base,

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Fort Carson, Schriever Space Force Base,

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and Cheyenne Mountain continue to maintain
an integral role in our national

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security. And whereas the United States is
unified in our purpose to prevent further

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tragedies like those experienced on
September 11th, 2001,

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and we honor the men and women of our
armed forces in our region who have fought

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tirelessly to keep us safe from further
attacks on the U.S. soil.

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Whereas, we recall the images of the
American flag from the ashes from Ground

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American flag from the ashes from Ground
Zero

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and the Pentagon in a reminder that good
triumphs over evil.

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We recommit ourselves to fortifying our
cherished American values so that future

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generations will know the United States is
the land of the free and home of the

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brave. Now therefore,

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the Board of El Paso County Commissioners
supports all the efforts to keep a

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vigilant spirit of freedom, commitment to
service, and pride in our country.

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And be it further resolved that the Board
of County Commissioners of El Paso County

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hereby proclaim Friday, September 11th,
2026,

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a day of remembrance so that we may never
forget those who lost their lives 25 years

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ago, honor the heroic actions taken by our
first responders,

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and express our gratitude to the members
of our military for their continued

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of our military for their continued
service

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and sacrifice. Done this 8th day of
September, 2026, Colorado Springs,

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September, 2026, Colorado Springs,
Colorado.

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By the Board of County Commissioners of El
Paso County, Colorado.

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Chair Commissioner Geitner, Vice Chair
Commissioner Nelson,

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members Commissioners Williams, Wysong,
and Applegate.

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Attested by Steve Schleicher, County Clerk
and Recorder.

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Second.

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Okay, that's been moved and seconded,

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and we do have a couple of special guests
this morning,

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so I'm going to start with Colonel
Bartholomew.

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Please, if you would come on up, introduce
yourself at the microphone.

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We'd love to hear your comments.

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Good morning, commissioners, distinguished
guests, members of the community.

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I'm Colonel Donald Bartholomew, the Deputy
Commander of Space Base Delta One,

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headquartered at Peterson Space Force
Base.

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On behalf of the Guardians, airmen,

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and civilian professionals across Peterson
and Cheyenne Mountain,

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thank you for inviting me to join you
today, and thank you for this meaningful,

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meaningful proclamation recognizing
Patriot Day and the National Day of

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Patriot Day and the National Day of
Service and

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Remembrance. We are 25 years after the
attacks on September 11th, 2001,

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and yet the significance of that day is
not lost.

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We honor the nearly 3,000 innocent lives
lost in New York City, Shanksville,

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and at the Pentagon, including the
passengers of Flight 77,

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employees and service members,

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and the selfless first responders who ran
straight toward danger.

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We also recognize that the sacrifice did
not end on September 11th.

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Over the past 25 years,

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tens of thousands of brave first
responders rescue and recover workers and

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responders rescue and recover workers and
survivors

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have battled life-altering illnesses,

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and many have lost their lives to toxic
exposures in the aftermath.

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We honor their enduring courage and memory
alongside those that we lost that day.

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25 years ago, the watchstanders inside
Cheyenne Mountain played a vital role as

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events unfolded across our skies.

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Today, our personnel maintain the
vigilance required to defend our nation

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vigilance required to defend our nation
and

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preserve the freedoms we hold dear.
September 11th brought profound loss.

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As we mark 25 years,

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it is the responsibility of the survivors
and the nation to help the right

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generation learn about the attacks, to
tell the stories of the people we lost,

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and to share the response and resilience
of our country.

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On behalf of our airmen and guardians,

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we are deeply grateful to the citizens of
El Paso County for your steadfast

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partnership and unwavering support to our
military families.

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Thank you for keeping the promise to never
forget.

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Thank you. Now we'll hear from Colonel
James Stultz.

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Please come on up, introduce yourself,

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and we are excited to hear from you.

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Yeah, thanks. Ladies and gentlemen, thank
you for having me here today.

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On behalf of Fort Carson and the soldiers
there in the 4th Infantry Division,

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as well as the tenant units, this
proclamation is incredibly important.

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I say it's important because much like you
all, I'm sure you can remember,

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I can remember exactly where I was on
9/11. And in the impact it had on me.

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But I can also tell you that 100 million
Americans weren't born yet as of today,

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the 25th anniversary. That's about a third
of America.

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So proclamations like this allow us to
truly never forget,

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and it causes us to pause once a year to
remember those who died on September 11th

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and then those that died in subsequent
wars. in the Global War on Terrorism.

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So again, on behalf of the 4th Infantry
Division and Fort Carson,

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I appreciate you today establishing this
proclamation. Thank you.

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Thank you so much for being here.

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And we also have retired U.S.

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Army Colonel Fitch.

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Good morning. On behalf of the Pikes Peak
Military Affairs Council,

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as El Paso County marks This 25th
anniversary of September 11th, 2001,

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we still remember where we were at 25
years later, what we saw,

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and how our nation changed.

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We remember the nearly 3,000 lives lost,
the families forever changed,

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and the first responders who ran toward
danger with courage and purpose.

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Here in El Paso County, that remembrance
is especially personal.

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This is a community of service. And for
me, it is personal as well.

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I had the honor of serving 24 years as a
Green Beret,

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and I spent much of my adult life in
Afghanistan.

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Alongside Americans and allies whose lives
were shaped by the mission that followed

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9/11. From Fort Carson to Peterson and
Schriever Space Force Bases,

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Cheyenne Mountain, the Air Force Academy,

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and the many public safety agencies that
protect our communities,

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El Paso County has carried a special
responsibility in the defense of our

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responsibility in the defense of our
nation and

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the care of our people. After 9/11, many
from this region deployed.

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Many more served at home, standing watch,
supporting military families,

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staffing our emergency rooms, answering
calls, protecting neighborhoods,

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and making sure those who served were
never serving alone.

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That's the spirit of El Paso County—
military and civilians side by side,

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first responders and families side by
side, remembering the fallen,

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honoring the sacrifice, and recommitting
ourselves to unity, vigilance, and

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ourselves to unity, vigilance, and
service.

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On behalf of the Pikes Peak Military
Affairs Council,

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thank you for this proclamation and for
helping ensure that in El Paso County we

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always remember September 11th and honor
those who served. Thank you.

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Thank you so much for those words and for
being here today.

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I'm going to now bring it up here to the
dais and, uh,

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for comments from commissioners.
Commissioner Williams.

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Uh, yes, this is my last year doing this
proclamation.

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Um, I just wanted to again remember
Catherine, uh, Laborie Yancey—

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Catherine Yancey Laborie.

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Um, She—

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my neighbors, Jean and Flo Yancey, she is—
was their daughter.

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She was one of the flight attendants on
United Flight 175.

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Looking up about her this morning,

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they say the deliberate collision was
replayed on television hundreds of times,

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and they tried not to watch it because
they know that was the moment that their

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daughter died. And she— her plane crashed
into the South Tower. Just amazing person.

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Her mother Flo was able to join her in
heaven last year, and unfortunately,

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I'm not so sure Jean's not very far
behind.

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But every year we go over to Mitchell High
School where she graduated as a

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neighborhood, and we celebrate her life
with a select group of high school

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with a select group of high school
students

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who really have the opportunity to learn
what sacrifice is for our country on that

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day. And so I just wanted to honor her and
just remind everybody to never forget of

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the so many people who sacrificed their
lives on that day to help rescue others

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lives on that day to help rescue others
that

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they couldn't, running,

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especially the firefighters and police
officers running towards burning

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officers running towards burning
buildings,

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knowing that they would not come back out
alive. Thank you.

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Commissioner Nelson.

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Well, thank you for coming and sharing
today. Appreciate the comments.

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It really is important that we take time
to remember not only the innocent lives

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that were lost, but also the reason,
because it's still the case today.

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There are people who hate the United
States of America and the principles that

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States of America and the principles that
we

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stand for. We represent freedom, the
ability to pursue the American dream,

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and that is something that does not come
free.

228
00:20:25,266 --> 00:20:32,484
There is a cost, and we are so grateful to
the men and women that are willing to

229
00:20:32,484 --> 00:20:39,522
serve in our military and our first
responders who put their lives on the line

230
00:20:39,522 --> 00:20:39,793
responders who put their lives on the line
and

231
00:20:39,793 --> 00:20:44,124
dedicate their careers to protecting our
nation.

232
00:20:44,124 --> 00:20:49,898
And I'm a big believer in strong defense
being the best offense,

233
00:20:49,898 --> 00:20:54,590
and that we are able to have peace through
strength.

234
00:20:54,590 --> 00:21:01,628
And so I just want to really express my
gratitude for those who are willing to

235
00:21:01,628 --> 00:21:01,989
gratitude for those who are willing to
step

236
00:21:01,989 --> 00:21:07,673
in and help protect the freedoms that we
enjoy in this country.

237
00:21:08,219 --> 00:21:11,835
Thank you.

238
00:21:11,835 --> 00:21:14,162
Thank you. I think Alan Jackson put it
well,

239
00:21:14,162 --> 00:21:16,595
where were you when the world stopped
turning?

240
00:21:16,595 --> 00:21:17,758
Um, we remember today,

241
00:21:17,758 --> 00:21:21,989
we're going to remember on the 11th where
we were 25 years ago when that tragedy

242
00:21:21,989 --> 00:21:25,744
happened, and we're never going to forget.
We're never going to forget.

243
00:21:25,744 --> 00:21:28,442
And there was sacrifice, a lot of first
responders.

244
00:21:28,442 --> 00:21:32,831
I mean, gosh, I mean, My hearts go out to
them. My hearts go out to their families.

245
00:21:32,831 --> 00:21:36,216
I mean, we pray for them, and we thank the
ones we have now too,

246
00:21:36,216 --> 00:21:39,495
just not only in that community, but in
our community as well.

247
00:21:39,495 --> 00:21:43,409
And man, I mean, that was such an
altering, such a before and after event.

248
00:21:43,409 --> 00:21:47,005
But I think the biggest thing we can take
away from this is overall,

249
00:21:47,005 --> 00:21:50,496
we got stronger as a nation because people
woke up September 12th,

250
00:21:50,496 --> 00:21:52,558
and there was no lines that were drawn.

251
00:21:52,558 --> 00:21:55,467
We were unified because we were all
Americans that day.

252
00:21:55,467 --> 00:22:01,517
And it's our tradition to let the reader
of the proclamation finish with comments

253
00:22:01,517 --> 00:22:05,923
last, so I'll go ahead and make a few
comments now as well.

254
00:22:05,923 --> 00:22:11,898
Um, I want to thank all of you for taking
the time to be here today and for your

255
00:22:11,898 --> 00:22:16,827
service. Um, to hear that a third of
Americans were not alive, um,

256
00:22:16,827 --> 00:22:20,786
that's a really important thing, I think,
to say and,

257
00:22:20,786 --> 00:22:23,699
and realize that we all have this duty.

258
00:22:23,699 --> 00:22:28,180
This picture that's up on the screen now,
this Never Forget,

259
00:22:28,180 --> 00:22:30,346
is so familiar to many of us,

260
00:22:30,346 --> 00:22:36,470
but not forgetting truly does mean passing
this on to the next generation who does

261
00:22:36,470 --> 00:22:39,159
not have their own memories of this.

262
00:22:39,159 --> 00:22:44,611
Obviously, this day was impactful in my
life as well as I was in college,

263
00:22:44,611 --> 00:22:49,988
and even more so that I didn't know
inspired my husband also to join the

264
00:22:49,988 --> 00:22:50,586
inspired my husband also to join the
military

265
00:22:50,586 --> 00:22:55,963
and which has had lifelong impacts to our
family as well as he deployed.

266
00:22:55,963 --> 00:23:01,042
But it was worth it, and it still is today
as he continues to serve.

267
00:23:01,042 --> 00:23:04,926
We came here by way of Fort Carson,
decided to stay,

268
00:23:04,926 --> 00:23:10,004
and there are so many important things
about remembering in my mind.

