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Colorado police say fake cops are pulling over drivers to warn them about coronavirus travel restrictions

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Police in Colorado is warning that a number of fake cops are out there patrolling the roads in hopes of pulling over drivers to question them about whether they are violating coronavirus travel restrictions.

The Weld County Sheriff’s Office says one of the suspects is believed to be driving a black Dodge Charger “that might be equipped with emergency lights in the dash, and may or may not be outfitted with magnetic, law enforcement-type signs on the door.”

That individual, described as a heavy-set white man, is reported to have stopped several vehicles in March after the state implemented a stay-at-home order permitting only “essential trips such as grocery shopping or health care appointments”.

“For the life of me, I don’t understand why someone would want to do this,” Weld County Sheriff Steve Reams told USA Today. “I don’t think there’s a law enforcement agency in the state that has time to do that kind of thing.”

CLICK HERE FOR FULL CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE 

The nearby Greeley Police Department also says they received numerous reports in March from drivers claiming they were “recently pulled over or waved through a funnel type roadblock & questioned for ‘violating the COVID-19 law.’”

“We have confirmed that NO GPD Officers, Weld Sheriff Deputies or Colorado State Troopers conducted these traffic stops,” the department said in a Facebook post. “Reports have all described unmarked type vehicles with dashboard mounted red & blue lights; black uniforms with no markings or badge & duty belts with little equipment.”

Farther east in Georgia, police in Dawson County and Gainesville have been urging residents to be on the lookout for a suspect in a dark sedan with flashing blue lights, who is believed to have made at least two bogus traffic stops to warn residents about violating coronavirus-related curfews.

In each case, the drivers have been told to continue on their way after being questioned.

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Reams told USA Today that Americans who fear they are being pulled over by an imposter should put on their hazard lights and then call 911 to confirm whether it’s the real deal.

“They want to be in some position of power,” he said about the wannabe cops. “It just gives them an opportunity to go out and try and assert some authority or pretend to assert some authority. No good cop likes someone pretending to be a cop.”

Colorado police apologize after dad handcuffed in front of daughter at park for violating ‘social distancing’

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Colorado police have admitted that it was “evident there was an overreach by our police officers” and have apologized to a resident after arresting him at a park on Sunday in front of his 6-year-old daughter for allegedly violating social distancing rules.

Matt Mooney, 33, was playing T-ball with his wife and daughter at Donelson Park when three police officers from the Brighton Police Department approached him, he told FOX31 Problem Solvers.

COLORADO’S CORONAVIRUS DEATH RATE RISING SHARPLY, GOVERNOR TELLS PENCE

Mooney said he refused to give officers his identification because he didn’t think he was doing anything wrong, adding that his daughter was fearful and pleaded for him not to be arrested.

“She’s like, ‘Daddy, I don’t want you to get arrested.’ At this point I’m thinking, ‘There’s no way they’re going to arrest me. This is insane.’ I’m telling her, ‘Don’t worry, Daddy’s not going to get arrested. I’ve done nothing wrong. Don’t worry about it,’ and then they arrest me,” Mooney said.

Officers responded to the park at 4:30 p.m. over the weekend after a concerned resident reported that a group of 12 to 15 people were playing softball, according to a statement by the City of Brighton on Tuesday.

“Although the officers asked them to disperse due to the park being closed, which was incorrect, disbursement was needed due to the state’s public health order regarding group gathering,” the statement said.

Park signs indicated the park was closed but specified “in groups of no more than 4 persons, parks remain open for walking, hiking, biking, running and similar activities.” Mooney was in a group of three.

He says the officers were violating social distancing rules by not wearing proper safety attire during the arrest.

“During the contact, none of the officers had masks on, none of them had gloves on, and they’re in my face handcuffing me, they’re touching me,” he said.

“If we’re going to go ahead and start arresting people for no reason in front of their 6-year-old daughter, you’re just going to cause more problems later on,” he added.

Mooney said that although he spent about 10 minutes in the back of a patrol vehicle, he is still upset that he had to endure that.

Acting City Manager Marv Falconburg apologized to Mooney over the phone but Mooney declined to meet in person with Falconburg and  Brighton Police Commander Frank Acosta for a formal apology.

The police department is currently conducting an internal investigation into what led to Mooney’s arrest but the city said “We are deeply sorry for the events that took place on Sunday and the impact on Mr. Mooney, his family, and the community.”

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“As officers are required to interpret several layers of state public health orders and local closures as they change, there may have been a misunderstanding about the park closure,” the statement said. “It is imperative that we improve communication with our front line first responders so they are up to date on the latest rules in place regarding COVID-19 for addressing public safety.”

Colorado’s coronavirus death rate rising sharply, governor tells Pence

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The coronavirus outbreak in Colorado is “far worse than we imagined,” the state’s governor wrote in a recent letter to Vice President Mike Pence, who heads President Trump’s task force on the pandemic.

In the March 28 letter to Pence that was made public Thursday, Gov. Jared Polis reportedly requested extra ventilators and personal protective equipment (PPE), citing a “crisis-level shortage” of such supplies in the state.

Polis, 44, a Democratic first-term governor who previously served in the U.S. House, also expressed concerns about the state’s coronavirus fatality rate.

Denver mayor reverses order to close liquor stores, recreational marijuana dispensaries after crowds swarm

“Colorado’s COVID-19 death rate is rising faster than any other state right now; the pandemic is spreading so fast that lags in testing are masking the true conditions experienced by Coloradans across the state,” Polis wrote, according to FOX 31 Denver.

“The pandemic is spreading so fast that lags in testing are masking the true conditions experienced by Coloradans across the state.”

— Colorado Gov. Jared Polis

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis enters a news conference in Centennial, Colo., April 1, 2020. (Associated Press)

He added that Colorado’s comparatively small population of 5.7 million people (21st in the nation) may be masking how critical the situation is there.

Since Polis sent the letter, some other states’ death rates have surpassed Colorado’s, state health department Incident Commander Scott Bookman said, according to The Coloradoan of Fort Collins.

The governor asked for 10,000 ventilators, 2 million N95 masks and 4.3 million gloves, among other supplies, FOX 31 reported.

“In these next few weeks we expect the biggest