269
00:23:10,004 --> 00:23:14,261
I appreciate the spirit of unity that has
been mentioned,

270
00:23:14,261 --> 00:23:20,162
remembering that spirit of unity that
there is more that unites us than divides

271
00:23:20,162 --> 00:23:20,386
there is more that unites us than divides
us,

272
00:23:20,386 --> 00:23:23,149
I think, is more important than ever.

273
00:23:23,149 --> 00:23:28,975
Also, as the proclamation was being read,
the word— the words American values,

274
00:23:28,975 --> 00:23:31,589
I hear those and I hear them a lot.

275
00:23:31,589 --> 00:23:37,564
And I think we are at a reckoning point
where we have to decide what those words

276
00:23:37,564 --> 00:23:42,941
mean. And I think we knew a lot more at
that time period, unfortunately,

277
00:23:42,941 --> 00:23:47,273
Tragedy can sometimes cause us to reflect
and cause us to,

278
00:23:47,273 --> 00:23:51,157
to really move forward in a way that,
unfortunately,

279
00:23:51,157 --> 00:23:53,995
without tragedy doesn't always happen.

280
00:23:53,995 --> 00:23:57,505
But we can see the good that comes out of
that.

281
00:23:57,505 --> 00:24:02,210
And so those words, American values, what
does that mean to us?

282
00:24:02,210 --> 00:24:08,185
And this is about remembering, but I think
when I see these words, never forget,

283
00:24:08,185 --> 00:24:12,667
what this means to me, is remembering
those American values,

284
00:24:12,667 --> 00:24:18,866
is remembering that there are still people
who dislike the United States out there,

285
00:24:18,866 --> 00:24:23,645
and those people aren't all outside of the
United States either.

286
00:24:23,645 --> 00:24:29,546
Um, there are individuals that have been
really prominent lately that have said

287
00:24:29,546 --> 00:24:32,160
things like, America deserved 9/11.

288
00:24:32,160 --> 00:24:36,940
And today, while I don't want to dwell on
those negative pieces,

289
00:24:36,940 --> 00:24:39,255
It is a part of not forgetting.

290
00:24:39,255 --> 00:24:44,558
It is a part of not forgetting to remember
that there are still people,

291
00:24:44,558 --> 00:24:47,022
even within our own nation today,

292
00:24:47,022 --> 00:24:53,147
who do not care for America and who would
not protect her. And we all have a duty.

293
00:24:53,147 --> 00:24:59,196
Reagan once said, freedom is never more
than one generation away from extinction,

294
00:24:59,196 --> 00:25:02,931
that it's not passed down through the
bloodstream.

295
00:25:02,931 --> 00:25:08,458
It's got to be fought for and protected so
that we can hand it to our next

296
00:25:08,458 --> 00:25:14,283
generation. Those words have been an
inspiration to me as I've taken on a role

297
00:25:14,283 --> 00:25:14,582
inspiration to me as I've taken on a role
as a

298
00:25:14,582 --> 00:25:19,885
commissioner, and I absolutely believe it
to be true that we all have a

299
00:25:19,885 --> 00:25:21,602
responsibility in that.

300
00:25:21,602 --> 00:25:26,756
While we are super grateful for our
military and the things that have

301
00:25:26,756 --> 00:25:27,428
military and the things that have
happened,

302
00:25:27,428 --> 00:25:33,179
there's also a huge responsibility as
citizens for us to continue to remember

303
00:25:33,179 --> 00:25:33,552
citizens for us to continue to remember
those

304
00:25:33,552 --> 00:25:37,884
American values, reflect on them, reflect
on our founding,

305
00:25:37,884 --> 00:25:43,486
reflect on what it means to be an American
and what we are here to protect.

306
00:25:43,486 --> 00:25:45,876
Because I think when we do that,

307
00:25:45,876 --> 00:25:52,000
we will truly honor the sacrifice that has
been made by many of the members of our

308
00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:56,108
military, as well as the firefighters,
police officers,

309
00:25:56,108 --> 00:25:59,767
and all of the civilians who were killed
on 9/11.

310
00:25:59,767 --> 00:26:05,817
And so with that, I'll just say again,
thank you. Thank you for being here today.

311
00:26:05,817 --> 00:26:09,103
Thank you for helping us remember this
date.

312
00:26:09,103 --> 00:26:11,642
Though it brings a lot of sadness,

313
00:26:11,642 --> 00:26:17,767
we can look to the positive things that we
were able to come out, like that unity,

314
00:26:17,767 --> 00:26:20,007
and try to carry that forward.

315
00:26:20,007 --> 00:26:23,667
And I hope that— it's good to do this here
today,

316
00:26:23,667 --> 00:26:29,717
but I hope we will all carry that out with
us and have a conversation with one of

317
00:26:29,717 --> 00:26:33,376
those 100 million people who maybe were
not here.

318
00:26:33,376 --> 00:26:36,887
I know I talk about it with my kids every
year.

319
00:26:36,887 --> 00:26:39,351
It's hard for them to understand,

320
00:26:39,351 --> 00:26:45,401
But we have to keep reminding and telling
people about what happened if we are to

321
00:26:45,401 --> 00:26:47,716
continue to protect our nation.

322
00:26:47,716 --> 00:26:52,048
Thank you, and I will turn it over to
Commissioner Wysong.

323
00:26:52,048 --> 00:26:54,346
Thank you, Madam Chair.

324
00:26:54,346 --> 00:27:01,241
25 years ago, it seems like yesterday, and
then in, in some ways, um,

325
00:27:01,241 --> 00:27:06,037
longer than that because so much has
transpired.

326
00:27:06,037 --> 00:27:13,630
A special thank you again to Colonel
Bartholomew Marthau and Colonel Schultz

327
00:27:13,630 --> 00:27:16,228
and retired Colonel Fitch.

328
00:27:16,228 --> 00:27:21,924
I was in Connecticut attending a class on
September 11th,

329
00:27:21,924 --> 00:27:28,019
and it was very interesting that you
always— at least for me,

330
00:27:28,019 --> 00:27:30,816
will remember it very clear.

331
00:27:30,816 --> 00:27:38,310
And the thing that really kind of started
it was 35-plus Motorola SkyPagers

332
00:27:38,310 --> 00:27:45,205
going off. Um, in, in a conference room,
um, not once, but twice, uh,

333
00:27:45,205 --> 00:27:51,600
before leadership pulled in a TV and we
sat just absolutely, uh,

334
00:27:51,600 --> 00:27:58,494
spellbound knowing that this was going on
like 50 miles or less away.

335
00:27:58,494 --> 00:28:03,690
Um, and some of the people had actually
been in the,

336
00:28:03,690 --> 00:28:08,186
the Twin Towers the day before, um, for
work.

337
00:28:08,186 --> 00:28:08,331
Yeah.

338
00:28:09,037 --> 00:28:14,582
And it was just kind of an overwhelming—
but as it says,

339
00:28:14,582 --> 00:28:19,236
we want to honor and remember and never
forget.

340
00:28:19,236 --> 00:28:24,880
So again, many thanks to our first
responders and to our—

341
00:28:24,880 --> 00:28:30,919
all of our military services, two which
are represented here.

342
00:28:30,919 --> 00:28:37,355
And I think it's so important to remember
that even 25 years ago,

343
00:28:37,355 --> 00:28:43,593
And to date, anyone that serves in the
military are volunteers.

344
00:28:43,593 --> 00:28:46,960
And that says a tremendous amount,

345
00:28:46,960 --> 00:28:51,911
amount about those that volunteer and are
willing,

346
00:28:51,911 --> 00:28:54,980
just like our first responders,

347
00:28:54,980 --> 00:29:00,723
to run towards danger while everyone else
is running away.

348
00:29:00,723 --> 00:29:06,070
So thank you very much. And appreciate you
being here.

349
00:29:06,070 --> 00:29:11,302
Okay, we've had, uh, our motion and our
second and comments from commissioners.

350
00:29:11,302 --> 00:29:16,270
So if there are no additional comments,
I'm going to proceed with the vote.

351
00:29:16,270 --> 00:29:20,641
And just to let everyone know, as soon as
we do that, we will, um,

352
00:29:20,641 --> 00:29:23,820
take a brief recess to do a photograph
together.

353
00:29:23,820 --> 00:29:26,536
So I will begin with Commissioner Wysong.

354
00:29:26,536 --> 00:29:27,452
Aye.

355
00:29:27,452 --> 00:29:28,786
Vice Chair Nelson.

356
00:29:28,786 --> 00:29:29,091
Aye.

357
00:29:29,091 --> 00:29:30,258
Commissioner Applegate.

358
00:29:30,258 --> 00:29:31,813
Aye. Commissioner Williams?

359
00:29:31,813 --> 00:29:32,118
Aye.

360
00:29:32,118 --> 00:29:37,016
And

361
00:29:37,016 --> 00:29:41,914
the

362
00:29:41,914 --> 00:29:50,078
chair

363
00:29:50,078 --> 00:29:58,241
votes

364
00:29:58,241 --> 00:30:04,772
aye.

365
00:30:04,772 --> 00:30:11,303
That

366
00:30:11,303 --> 00:30:21,099
passes

367
00:30:21,099 --> 00:30:27,630
5-0.

368
00:30:27,630 --> 00:30:37,426
We are

369
00:30:37,426 --> 00:30:40,692
in

370
00:30:40,692 --> 00:30:52,121
recess.

371
00:30:52,121 --> 00:30:58,651
I'll

372
00:30:58,651 --> 00:31:05,182
call

373
00:31:05,182 --> 00:31:11,713
this

374
00:31:11,713 --> 00:31:23,142
meeting

375
00:31:23,142 --> 00:31:29,673
back

376
00:31:29,673 --> 00:31:32,938
to

377
00:31:32,938 --> 00:31:42,734
order,

378
00:31:42,734 --> 00:31:52,531
and we

379
00:31:52,531 --> 00:32:02,327
are on

380
00:32:02,327 --> 00:32:08,858
item

381
00:32:08,858 --> 00:32:12,123
7.

382
00:32:13,753 --> 00:32:18,279
Item number 7 is comments by elected
officials and commissioner liaison

383
00:32:18,279 --> 00:32:22,804
reports. 7A, Coroner Annual Report. Dr.
Emily Russell-Kinsley, Coroner.

384
00:32:22,804 --> 00:32:25,073
Good morning.

385
00:32:25,073 --> 00:32:29,218
Good morning. Thanks so much for having
me.

386
00:32:29,218 --> 00:32:36,930
Yeah, and I'm eager to, uh, present the
information from our 2025 annual report.

387
00:32:36,930 --> 00:32:42,424
Um, at the end of it, or what would be the
end of it, um,

388
00:32:42,424 --> 00:32:46,184
I have some additional new information.

389
00:32:46,184 --> 00:32:50,907
So, um, hopefully this will be helpful for
folks.

390
00:32:50,907 --> 00:32:54,763
Just a reminder, so my jurisdiction, um,

391
00:32:54,763 --> 00:33:02,571
is defined under Colorado Statute 3010-606
It mandates that my office investigate

392
00:33:02,571 --> 00:33:07,680
deaths which are sudden, unexpected, and
non-natural.

393
00:33:07,680 --> 00:33:13,753
Anytime there's not a physician available
to certify the death,

394
00:33:13,753 --> 00:33:16,838
any type of industrial accident,

395
00:33:16,838 --> 00:33:24,453
any death in custody of law enforcement or
in the care of a public institution,

396
00:33:24,453 --> 00:33:31,104
deaths due to public health threats, and
anything that's unexplained.

397
00:33:31,104 --> 00:33:35,828
So in 2025, Our office investigated 6,739
deaths,

398
00:33:35,828 --> 00:33:39,780
which represents a 7% increase from 2024.

399
00:33:39,780 --> 00:33:47,299
And we performed 1,431 autopsies, which
represented an 18% increase from 2024.

400
00:33:47,299 --> 00:33:52,697
And that includes all counties, not just
El Paso County.

401
00:33:52,697 --> 00:34:00,023
This line graph shows the increase in
deaths investigated by our office Over

402
00:34:00,023 --> 00:34:00,409
deaths investigated by our office Over
time

403
00:34:00,409 --> 00:34:02,819
starting in 2013 to 2025.

404
00:34:02,819 --> 00:34:09,277
And then this line graph shows the
increase in autopsies performed.

405
00:34:09,277 --> 00:34:14,579
El Paso County is represented by the light
orange line.

406
00:34:14,579 --> 00:34:22,098
I have an arrow at 2021, and that was just
a year nationwide high death count.

407
00:34:22,098 --> 00:34:29,713
High death rate. Then the out-of-county
autopsies that we perform is the darker

408
00:34:29,713 --> 00:34:35,015
orange line, and I have arrows there for
2023 and 2025,

409
00:34:35,015 --> 00:34:39,931
which represent the return to nature event
in 2023,

410
00:34:39,931 --> 00:34:47,258
and then in Davis Mortuary down in in
Pueblo, we. Took care of that event as

411
00:34:47,258 --> 00:34:47,740
Pueblo, we. Took care of that event as
well.

412
00:34:47,740 --> 00:34:55,162
And then our total autopsies over time are
represented by the top brown line.

413
00:34:55,162 --> 00:34:58,247
As I mentioned, as you all know,

414
00:34:58,247 --> 00:35:03,838
we perform autopsies for a third of the
state of Colorado.

415
00:35:03,838 --> 00:35:07,212
And that's exemplified in this map.

416
00:35:07,212 --> 00:35:15,020
But getting back to El Paso County, so
when we're looking at the manner of death,

417
00:35:15,020 --> 00:35:21,575
which is the circumstances surrounding the
death, in El Paso County,

418
00:35:21,575 --> 00:35:28,515
38% of our cases autopsied were natural.
Folks died from natural causes.

419
00:35:28,515 --> 00:35:36,420
36% died from accidental causes. 19% died
from suicide. 5% the result of homicide.

420
00:35:36,420 --> 00:35:42,589
2% of the cases fell into the manner
that's called undetermined.

421
00:35:42,589 --> 00:35:49,722
And that's when we don't have enough
investigative information in order to

422
00:35:49,722 --> 00:35:50,494
investigative information in order to
place it

423
00:35:50,494 --> 00:35:58,205
into the previous 4 categories. And then
the last category we call unclassified.

424
00:35:58,205 --> 00:36:05,821
And that represents fetuses, because
fetuses don't have the 5 Manners of death.

425
00:36:05,821 --> 00:36:08,230
They just don't have one.

426
00:36:08,230 --> 00:36:14,111
So we autopsied 378 individuals who died
from natural causes.

427
00:36:14,111 --> 00:36:20,762
About half of those folks died as a result
of cardiovascular disease,

428
00:36:20,762 --> 00:36:26,353
and that's consistent with what we see
across our country.

429
00:36:26,353 --> 00:36:33,583
I have a star next to the 72 who died as a
result of chronic alcohol abuse.

430
00:36:33,583 --> 00:36:41,198
That doesn't necessarily mean— that's an
increased number from the year before,

431
00:36:41,198 --> 00:36:48,910
but it doesn't necessarily mean that we
have had an increase in folks dying from

432
00:36:48,910 --> 00:36:52,669
chronic alcohol abuse in our community.

433
00:36:52,669 --> 00:36:57,778
I had an interest in bringing more of
those folks in,

434
00:36:57,778 --> 00:37:01,634
in order to identify or rule out trauma,

435
00:37:01,634 --> 00:37:06,647
because it's a very vulnerable population
to trauma.

436
00:37:06,647 --> 00:37:14,069
And if they died as a result of trauma,
that would change the manner of their

437
00:37:14,069 --> 00:37:14,648
that would change the manner of their
death.

438
00:37:14,648 --> 00:37:18,407
It would be an accidental, most likely.

439
00:37:18,407 --> 00:37:24,191
For accidental deaths, we autopsied 359
individuals in 2025,

440
00:37:24,191 --> 00:37:28,625
and that represented a 14% increase from
2024.

441
00:37:28,625 --> 00:37:35,951
Motor vehicle fatalities remained steady
between '24 and '25, Unfortunately,

442
00:37:35,951 --> 00:37:43,952
drug overdoses increased 16%. Hypothermia
deaths, however, decreased from 16 to 12.

443
00:37:43,952 --> 00:37:48,587
Commissioner Williams, on that slide that
you were just on,

444
00:37:48,587 --> 00:37:53,930
I just wanted to thank you for adding the
e-scooters and the mopeds.

445
00:37:53,930 --> 00:37:59,901
Those, you know, represent a new safety
standard for drivers to be aware of.

446
00:37:59,901 --> 00:38:04,143
And I see a lot of teenagers out on the
electric ones.

447
00:38:04,143 --> 00:38:07,836
And so it's a little bit nerve-wracking
for me.

448
00:38:07,836 --> 00:38:13,649
But whether or not the state legislature
or anyone decides to regulate it,

449
00:38:13,649 --> 00:38:19,856
it's not up to me. It's just that they
have a little bit more freedom than they

450
00:38:19,856 --> 00:38:24,570
would have were they on bikes. So thanks
for adding that in.

451
00:38:24,570 --> 00:38:29,992
Absolutely. So I started tracking that
about 3 years ago.

452
00:38:29,992 --> 00:38:34,272
I noticed it was a an issue in our
community,

453
00:38:34,272 --> 00:38:40,836
and I wanted to make sure that we had data
readily available when it,

454
00:38:40,836 --> 00:38:48,350
when it dealt with our office. So we've
been keeping track of that for a while.

455
00:38:48,350 --> 00:38:52,631
When we look at blunt force injury
accidents,

456
00:38:52,631 --> 00:38:59,194
there were 35 deaths from passenger and
commercial vehicle accidents.

457
00:38:59,194 --> 00:39:06,614
27 motor vehicle fatalities involved
motorcycles, and 12 involved pedestrians.

458
00:39:06,614 --> 00:39:10,419
There are 14 simple falls in this group.

459
00:39:10,419 --> 00:39:16,602
That does not represent all of the simple
falls in our community.

460
00:39:16,602 --> 00:39:18,885
We have many, many more.

461
00:39:18,885 --> 00:39:25,828
Most of those get released for the
clinician to sign out if they're fully

462
00:39:25,828 --> 00:39:26,685
clinician to sign out if they're fully
diagnosed

463
00:39:26,685 --> 00:39:34,485
and if there's no issues or concerns with
that case. And then 11 falls downstairs.

464
00:39:34,485 --> 00:39:38,955
And as you mentioned, One e-scooter, one
moped.

465
00:39:38,955 --> 00:39:43,807
So there were 88 motor vehicle fatalities
in total.

466
00:39:43,807 --> 00:39:48,943
32% involved motorcycles and 16% involved
pedestrians.

467
00:39:48,943 --> 00:39:52,843
When we look at the pedestrian accidents,

468
00:39:52,843 --> 00:39:59,882
for the ones where at the time of the
autopsy we had an idea of who was at

469
00:39:59,882 --> 00:40:00,453
autopsy we had an idea of who was at
fault,

470
00:40:00,453 --> 00:40:05,399
that's split evenly between pedestrians
and drivers.

471
00:40:05,399 --> 00:40:12,819
When we look at the type of vehicle for
the motor vehicle fatalities excluding

472
00:40:12,819 --> 00:40:20,428
pedestrians, 39% involved motorcycles and
28% involved SUVs, which is, you know,

473
00:40:20,428 --> 00:40:24,138
a very common vehicle in our community.

474
00:40:24,138 --> 00:40:29,560
When we look at the suspected primary
cause of the crash,

475
00:40:29,560 --> 00:40:36,124
39% of those were due to reckless driving
and excessive speed, again,

476
00:40:36,124 --> 00:40:41,831
at the time of autopsy. And 30% involved
an impaired driver.

477
00:40:41,831 --> 00:40:47,063
In fatalities where the driver was
considered at fault,

478
00:40:47,063 --> 00:40:54,577
you guys know we run toxicology on just
about every Every individual that comes

479
00:40:54,577 --> 00:41:01,711
through our office. 68% of those
individuals had intoxicating substances in

480
00:41:01,711 --> 00:41:02,187
individuals had intoxicating substances in
their

481
00:41:02,187 --> 00:41:09,321
system at the time of the accident,
including alcohol, THC, or other drugs.

482
00:41:09,321 --> 00:41:15,694
24% of the collisions were a front
collision or rollover collision,

483
00:41:15,694 --> 00:41:19,214
and 37% were a side impact collision.

484
00:41:19,214 --> 00:41:24,160
And then when we're looking at the use of
seatbelts,

485
00:41:24,160 --> 00:41:32,150
we know that at least 51% of the folks who
died in motor vehicle collisions were not

486
00:41:32,150 --> 00:41:39,475
wearing a seatbelt in our community. I
don't know if y'all saw this headline.

487
00:41:39,475 --> 00:41:42,899
So for the United States as a whole,

488
00:41:42,899 --> 00:41:50,414
this was the 3rd year that the United
States had a decrease in overdose deaths.

489
00:41:50,414 --> 00:41:57,548
Unfortunately, 3 states did not fall into
that number: New Mexico, Arizona,

490
00:41:57,548 --> 00:42:04,967
and unfortunately the state of Colorado.
So let's see how our community fared.

491
00:42:04,967 --> 00:42:12,006
As I mentioned, we had a 16% increase in
overdose deaths in our community.

492
00:42:12,006 --> 00:42:19,331
Fentanyl deaths increased by 17% and
methamphetamine deaths increased by 18%.

493
00:42:19,331 --> 00:42:22,660
There were, of the overdose deaths,

494
00:42:22,660 --> 00:42:30,365
100 people of the 178 had methamphetamine
in their system and 80 had fentanyl and

495
00:42:30,365 --> 00:42:33,028
its analogs in their system.

496
00:42:33,028 --> 00:42:40,067
When we look at accidental drug deaths
over time in El Paso County, again,

497
00:42:40,067 --> 00:42:46,441
you can see that peak in 2021. Which we've
talked about every year.

498
00:42:46,441 --> 00:42:52,148
And methamphetamine is signified by the
lighter orange line,

499
00:42:52,148 --> 00:42:55,858
and fentanyl is the darker orange line.

500
00:42:55,858 --> 00:43:03,848
So you can see in 2023, fentanyl overtook
methamphetamine, but that was short-lived.

501
00:43:03,848 --> 00:43:10,316
We all celebrated that decrease in 2024,
But unfortunately, in 2025,

502
00:43:10,316 --> 00:43:17,355
we do have an increase in accidental
deaths, and later in my presentation,

503
00:43:17,355 --> 00:43:20,114
we will talk more about that.

504
00:43:20,114 --> 00:43:27,914
Our annual report, which is available on
our website now, has so much information,

505
00:43:27,914 --> 00:43:33,906
so much more information than we really
want to get into today.

506
00:43:33,906 --> 00:43:37,901
But it includes things like on this slide.

507
00:43:37,901 --> 00:43:45,226
The thing I want to point out on this
slide is in the upper left-hand corner,

508
00:43:45,226 --> 00:43:49,887
12% of overdose deaths involved prescribed
drugs.

509
00:43:49,887 --> 00:43:57,687
We had 46 homicides in our community last
year, which represented a 9.8% decrease.

510
00:43:57,687 --> 00:44:00,160
So there's some good news.

511
00:44:00,160 --> 00:44:07,770
However, homicides involving domestic
violence Increased from 9 to 17 last year.

512
00:44:07,770 --> 00:44:13,287
Um, 9 were due to an altercation, 6 were
officer-involved,

513
00:44:13,287 --> 00:44:18,043
5 occurred during the commission of
another crime,

514
00:44:18,043 --> 00:44:25,653
7 we did not know at the time of autopsy,
and then 2 fall in the other category.

515
00:44:25,653 --> 00:44:29,838
Firearms were used in 33 of these
homicides.

516
00:44:32,232 --> 00:44:32,945
Um, yeah.

517
00:44:32,945 --> 00:44:39,617
So suicides for our community, we had a
23% increase, um, in suicides.

518
00:44:39,617 --> 00:44:43,716
We had 190, um, in our community last
year.

519
00:44:43,716 --> 00:44:47,528
Um, firearms were means in, um, 101, uh,

520
00:44:47,528 --> 00:44:51,722
followed by ligature and drugs at 33 and
32.

521
00:44:51,722 --> 00:44:53,914
And again, like I said,

522
00:44:53,914 --> 00:45:01,444
we have so much information in this in
this report for those who are interested

523
00:45:01,444 --> 00:45:01,635
this report for those who are interested
in

524
00:45:01,635 --> 00:45:09,451
in diving in. One of the things that I'm
really grateful for is the fact that when

525
00:45:09,451 --> 00:45:14,407
when we have suicides, we will interview
the family,

526
00:45:14,407 --> 00:45:18,410
those closest to the individual, and they.

527
00:45:18,410 --> 00:45:25,368
They are willing to take the time and talk
to us and go over some of this

528
00:45:25,368 --> 00:45:29,276
information. So in the box on the bottom,

529
00:45:29,276 --> 00:45:36,615
you can see that 82% of the individuals
had preexisting mental health issues.

530
00:45:36,615 --> 00:45:41,476
41% were suffering from substance or
alcohol abuse.

531
00:45:41,476 --> 00:45:44,908
33% had significant health problems.

532
00:45:44,908 --> 00:45:49,483
33% had a history of abuse or domestic
violence.

533
00:45:49,483 --> 00:45:55,011
29% had relationship issues, and 23% had
financial issues.

534
00:45:55,011 --> 00:46:02,350
And we wouldn't have that information if
those individuals weren't willing to

535
00:46:02,350 --> 00:46:05,019
speak about their loved one.

536
00:46:05,019 --> 00:46:06,924
Can I just ask a question?

537
00:46:06,924 --> 00:46:09,928
I know how meticulous you are about data,

538
00:46:09,928 --> 00:46:14,398
and so I'm looking forward to diving into
that annual report.

539
00:46:14,398 --> 00:46:18,648
But because we're looking at raw numbers,
and I obviously—

540
00:46:18,648 --> 00:46:21,285
the increases that you're reporting,

541
00:46:21,285 --> 00:46:25,462
I don't think are only attributable to
population growth.

542
00:46:25,462 --> 00:46:30,957
But because we are a growing community, do
you have in any of those slides,

543
00:46:30,957 --> 00:46:33,375
or is that in your annual report,

544
00:46:33,375 --> 00:46:38,651
where we can see what the percentages are
compared to population growth?

545
00:46:38,651 --> 00:46:42,586
Compared to population growth for El Paso
County?

546
00:46:42,586 --> 00:46:43,068
Yes, ma'am.

547
00:46:44,303 --> 00:46:46,786
Well, I do not have that here,

548
00:46:46,786 --> 00:46:51,256
but we're going to dive more into suicide
in a minute,

549
00:46:51,256 --> 00:46:56,057
and that will be something that we can
definitely look at.

550
00:46:56,057 --> 00:47:01,354
But as you know, it is incredibly complex,
and I agree with you,

551
00:47:01,354 --> 00:47:05,824
this likely is not just a result of
population growth.

552
00:47:05,824 --> 00:47:06,882
Yep. Thank you.

553
00:47:06,882 --> 00:47:11,348
Absolutely. So we autopsied 44 children
last year.

554
00:47:11,348 --> 00:47:16,975
And let's see, unfortunately, youth
suicides increased as well.

555
00:47:16,975 --> 00:47:20,816
There were 4 in 2024, and we had 9 in
2025.

556
00:47:20,816 --> 00:47:26,710
And I want to point out, for the 9 in
2025, 7 of those were girls.

557
00:47:26,710 --> 00:47:33,320
11 kiddos, the cause of death, the manner
of death ended up being natural.

558
00:47:33,320 --> 00:47:40,019
6 died in motor vehicle collisions, and 5
died as a result of unsafe sleep.

559
00:47:40,019 --> 00:47:44,663
When we look at the kids who died from
unsafe sleep,

560
00:47:44,663 --> 00:47:48,861
4 of the 5 were due to co-sleeping with
adults.

561
00:47:48,861 --> 00:47:56,007
Typically, Those are situations where the
adults are in— excuse me, intoxicated.

562
00:47:56,007 --> 00:48:00,026
We autopsied 87 homeless individuals in
2025.

563
00:48:00,026 --> 00:48:05,921
That's pretty steady with the data from
2024 when we autopsied 86.

564
00:48:05,921 --> 00:48:08,779
Homicides decreased from 7 to 3,

565
00:48:08,779 --> 00:48:13,781
but unfortunately the drug-related deaths
increased 29%.

566
00:48:13,781 --> 00:48:17,532
When we look at the 40 drug intoxications,

567
00:48:17,532 --> 00:48:24,945
19 individuals had methamphetamine plus or
minus other drugs that resulted in their

568
00:48:24,945 --> 00:48:29,679
death, and then 13 had fentanyl with
methamphetamine,

569
00:48:29,679 --> 00:48:36,378
and then had other drugs possibly present
as well. So this is the new part.

570
00:48:36,378 --> 00:48:43,613
I think I had spoken with you all about
how I wanted to start looking at the data

571
00:48:43,613 --> 00:48:51,026
more frequently. And we finally got to a
point where we could start combing through

572
00:48:51,026 --> 00:48:55,224
this. I will tell you, just as I told my
staff,

573
00:48:55,224 --> 00:48:59,511
we are building the plane while we're
flying it.

574
00:48:59,511 --> 00:49:04,692
We are trying to figure out how to do this
What is useful.

575
00:49:04,692 --> 00:49:09,247
And so we appreciate everyone's patience
with this.

576
00:49:09,247 --> 00:49:15,321
But what do I mean by we're going to start
releasing quarterly data?

577
00:49:15,321 --> 00:49:18,983
Probably looking at quarters 1 through 3.

578
00:49:18,983 --> 00:49:21,841
By the time we get to quarter 4,

579
00:49:21,841 --> 00:49:27,378
we're really going to be working on next
year's annual report.

580
00:49:27,378 --> 00:49:33,184
So anything that's important, we'll make
sure and let folks know,

581
00:49:33,184 --> 00:49:36,489
but we may not do a big announcement.

582
00:49:36,489 --> 00:49:43,456
Also, something to keep in mind is there
is a 2-month lag time with this work.

583
00:49:43,456 --> 00:49:47,743
So it takes time for toxicology to be
completed,

584
00:49:47,743 --> 00:49:51,048
for us to get additional information.

585
00:49:51,048 --> 00:49:56,853
The vast majority of our, our cases are
completed within 60 days,

586
00:49:56,853 --> 00:50:02,212
but we can't look at, say, quarter 1 data
January, February,

587
00:50:02,212 --> 00:50:05,338
March until late May or early June.

588
00:50:05,338 --> 00:50:12,305
And when we look at that data, we're only
going to be looking at closed cases.

589
00:50:12,305 --> 00:50:19,361
So could there be something that's in the
news or something that you know about

590
00:50:19,361 --> 00:50:22,577
that's not represented in this data?

591
00:50:22,577 --> 00:50:27,668
That's definitely possible if that case is
not completed.

592
00:50:27,668 --> 00:50:31,776
Unfortunately, some cases just take, you
know,

593
00:50:31,776 --> 00:50:37,225
longer when we're looking at getting
additional testing done,

594
00:50:37,225 --> 00:50:39,279
additional information.

595
00:50:39,279 --> 00:50:45,978
I know I have a case from the first
quarter that I'm, I'm still waiting on,

596
00:50:45,978 --> 00:50:53,391
on outside studies. So not all the cases
will be represented in the quarterly data,

597
00:50:53,391 --> 00:50:57,053
which is not true with the annual report.

598
00:50:57,053 --> 00:51:04,467
We make sure and get every case closed for
the annual report before we publish that

599
00:51:04,467 --> 00:51:11,969
data. Also, I'm not going to be reporting
on everything that's in the annual report.

600
00:51:11,969 --> 00:51:18,579
We're just going to look for anything
that's significant, any any changes,

601
00:51:18,579 --> 00:51:23,045
anything maybe that we want to keep close
tabs on.

602
00:51:23,045 --> 00:51:30,190
But I'm really excited about it because
looking at data more than once a year is

603
00:51:30,190 --> 00:51:37,067
really giving us an opportunity to break
it down and go in deeper and look at

604
00:51:37,067 --> 00:51:37,603
it down and go in deeper and look at
what's

605
00:51:37,603 --> 00:51:42,337
unique to our community. So just like we I
presented.

606
00:51:42,337 --> 00:51:48,857
about how the United States had a decrease
in overdose deaths. We didn't.

607
00:51:48,857 --> 00:51:55,913
And so I think being able to look at
what's impacting our community, and it is,

608
00:51:55,913 --> 00:51:59,040
you know, special to our community,

609
00:51:59,040 --> 00:52:03,505
my hope is that it's going to help folks
like you,

610
00:52:03,505 --> 00:52:08,864
folks like the not-for-profits who are
making big decisions.

611
00:52:08,864 --> 00:52:15,027
And if you can have you know, more
up-to-date data, more timely data,

612
00:52:15,027 --> 00:52:16,903
more thoughtful data,

613
00:52:16,903 --> 00:52:23,602
then it can really help with the big
decisions that are getting made across

614
00:52:23,602 --> 00:52:23,959
decisions that are getting made across
our,

615
00:52:23,959 --> 00:52:31,372
our community. We will be posting this on
our website and social media when we get,

616
00:52:31,372 --> 00:52:33,337
get the numbers ready.

617
00:52:33,337 --> 00:52:40,036
So let's dive into— it's not going to be
the first quarter because we're in

618
00:52:40,036 --> 00:52:45,217
September, so We're looking at the first
half of the year,

619
00:52:45,217 --> 00:52:47,539
January through June 2026.

620
00:52:47,539 --> 00:52:52,630
We investigated 3,209 cases by the end of
June this year,

621
00:52:52,630 --> 00:52:58,436
and we performed 509 El Paso County
autopsies by the end of June.

622
00:52:58,436 --> 00:53:01,740
Our peak caseload so far was January.

623
00:53:01,740 --> 00:53:08,350
For motor vehicle fatalities, we're at 45
right now. We're holding steady.

624
00:53:08,350 --> 00:53:12,637
Um, 11, uh, uh, fatalities involved
motorcycles.

625
00:53:12,637 --> 00:53:19,247
In 2025, there were a total of, of 28. We
have 5 pedestrian deaths so far.

626
00:53:19,247 --> 00:53:25,677
In 2025, there were 13. So those numbers
are looking promising, hopeful.

627
00:53:25,677 --> 00:53:33,002
Um, we don't have any, um, e-whatevers—
e-bikes, e-scooters, e-whatever it is— um,

628
00:53:33,002 --> 00:53:35,324
so far completed for 2026.

629
00:53:35,324 --> 00:53:40,861
Our peaks for motor vehicle fatalities
were January and March.

630
00:53:40,861 --> 00:53:43,273
Each of those had 9 deaths.

631
00:53:43,273 --> 00:53:46,310
And our trough was in June with 5,

632
00:53:46,310 --> 00:53:52,562
which kind of surprised me because June's
such a nice month to be out.

633
00:53:52,562 --> 00:53:57,296
And we have so many tourists. Moving on to
homicides.

634
00:53:57,296 --> 00:54:03,012
I don't want to give the number. Homicides
take a little longer.

635
00:54:03,012 --> 00:54:07,835
We may not get those out just in within
those 60 days.

636
00:54:07,835 --> 00:54:12,569
But half of the completed cases appear to
involve DV.

637
00:54:12,569 --> 00:54:16,946
So this is a recurring theme that we keep
seeing.

638
00:54:16,946 --> 00:54:22,037
And so I just want to bring everyone's
attention to that.

639
00:54:22,037 --> 00:54:25,520
For hypothermia cases, where, you know,

640
00:54:25,520 --> 00:54:31,683
folks are outside in the cold and die as a
result of that, we have 4.

641
00:54:31,683 --> 00:54:36,774
We had a very mild winter. There were 12
total last year.

642
00:54:36,774 --> 00:54:41,419
And as you'll recall from what I just
said, in 2024,

643
00:54:41,419 --> 00:54:48,296
we had 6 So if we can keep coming down
with that, that would be really great.

644
00:54:48,296 --> 00:54:53,119
This is— and this is where things get
really bad here.

645
00:54:53,119 --> 00:54:59,461
So with the drug-related deaths, we've had
124 through the end of June.

646
00:54:59,461 --> 00:55:06,249
There were 178 total in 2025. So this is
very, you know, somber information.

647
00:55:06,249 --> 00:55:07,183
Wow.

648
00:55:08,016 --> 00:55:14,781
So far, 79 cases involved methamphetamine,
and 100— there were only—

649
00:55:14,781 --> 00:55:21,248
there were 100 in all of last year that
involved methamphetamine.

650
00:55:21,248 --> 00:55:28,611
58 cases through June involved fentanyl.
There was a total of 80 for 2025.

651
00:55:28,611 --> 00:55:35,774
And we had 21 cases with cocaine, which
seems to be making a resurgence.

652
00:55:35,774 --> 00:55:42,142
There were 29 total last year. So more
things for us to dive in.

653
00:55:42,142 --> 00:55:48,708
Just so you know, we're also keeping an
eye on the emerging drugs.

654
00:55:48,708 --> 00:55:52,091
Xylazine, we've seen that 5 times.

655
00:55:52,091 --> 00:55:57,364
That's if you've heard of Tranq, the
veterinary drug.

656
00:55:57,364 --> 00:56:01,742
The xylazine, bromazolam, phenazolam,
these,

657
00:56:01,742 --> 00:56:05,920
we see these in combination with fentanyl.

658
00:56:05,920 --> 00:56:13,681
And so we're just keeping tabs on those.
They seem to be increasing from 2025.

659
00:56:13,681 --> 00:56:21,242
And then there was recent discussion about
kratom or mitragynine. Excuse me.

660
00:56:21,242 --> 00:56:28,505
So we plotted or did this line graph
showing mitragynine cases in El Paso

661
00:56:28,505 --> 00:56:33,877
County. We've been dealing with
mitragynine for years.

662
00:56:33,877 --> 00:56:40,145
And like I said, we perform autopsies for
a third of the state.

663
00:56:40,145 --> 00:56:47,408
So we see a lot more than just this. So we
had 4 through June, 2 in July.

664
00:56:47,408 --> 00:56:50,791
As you can see, it peaked in 2021.

665
00:56:50,791 --> 00:56:56,959
We were really coming down in '25, and '26
is changing course.

666
00:56:56,959 --> 00:57:00,840
So we will see where we land with that.

667
00:57:00,840 --> 00:57:06,610
For suicides, hopefully we're in a better
place this year.

668
00:57:06,610 --> 00:57:14,171
We have 75 suicides through the end of
June. There were 190 total last year.

669
00:57:14,171 --> 00:57:21,932
And again, one of the things that I
mentioned that I really like about this is

670
00:57:21,932 --> 00:57:27,006
being able to dive in and see what's
unique for us.

671
00:57:27,006 --> 00:57:29,593
And so in the black graph,

672
00:57:29,593 --> 00:57:37,552
we took the number of suicides every month
and for the past 5 years and averaged

673
00:57:37,552 --> 00:57:43,323
it. And so what we found was, you know, a
trough in April,

674
00:57:43,323 --> 00:57:49,790
a trough in September, high numbers in
January, August, December.

675
00:57:49,790 --> 00:57:55,958
And when we are looking at 2026, We're
seeing that same trend.

676
00:57:55,958 --> 00:57:59,540
January's high, April is our trough.

677
00:57:59,540 --> 00:58:06,902
And I find that interesting because if you
look at the graph on the bottom

678
00:58:06,902 --> 00:58:13,966
right, that shows the blue dots represent
suicides nationally by month.

679
00:58:13,966 --> 00:58:14,864
Okay.

680
00:58:15,837 --> 00:58:20,046
The blue dots are November, December,
January.

681
00:58:20,046 --> 00:58:26,451
So those are supposed to be nationally
speaking; those are low months.

682
00:58:26,451 --> 00:58:33,771
But what we're seeing here in for our
December and our January for the past five

683
00:58:33,771 --> 00:58:35,692
years is it's higher.

684
00:58:35,692 --> 00:58:41,914
Another thing that's interesting is in the
graph on the upper right,

685
00:58:41,914 --> 00:58:47,312
this group they divided. Folks into 2
different age groups.

686
00:58:47,312 --> 00:58:53,717
So, and what they found was that in June,
for the younger individuals,

687
00:58:53,717 --> 00:59:00,214
there was a trough. Yet in July, for the
older individuals— and I mean,

688
00:59:00,214 --> 00:59:06,070
older is relative because in this
instance, older means over 25—

689
00:59:06,070 --> 00:59:12,474
but for the older individuals in this
group, there was a peak in July.

690
00:59:12,474 --> 00:59:19,794
And so we have a lot more diving into the
information to do, like you mentioned.

691
00:59:19,794 --> 00:59:25,376
And like I said, we're building the plane
as we're flying it.

692
00:59:25,376 --> 00:59:28,761
But I'm eager, and my staff is eager,

693
00:59:28,761 --> 00:59:35,256
to dive into this more and share the
relevant information.

694
00:59:38,256 --> 00:59:41,766
So could I just ask one more question on
that? Yeah, absolutely.

695
00:59:41,766 --> 00:59:41,991
And I—

696
00:59:42,104 --> 00:59:46,306
it is very complex. And though we want to
see these numbers much, much lower,

697
00:59:46,306 --> 00:59:47,561
I also think, you know,

698
00:59:47,561 --> 00:59:51,436
when you're dealing with a relatively
small number of people, you know,

699
00:59:51,436 --> 00:59:55,856
trying to actually find, is there a trend
or is this, you know, that's difficult.

700
00:59:55,856 --> 00:59:58,475
But you mentioned doing some of those, you
know,

701
00:59:58,475 --> 01:00:01,859
Asking some of those questions of family
members around those.

702
01:00:01,859 --> 01:00:05,679
So is that a question that you will be
asking around, you know, those?

703
01:00:05,679 --> 01:00:06,770
It's like, was this—

704
01:00:06,770 --> 01:00:10,372
was there something happening during this
particular type of year?

705
01:00:10,372 --> 01:00:13,046
Is that how you will try to get to finding
those,

706
01:00:13,046 --> 01:00:17,575
or is there some other method that you are
looking at to try to identify if there's

707
01:00:17,575 --> 01:00:21,722
something happening at that time of year?
I mean, I know the days are short.

708
01:00:21,722 --> 01:00:25,488
I, as much as I don't want to trivialize
it, you know, less sunshine,

709
01:00:25,488 --> 01:00:29,526
all of those things can be really
impactful to people who are experiencing

710
01:00:29,526 --> 01:00:30,399
depression, but—

711
01:00:30,399 --> 01:00:30,447
Yeah.

712
01:00:30,816 --> 01:00:31,897
How are you going to—

713
01:00:31,897 --> 01:00:35,551
are those things already in place that
we'll start to see some of that?

714
01:00:35,551 --> 01:00:38,433
I know you're building the plane while
you're flying it,

715
01:00:38,433 --> 01:00:42,602
but do you have ways that you are starting
to look at those trends or ask some of

716
01:00:42,602 --> 01:00:44,300
those questions to decipher that?

717
01:00:44,300 --> 01:00:49,234
I don't foresee us going back and
reinterviewing families,

718
01:00:49,234 --> 01:00:53,658
but we've been doing these questionnaires
for years.

719
01:00:53,658 --> 01:00:59,783
If we need to refer back to the
questionnaire, we can certainly do that.

720
01:00:59,783 --> 01:01:04,036
You know, we keep all that information, of
course.

721
01:01:04,036 --> 01:01:07,950
And so I don't think that we'll be doing
that.

722
01:01:07,950 --> 01:01:11,948
And I may not have the answers, right? I
won't.

723
01:01:11,948 --> 01:01:16,542
I'll just tell you, I'm not going to have
the answers.

724
01:01:16,542 --> 01:01:21,135
I'm not going to know the why because it's
so complex.

725
01:01:21,135 --> 01:01:28,196
But I feel like if we can identify maybe
some trends or some peaks and some troughs

726
01:01:28,196 --> 01:01:35,002
then perhaps that can help individuals who
are making decisions in prevention or

727
01:01:35,002 --> 01:01:38,745
things like that. But I will not solve
this.

728
01:01:39,179 --> 01:01:39,227
I—

729
01:01:39,500 --> 01:01:41,774
and I fully recognize that.

730
01:01:41,774 --> 01:01:46,742
But if I can provide my little piece of
data to the puzzle,

731
01:01:46,742 --> 01:01:49,942
then I hope that that can help people.

732
01:01:49,942 --> 01:01:51,879
So the takeaways: 2025,

733
01:01:51,879 --> 01:01:57,690
we had a 7% increase in the cases
investigated and an 18% Increase in

734
01:01:57,690 --> 01:01:58,784
investigated and an 18% Increase in
examinations,

735
01:01:58,784 --> 01:02:02,237
with a 14% increase in accidental deaths.

736
01:02:02,237 --> 01:02:08,048
Motor vehicle collisions are stable in
2025 and the first half of 26.

737
01:02:08,048 --> 01:02:14,448
51% of individuals were not wearing a
seatbelt—at least 51%—and the at-fault

738
01:02:14,448 --> 01:02:19,921
drivers, 68%, had intoxicating drugs in
their system. So I think.

739
01:02:19,921 --> 01:02:23,627
You know, I'm not faulting people, but
it's—

740
01:02:23,627 --> 01:02:30,532
I think that's good information for us to
take with us when we are choosing to get

741
01:02:30,532 --> 01:02:36,090
behind the wheel or choosing to get into a
vehicle moving forward.

742
01:02:36,090 --> 01:02:39,627
There's a 16% increase in overdose deaths.

743
01:02:39,627 --> 01:02:45,858
Again, methamphetamine and fentanyl are
what we're really looking at here.

744
01:02:45,858 --> 01:02:49,564
A 29% increase in overdoses in the
unhoused.

745
01:02:49,564 --> 01:02:55,458
population, but we are continuing to have,
for now 2 and a half years,

746
01:02:55,458 --> 01:02:59,837
decreasing hypothermia deaths. So that's
great news.

747
01:02:59,837 --> 01:03:03,374
We have a decrease in our total homicides,

748
01:03:03,374 --> 01:03:08,848
but we want to keep an eye on domestic
violence in our community.

749
01:03:08,848 --> 01:03:14,574
A 23% increase in suicides in 2025,
including increases in our youth

750
01:03:14,574 --> 01:03:15,501
including increases in our youth
population.

751
01:03:15,501 --> 01:03:20,974
And the annual report will be on our
website, and as I mentioned,

752
01:03:20,974 --> 01:03:26,532
the quarterly data will be on our social
media, which is also new.

753
01:03:26,532 --> 01:03:28,385
Any further questions?

754
01:03:28,385 --> 01:03:31,571
Thank you for the, the report.

755
01:03:31,571 --> 01:03:38,050
What was the 3rd state that was not
nationally on a decrease?

756
01:03:38,050 --> 01:03:42,085
You had New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona.

757
01:03:42,085 --> 01:03:47,608
All on the major kind of corridor right
there. Yeah.

758
01:03:47,608 --> 01:03:55,042
Is that something that, you know, working
with state police, sheriffs,

759
01:03:55,042 --> 01:04:02,370
federal agencies, is that anything that
your information kind of gets

760
01:04:02,370 --> 01:04:06,300
passed down to them to help evaluate?

761
01:04:06,300 --> 01:04:11,143
We work closely with Um, law— local law
enforcement particularly.

762
01:04:11,143 --> 01:04:16,135
I'm happy to release this information to
any, you know, anyone who,

763
01:04:16,135 --> 01:04:19,935
who wants it, but we do work closely, um,
with our,

764
01:04:19,935 --> 01:04:22,990
our local law enforcement on these cases.

765
01:04:22,990 --> 01:04:24,566
Great, thank you.

766
01:04:24,566 --> 01:04:25,530
Yeah.

767
01:04:25,530 --> 01:04:28,201
Commissioner Applegate.

768
01:04:28,201 --> 01:04:31,109
I had a question, um, on the motorcycle
deaths.

769
01:04:31,109 --> 01:04:33,832
I know that last year there was an
increase.

770
01:04:33,832 --> 01:04:36,864
Um, were those numbers— were they holding
steady,

771
01:04:36,864 --> 01:04:41,319
or was it A slight decrease or a slight
increase from our previous year?

772
01:04:41,319 --> 01:04:43,759
I'm sorry, I missed what our topic is.

773
01:04:43,759 --> 01:04:45,503
Motorcycle deaths. Oh, motorcycle deaths,

774
01:04:45,503 --> 01:04:47,503
because they'd gone up significantly last
year.

775
01:04:47,503 --> 01:04:50,438
But yeah, where are those numbers at now,
like compared to last year?

776
01:04:50,438 --> 01:04:55,434
Right now, I believe it's holding steady.
Yeah. Okay, thank you.

777
01:04:55,434 --> 01:04:57,853
Or no, no, for the motorcycles,

778
01:04:57,853 --> 01:05:02,146
we were at 11 through June and then 28 for
all of 2025.

779
01:05:02,146 --> 01:05:06,830
So through June, so we're— if We'll have
to see how— I mean,

780
01:05:06,830 --> 01:05:12,606
we've got summer and fall, you know, that
still have to be counted, right?

781
01:05:12,606 --> 01:05:14,245
Haven't happened yet.

782
01:05:14,245 --> 01:05:14,936
Thank you.

783
01:05:14,936 --> 01:05:15,258
Yeah.

784
01:05:15,258 --> 01:05:19,793
Commissioner Williams? Uh, yes. So I might
have 2 comments.

785
01:05:19,793 --> 01:05:24,481
I know, um, thankful that there are fewer
hypothermia deaths.

786
01:05:24,481 --> 01:05:30,323
I do know that Mountain Metro on very,
very cold nights If you wait at a bus

787
01:05:30,323 --> 01:05:30,707
very cold nights If you wait at a bus
stop,

788
01:05:30,707 --> 01:05:34,473
they will take you to a warming shelter
for free.

789
01:05:34,473 --> 01:05:37,471
And that started, I think, last summer.

790
01:05:37,471 --> 01:05:43,389
And so I hope that we see this continued
trend on cold nights of the homeless

791
01:05:43,389 --> 01:05:47,155
population waiting at a bus stop to get on
a bus.

792
01:05:47,155 --> 01:05:53,304
And hopefully it's just not due to the
fact that we haven't had a lot of snow or

793
01:05:53,304 --> 01:05:59,761
rain, that we're actually making a dent in
the real cause of the hypothermia deaths.

794
01:05:59,761 --> 01:06:02,605
And then just a little advertisement.

795
01:06:02,605 --> 01:06:07,447
So I know that sometimes you get a
collection of drugs at home,

796
01:06:07,447 --> 01:06:10,906
especially if you had a surgery or
something.

797
01:06:10,906 --> 01:06:14,518
And I know that as my granddaughter gets
older,

798
01:06:14,518 --> 01:06:18,515
I cannot get my prescription bottles up
high enough.

799
01:06:18,515 --> 01:06:22,896
She just climbs up on the ladder or
whatever to get them.

800
01:06:22,896 --> 01:06:28,968
But— and not the drugs, actually. Usually
it's more the icing for the Cupcakes.

801
01:06:28,968 --> 01:06:34,809
Um, you can order free at-home drug
disposal kits, usually at your pharmacy,

802
01:06:34,809 --> 01:06:39,805
and so you can get rid of those drugs
safely and throw them away.

803
01:06:39,805 --> 01:06:44,340
Or on October 24th, you can go to a DEA
Drug Take-Back Day.

804
01:06:44,340 --> 01:06:50,566
I know that you can call our household
hazardous waste facility at 719-520-7878 I

805
01:06:50,566 --> 01:06:56,715
looked up the number and they'll give you
a location, usually Memorial Hospital,

806
01:06:56,715 --> 01:07:01,403
the police station. The DEA will be there
to take those back,

807
01:07:01,403 --> 01:07:07,706
and it's a good time to get rid of things
such as oxycodone and stuff that you may

808
01:07:07,706 --> 01:07:14,009
have in your house that you're not using
and you don't want to throw in the trash,

809
01:07:14,009 --> 01:07:18,159
and you certainly don't want to put it
down the drain.

810
01:07:18,159 --> 01:07:23,232
So that's just my Public service
announcement for the day. Thanks.

811
01:07:23,232 --> 01:07:28,868
I, I want to add on that. I think that
that's great. Thank you for sharing that.

812
01:07:28,868 --> 01:07:32,954
I will add, my grocery store, I noticed
they have a place,

813
01:07:32,954 --> 01:07:36,265
a receptacle where you can bring your old
meds,

814
01:07:36,265 --> 01:07:41,619
and that was something that was new to me.
But yes, I, I think that's great.

815
01:07:41,619 --> 01:07:42,323
Thank you.

816
01:07:42,323 --> 01:07:45,139
Vice Chair Nelson.

817
01:07:46,076 --> 01:07:49,319
I have 2, I guess, questions or comments.

818
01:07:49,319 --> 01:07:53,826
It's really interesting to see this data
around drug use.

819
01:07:53,826 --> 01:07:58,334
And I'm just thinking in terms of Carrie
Geitner, myself,

820
01:07:58,334 --> 01:08:01,972
and you serve on the Opioid Abatement
Council.

821
01:08:01,972 --> 01:08:07,350
And are you going to be presenting this at
any time to that council?

822
01:08:07,350 --> 01:08:10,830
Because I think it would be really
valuable.

823
01:08:10,830 --> 01:08:14,024
I would be happy to. Yeah. Absolutely.

824
01:08:14,024 --> 01:08:21,301
Yeah, I'm— we talk a lot in terms of what
organizations are doing and kind of at a

825
01:08:21,301 --> 01:08:28,578
higher level, but to drill down and see
methamphetamine is really making an impact

826
01:08:28,578 --> 01:08:35,677
in our community. And so I know we're
doing some targeted information on THC and

827
01:08:35,677 --> 01:08:35,944
doing some targeted information on THC and
the

828
01:08:35,944 --> 01:08:42,511
risks of, you know, high— what's the
verbiage— high potency THC messaging,

829
01:08:42,511 --> 01:08:49,521
especially with families and parents
understanding with their youth and helping

830
01:08:49,521 --> 01:08:54,846
educate folks. But so just would be
interesting to, I think,

831
01:08:54,846 --> 01:09:02,300
share this out of that level of detail on
certain drugs that you're seeing prevalent

832
01:09:02,300 --> 01:09:09,045
in the community too. And then my other
question Actually, 2 more questions.

833
01:09:09,045 --> 01:09:12,417
Is— can you send us this presentation?

834
01:09:12,417 --> 01:09:19,251
Because I would like to go back and look
again at some of the data and remind

835
01:09:19,251 --> 01:09:19,783
again at some of the data and remind
myself

836
01:09:19,783 --> 01:09:22,090
on some of the statistics.

837
01:09:22,090 --> 01:09:28,480
And then with the suicides, very
concerning to see the increase in youth

838
01:09:28,480 --> 01:09:29,190
concerning to see the increase in youth
suicide.

839
01:09:29,190 --> 01:09:35,668
And also, I can't remember if it was on
previous slides, Overall suicide,

840
01:09:35,668 --> 01:09:40,105
has that also trended up or not for just
all ages?

841
01:09:40,105 --> 01:09:43,300
But we did see an increase in youth.

842
01:09:43,300 --> 01:09:48,105
Yes, that was a 23% increase from 2024 to
2025.

843
01:09:48,105 --> 01:09:53,113
So far through June in 2026, it's looking
better.

844
01:09:53,113 --> 01:09:56,794
We're at 75 through the end of June,

845
01:09:56,794 --> 01:10:00,142
so that it is looking better.

846
01:10:03,142 --> 01:10:05,822
Okay, I'm just also thinking about—

847
01:10:05,822 --> 01:10:11,334
Commissioner Geithner and I serve on El
Paso County Public Health Board,

848
01:10:11,334 --> 01:10:17,382
and they had a suicide intervention team
and were looking at adjusting how that

849
01:10:17,382 --> 01:10:23,201
department serves the community with
suicide and seeing that there are other

850
01:10:23,201 --> 01:10:26,416
organizations who have sort of stepped in,

851
01:10:26,416 --> 01:10:31,546
and over the years we've seen an increase
in supports in, you know,

852
01:10:31,546 --> 01:10:33,766
nonprofits or faith partners,

853
01:10:33,766 --> 01:10:38,053
different organizations sort of taking the
lead on that.

854
01:10:38,053 --> 01:10:44,102
But, um, it— I think it is worth the
health department having that conversation

855
01:10:44,102 --> 01:10:44,331
health department having that conversation
and

856
01:10:44,331 --> 01:10:46,092
just understanding, um,

857
01:10:46,092 --> 01:10:51,987
over years how we're trending and So I'm
just kind of thinking out loud here.

858
01:10:51,987 --> 01:10:56,581
I don't want to task you with anything,
but I am curious if—

859
01:10:56,581 --> 01:11:02,552
I hope they're talking with you and
getting some data from you as we make this

860
01:11:02,552 --> 01:11:05,615
decision on, hey, over the last 5 years,

861
01:11:05,615 --> 01:11:10,668
this is the trend we're seeing with
suicide, and not just overall,

862
01:11:10,668 --> 01:11:16,257
but also with our youth, and what really
are the needs for our community.

863
01:11:16,257 --> 01:11:20,161
And should public health be playing a part
in that,

864
01:11:20,161 --> 01:11:25,061
or do our partners in the community have
it and have it covered?

865
01:11:25,061 --> 01:11:29,606
So, um, yes, this information will all be
available

866
01:11:29,606 --> 01:11:34,150
and we will share it with groups and
organizations.

867
01:11:34,150 --> 01:11:35,401
Great, thanks so much.

868
01:11:35,401 --> 01:11:36,042
You bet.

869
01:11:36,042 --> 01:11:38,799
Thanks for coming today too. Oh, I love
all this data.

870
01:11:38,943 --> 01:11:42,005
Fantastic. Thank you. Thanks for having
me.

871
01:11:42,005 --> 01:11:45,181
Yeah, I'll also just echo that. Thank you
so much.

872
01:11:45,181 --> 01:11:49,818
And because of the work that we do,
obviously, all together on the Opioid

873
01:11:49,818 --> 01:11:50,326
obviously, all together on the Opioid
Council,

874
01:11:50,326 --> 01:11:52,359
um, and then on Board of Health.

875
01:11:52,359 --> 01:11:57,631
There's some, some important pieces from
this, and I think there's so many factors,

876
01:11:57,631 --> 01:12:00,490
as we all know, and all of these things,
and,

877
01:12:00,490 --> 01:12:05,635
and trying to take this data and then try
to turn it into policies that have some

878
01:12:05,635 --> 01:12:09,319
sort of impact is not easy at all,
especially when, again,

879
01:12:09,319 --> 01:12:13,830
we don't want to see increases, but
they're still very relatively small

880
01:12:13,830 --> 01:12:14,338
they're still very relatively small
numbers.

881
01:12:14,338 --> 01:12:15,799
So trying to, you know,

882
01:12:15,799 --> 01:12:21,135
blanket an entire community of Hundreds of
thousands of people when you're trying to

883
01:12:21,135 --> 01:12:24,247
get to a subset of 50, for example,
obviously is—

884
01:12:24,247 --> 01:12:29,329
we start to think about how do we affect
those things from a policy perspective.

885
01:12:29,329 --> 01:12:33,775
But there are a few things that I just
feel are interesting in this in

886
01:12:33,775 --> 01:12:34,474
feel are interesting in this in
particular.

887
01:12:34,474 --> 01:12:39,556
And you kind of got to that corridor,
which is a thing that we are dealing with.

888
01:12:39,556 --> 01:12:44,574
But Most of the deaths that I think are
preventable in here are related to drug

889
01:12:44,574 --> 01:12:44,765
preventable in here are related to drug
use

890
01:12:44,765 --> 01:12:47,560
and alcohol use, substance use of some
sort.

891
01:12:47,560 --> 01:12:50,926
And so I do think to our prevention work,
and we did,

892
01:12:50,926 --> 01:12:55,881
and I'm gonna connect the dots here for
myself and also for the public when we

893
01:12:55,881 --> 01:12:56,135
myself and also for the public when we
talk

894
01:12:56,135 --> 01:13:01,090
about the fact that Opioid Council has a
huge THC prevention campaign aimed at

895
01:13:01,090 --> 01:13:01,408
huge THC prevention campaign aimed at
youth

896
01:13:01,408 --> 01:13:05,346
right now. While we don't see a lot of
overdose deaths, right,

897
01:13:05,346 --> 01:13:06,997
tied to that specifically.

898
01:13:06,997 --> 01:13:10,872
There are huge impacts that we're hearing
from our hospitals.

899
01:13:10,872 --> 01:13:13,159
This is one component, is the death,

900
01:13:13,159 --> 01:13:16,462
but we're also hearing about those other
components.

901
01:13:16,462 --> 01:13:17,987
And in addition to that,

902
01:13:17,987 --> 01:13:22,942
the reports that we have seen at the
Opioid Council which connect high-potency

903
01:13:22,942 --> 01:13:23,132
Opioid Council which connect high-potency
THC

904
01:13:23,132 --> 01:13:28,341
use to later use of some of these drugs
that are more dangerous and are leading to

905
01:13:28,341 --> 01:13:32,597
more overdoses. So it's a very complicated
picture, as we all know.

906
01:13:32,597 --> 01:13:37,869
Wearing a seatbelt is another one for me
that I just go, that's an easy one, right?

907
01:13:37,869 --> 01:13:41,045
Everyone in our community, it's a personal
choice,

908
01:13:41,045 --> 01:13:46,254
but it is something that everyone in our
community can make the personal choice to

909
01:13:46,254 --> 01:13:48,477
do and limit their own risk, right?

910
01:13:48,477 --> 01:13:53,305
And so some of these things are just
definitely ones that we've had a lot of

911
01:13:53,305 --> 01:13:55,528
awareness campaigns over the years.

912
01:13:55,528 --> 01:14:00,356
And again, it's always going to be
difficult to target that subset of people

913
01:14:00,356 --> 01:14:00,547
difficult to target that subset of people
for

914
01:14:00,547 --> 01:14:04,866
whatever reason that are just resistant to
taking those precautions.

915
01:14:04,866 --> 01:14:09,567
But the drug use, I think, is the big one
for me when I look at our state.

916
01:14:09,567 --> 01:14:14,204
When I look at— and we had the, again, the
fortunate experience, I guess,

917
01:14:14,204 --> 01:14:18,714
of seeing One Chance to Grow Up's
presentation just at our last meeting

918
01:14:18,714 --> 01:14:19,349
presentation just at our last meeting
where they

919
01:14:19,349 --> 01:14:24,304
went shopping at local gas stations and
different things to see what can kids,

920
01:14:24,304 --> 01:14:27,861
especially kids, get their hands on, but
really anybody,

921
01:14:27,861 --> 01:14:33,133
and the amount of things that are sold and
are far more accessible than they should

922
01:14:33,133 --> 01:14:36,627
be and are packaged as candies and all
kinds of things.

923
01:14:36,627 --> 01:14:41,518
So I think it's a great thought just about
how do we reduce drug use, period,

924
01:14:41,518 --> 01:14:45,711
in our community. If we could reduce drug
use and do those things,

925
01:14:45,711 --> 01:14:49,967
I think it would affect a lot of these
numbers. Very significantly.

926
01:14:49,967 --> 01:14:54,858
So lots of nuance and detail, but to me,
that's the one thing that stood out.

927
01:14:54,858 --> 01:14:58,733
And I just thank you for taking the time
and working on that.

928
01:14:58,733 --> 01:15:02,036
I know it's not easy to get those
quarterly numbers.

929
01:15:02,036 --> 01:15:04,450
That's a huge undertaking for you all.

930
01:15:04,450 --> 01:15:08,261
But I do think, especially for Opioid
Council Public Health,

931
01:15:08,261 --> 01:15:10,230
that's going to be significant.

932
01:15:10,230 --> 01:15:12,708
And we also know that, you know, again,

933
01:15:12,708 --> 01:15:15,630
there's just so many factors involved in
this.

934
01:15:15,630 --> 01:15:17,853
So when we think about programming,

935
01:15:17,853 --> 01:15:22,299
we've spent more and more in the last
several years already on suicide

936
01:15:22,299 --> 01:15:22,998
several years already on suicide
prevention,

937
01:15:22,998 --> 01:15:26,809
but We still have numbers that are that
are trending upward.

938
01:15:26,809 --> 01:15:31,637
So, you know, it's about evaluating too
again if you're blanketing an entire

939
01:15:31,637 --> 01:15:35,639
populations of hundreds of thousands of
people with prevention,

940
01:15:35,639 --> 01:15:40,594
but you really just need to get to those
fifty to a hundred or two hundred and

941
01:15:40,594 --> 01:15:40,911
fifty to a hundred or two hundred and
fifty

942
01:15:40,911 --> 01:15:43,579
people that are really in the danger zone.

943
01:15:43,579 --> 01:15:47,009
You know, what is the best way to spend
those dollars?

944
01:15:47,009 --> 01:15:52,091
So I appreciate you taking the time to
work through that those quarterly numbers

945
01:15:52,091 --> 01:15:52,282
work through that those quarterly numbers
and

946
01:15:52,282 --> 01:15:57,554
appreciate you being here and all the work
that you do across all of these agencies

947
01:15:57,554 --> 01:16:00,095
because we know. You contribute greatly.

948
01:16:00,095 --> 01:16:04,840
Thank you so much. I really appreciate
your kind words.

949
01:16:04,840 --> 01:16:07,429
And I agree with you entirely.

950
01:16:07,429 --> 01:16:10,190
You know, the, the intoxication,

951
01:16:10,190 --> 01:16:15,712
it weaves its way through this report
again and again and again.

952
01:16:15,712 --> 01:16:22,700
And I think, you know, substance abuse is
a major issue impacting us today. Yeah.

953
01:16:22,700 --> 01:16:26,152
But thank you all so much for having me.

954
01:16:26,152 --> 01:16:31,501
And I will send you A copy of the
PowerPoint. Okay, thank you.

955
01:16:31,501 --> 01:16:34,965
Mr. Wysong, I think, has just another
quick question.

956
01:16:34,965 --> 01:16:40,384
Yeah, I noticed that you did have
veterans, uh, in active duty on—

957
01:16:40,384 --> 01:16:44,653
I'm not sure if it was suicide or if it
was another.

958
01:16:44,653 --> 01:16:51,139
Have you looked at that based on, all
right, accidents, especially motorcycles,

959
01:16:51,139 --> 01:16:53,356
active duty versus veteran?

960
01:16:53,356 --> 01:16:58,036
Um, if there's some kind of drugs or
alcohol that caused—

961
01:16:58,036 --> 01:17:03,373
it would be interesting to, to see where
they fit with, you know,

962
01:17:03,373 --> 01:17:09,284
close to 100,000 veterans in the county
and with 5 bases, installations,

963
01:17:09,284 --> 01:17:12,733
whether or not, what kind of correlations,

964
01:17:12,733 --> 01:17:17,166
and does deployment factor into any of
that, you know,

965
01:17:17,166 --> 01:17:20,286
potentially seasonal or monthly rises?

966
01:17:20,286 --> 01:17:25,815
Yes. So, you know, all of the information
in this report, I mean,

967
01:17:25,815 --> 01:17:32,365
A lot of it's a requirement by the
National Association of Medical Examiners.

968
01:17:32,365 --> 01:17:39,000
But we've really tweaked this report in
our community to reflect the questions

969
01:17:39,000 --> 01:17:39,340
our community to reflect the questions
that

970
01:17:39,340 --> 01:17:41,212
our community has had.

971
01:17:41,212 --> 01:17:48,017
And so years ago, questions about folks
who are active duty or have a history of

972
01:17:48,017 --> 01:17:54,567
military work, those questions have come
up. And so we've been tracking that.

973
01:17:54,567 --> 01:18:01,627
For years. The numbers weren't very high
because I actually looked at that with the

974
01:18:01,627 --> 01:18:05,710
motorcycles and things before coming here
today,

975
01:18:05,710 --> 01:18:10,729
and there wasn't anything that showed a
significant change,

976
01:18:10,729 --> 01:18:15,067
so I didn't represent that in today's
presentation.

977
01:18:15,067 --> 01:18:21,107
But I want you to know we are— we
absolutely have been keeping track of

978
01:18:21,107 --> 01:18:21,532
absolutely have been keeping track of
that.

979
01:18:21,532 --> 01:18:22,723
Yeah, you bet.

980
01:18:22,723 --> 01:18:24,945
Thank you.

981
01:18:24,945 --> 01:18:27,379
You're very welcome. Y'all have a great
day.

982
01:18:27,379 --> 01:18:32,045
Okay, with that, we will move on to other
comments by elected officials.

983
01:18:32,045 --> 01:18:36,517
I don't see any other countywide elected
officials in the room today.

984
01:18:36,517 --> 01:18:41,184
Just going to give a minute for anyone to
jump up and to prove me wrong,

985
01:18:41,184 --> 01:18:46,846
but I don't see anybody, so we will begin
with Commissioner Wysong.

986
01:18:49,846 --> 01:18:54,804
Um, last week was, um, kind of a, a
catch-up.

987
01:18:54,804 --> 01:19:01,965
Um, this week is going to be, um, kind of
loaded with, um, BPACG,

988
01:19:01,965 --> 01:19:08,575
Parks Board, um, Fountain Creek, uh,
Watershed District, um,

989
01:19:08,575 --> 01:19:12,101
issues. Um, and pretty much, um,

990
01:19:12,101 --> 01:19:18,491
we'll be attending the 9/11 ceremony at
Cheyenne Mountain,

991
01:19:18,491 --> 01:19:25,212
and then Mount Carmel has their Patriot
Day celebration also,

992
01:19:25,212 --> 01:19:32,263
and then the Veterans Court has their
graduation at 1 o'clock on

993
01:19:32,263 --> 01:19:33,034
Friday.

994
01:19:33,034 --> 01:19:35,637
Yeah, it's a busy week this week.

995
01:19:35,637 --> 01:19:40,527
Um, tomorrow we have El Paso County
Housing Authority meeting,

996
01:19:40,527 --> 01:19:44,235
then Pikes Peak Rural Transportation
Authority.

997
01:19:44,235 --> 01:19:49,125
Thursday morning we have the Land Use and
Board of Adjustment,

998
01:19:49,125 --> 01:19:53,858
and then Friday afternoon is Community
Services Block Grant.

999
01:19:53,858 --> 01:20:00,247
And we are currently in the process of
putting together our community action plan

1000
01:20:00,247 --> 01:20:06,320
and strategic plan. This is federal
funding that comes to help combat poverty

1001
01:20:06,320 --> 01:20:06,557
funding that comes to help combat poverty
and

1002
01:20:06,557 --> 01:20:11,921
helping individuals get on their feet and
reach self-sustainability.

1003
01:20:11,921 --> 01:20:17,758
And we're looking for organizations that
help with skills training or just

1004
01:20:17,758 --> 01:20:23,910
presenting economic opportunity and
financial coaching, those sorts of things.

1005
01:20:23,910 --> 01:20:27,775
So we are— we already have received
applications,

1006
01:20:27,775 --> 01:20:33,691
and now that board is reviewing the
subrecipients and figuring out where we

1007
01:20:33,691 --> 01:20:34,243
subrecipients and figuring out where we
want to

1008
01:20:34,243 --> 01:20:38,266
distribute this federal funding into our
community.

1009
01:20:38,266 --> 01:20:44,497
And So that meeting is going to be very
full Friday afternoon as we approve our

1010
01:20:44,497 --> 01:20:50,729
community action plan and our strategic
plan and then have to send it up to the

1011
01:20:50,729 --> 01:20:55,461
state and get approval from the state that
we are, you know,

1012
01:20:55,461 --> 01:20:59,484
intending to distribute this funding
appropriately.

1013
01:20:59,484 --> 01:21:05,321
And then it's a 3-year period where we
will be distributing those funds to

1014
01:21:05,321 --> 01:21:06,031
will be distributing those funds to
different

1015
01:21:06,031 --> 01:21:09,107
organizations throughout the community.

1016
01:21:09,171 --> 01:21:09,203
So.

1017
01:21:09,203 --> 01:21:11,364
Thank you. Lots going on this week.

1018
01:21:11,364 --> 01:21:16,551
I have a lot of reading that I still need
to do by tomorrow afternoon, and then, uh,

1019
01:21:16,551 --> 01:21:21,244
continuing to read through some of these
applications even today, hopefully.

1020
01:21:21,244 --> 01:21:21,861
So thanks.

1021
01:21:21,861 --> 01:21:23,977
Commissioner Applegate.

1022
01:21:23,977 --> 01:21:27,380
Thank you so much. Um, had a wonderful
Labor Day weekend.

1023
01:21:27,380 --> 01:21:29,470
Saturday was our Labor Day liftoff,

1024
01:21:29,470 --> 01:21:34,246
and that was a special year because it was
the 50th anniversary of our Labor Day

1025
01:21:34,246 --> 01:21:37,291
liftoff. Started in 1976. out in Black
Forest area.

1026
01:21:37,291 --> 01:21:40,455
And now, they do it downtown at Ernett
Memorial Park.

1027
01:21:40,455 --> 01:21:45,112
So, I got to speak in the morning and I
got to see the balloons take off first

1028
01:21:45,112 --> 01:21:45,411
got to see the balloons take off first
thing

1029
01:21:45,411 --> 01:21:50,247
in the morning. And man, just so much fun,
just such a good atmosphere out there.

1030
01:21:50,247 --> 01:21:53,411
And then Monday, I was at the Fountain
Fall Festival.

1031
01:21:53,411 --> 01:21:56,754
I was in the parade that year and it was
really awesome.

1032
01:21:56,754 --> 01:21:59,202
And I got to see a lot of familiar faces,

1033
01:21:59,202 --> 01:22:03,322
got to see some people I just hadn't seen
in a while. And it was fun.

1034
01:22:03,322 --> 01:22:08,098
It was enjoyable. My volunteers enjoyed
it. And the People around us enjoyed it.

1035
01:22:08,098 --> 01:22:11,143
So we had a great and just wonderful day
yesterday.

1036
01:22:11,143 --> 01:22:13,113
And yes, on 9/11, on this Friday,

1037
01:22:13,113 --> 01:22:16,516
I will be attending many of the events
that are going on.

1038
01:22:16,516 --> 01:22:20,099
So, including also, they're doing a
dedication for fountain—

1039
01:22:20,099 --> 01:22:24,039
for their new fountain inside in front of
City Hall. So thank you.

1040
01:22:24,039 --> 01:22:26,529
Commissioner Williams.

1041
01:22:26,529 --> 01:22:31,723
Okay, uh, yes, I was able to attend some
events at the Labor Day Liftoff.

1042
01:22:31,723 --> 01:22:36,419
On Saturday night, including some of the
leftover fireworks shows.

1043
01:22:36,419 --> 01:22:39,905
The fireworks show was, uh, was not the
best one.

1044
01:22:39,905 --> 01:22:45,455
I understand the real fireworks show is
going to be at the Switchbacks game on

1045
01:22:45,455 --> 01:22:47,020
Friday night. And, um,

1046
01:22:47,020 --> 01:22:52,214
but also had a conversation with the
Colorado Springs fire chief somewhat

1047
01:22:52,214 --> 01:22:52,925
Colorado Springs fire chief somewhat
related to

1048
01:22:52,925 --> 01:22:55,771
what we were talking about this morning.

1049
01:22:55,771 --> 01:22:59,542
If you want to be a firefighter, you
cannot do drugs.

1050
01:22:59,542 --> 01:23:05,163
'Cause you have to pass the drug test
before you can get started in the school.

1051
01:23:05,163 --> 01:23:10,428
So being that firefighters are a fairly
popular industry, you ought to be—

1052
01:23:10,428 --> 01:23:13,985
or tell your kids so that they are ready
for that.

1053
01:23:13,985 --> 01:23:18,254
This week I have the Pikes Peak Area
Council of Governments.

1054
01:23:18,254 --> 01:23:24,017
I have the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation
Authority. Both of those are tomorrow.

1055
01:23:24,017 --> 01:23:26,721
Thursday we have our land use meeting.

1056
01:23:26,721 --> 01:23:26,903
Thank you.

1057
01:23:27,346 --> 01:23:34,283
And Friday I have a Child Welfare
Allocation Committee to start discussing,

1058
01:23:34,283 --> 01:23:41,312
I would assume, the allocation for next
year, which would not be made until,

1059
01:23:41,312 --> 01:23:45,658
I believe, June. And then on Saturday, we
have—

1060
01:23:45,658 --> 01:23:52,687
our church has a groundbreaking for the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day

1061
01:23:52,687 --> 01:23:56,017
Saints Temple in Flying Horse North.

1062
01:23:56,017 --> 01:23:56,115
Yes.

1063
01:23:56,889 --> 01:24:01,157
And that is an exciting event that I will
be attending.

1064
01:24:01,157 --> 01:24:04,493
And that would be my whole week. Thank
you.

1065
01:24:04,493 --> 01:24:10,171
I want to start by thanking Vice Chair
Nelson for taking such good care of this

1066
01:24:10,171 --> 01:24:15,849
meeting last week. And as I was able to
spend a bit of time off with my family,

1067
01:24:15,849 --> 01:24:20,664
it's— we run at a pretty intense pace here
at the county sometimes.

1068
01:24:20,664 --> 01:24:26,557
And so it was very nice to be able to take
some time and catch up on life a little

1069
01:24:26,557 --> 01:24:30,510
bit with my kids especially, which I
always appreciate,

1070
01:24:30,510 --> 01:24:36,116
especially as my youngest is getting ready
to go back to school and be able to

1071
01:24:36,116 --> 01:24:38,775
support— just support with my family.

1072
01:24:38,775 --> 01:24:42,513
So thank you so much for taking care of
things here.

1073
01:24:42,513 --> 01:24:47,472
I also have a busy week of catching up now
after being out for a bit.

1074
01:24:47,472 --> 01:24:53,150
So I will be taking care of some of those
things that occurred while I was out,

1075
01:24:53,150 --> 01:24:57,390
in addition to a Fairgrounds Corporation
meeting this week,

1076
01:24:57,390 --> 01:25:01,487
which I'm looking forward to and looking
forward to some—

1077
01:25:01,487 --> 01:25:07,164
what I think are very positive changes
that are going to be able to support our

1078
01:25:07,164 --> 01:25:07,452
that are going to be able to support our
fair

1079
01:25:07,452 --> 01:25:10,974
better coming up. So that's all I have for
today.

1080
01:25:10,974 --> 01:25:13,992
Oh, we have a redo from Vice Chair Nelson.

1081
01:25:13,992 --> 01:25:17,729
I just remembered I also have CSU
Extension tonight,

1082
01:25:17,729 --> 01:25:23,120
which I'm glad you mentioned Fairgrounds
because I knew I had that tonight,

1083
01:25:23,120 --> 01:25:26,282
but good to have the reminder. That's
right.

1084
01:25:26,364 --> 01:25:29,587
So CSU Extension, they only meet
quarterly, so I wanted to give them a

1085
01:25:29,587 --> 01:25:30,047
quarterly, so I wanted to give them a
shout out.

1086
01:25:30,047 --> 01:25:36,763
Okay. All right then, um, we will move on
to item 8.

1087
01:25:36,763 --> 01:25:42,451
Item number 8 is community service
organization reports, and there are none.

1088
01:25:44,033 --> 01:25:44,563
Item 9.

1089
01:25:45,397 --> 01:25:47,003
Item number 9 is public comment,

1090
01:25:47,003 --> 01:25:49,614
public comment on items not scheduled on
the agenda.

1091
01:25:49,614 --> 01:25:52,475
The commissioners welcome communication in
various forms.

1092
01:25:52,475 --> 01:25:55,688
However, the public comment period is not
intended for dialogue,

1093
01:25:55,688 --> 01:25:58,951
and commissioners do not engage in
conversation during this time.

1094
01:25:58,951 --> 01:26:02,917
Members of the public seeking responses to
specific questions are encouraged to

1095
01:26:02,917 --> 01:26:04,975
submit inquiries through Citizen Connect.

1096
01:26:04,975 --> 01:26:08,238
And Madam Chair, I'm unaware of anyone
signing in to speak today.

1097
01:26:08,238 --> 01:26:14,558
Okay, is there anyone here who wishes to
speak on an

1098
01:26:14,558 --> 01:26:18,325
item that is not on the agenda?

1099
01:26:18,325 --> 01:26:24,645
Okay, I don't see anyone coming forward,
so we will,

1100
01:26:24,645 --> 01:26:27,440
uh, move on to item 10.

1101
01:26:27,440 --> 01:26:32,488
Item number 10 is the called-up consent
calendar, and there are no items called

1102
01:26:32,488 --> 01:26:32,680
calendar, and there are no items called
up.

1103
01:26:32,680 --> 01:26:33,783
Item 11.

1104
01:26:33,783 --> 01:26:37,573
Item 11 is department and committee
reports, non-action items, and there are

1105
01:26:37,573 --> 01:26:37,822
reports, non-action items, and there are
none.

1106
01:26:38,527 --> 01:26:39,154
Item 12.

1107
01:26:39,154 --> 01:26:42,239
Item 12 is the addendum, and there are no
addendums today.

1108
01:26:42,239 --> 01:26:43,251
Item 13.

1109
01:26:43,251 --> 01:26:47,508
Item 13 is the executive session, and
there is no request for executive session.

1110
01:26:47,508 --> 01:26:50,561
Okay, with that, we've come to the end of
this agenda. This meeting is adjourned.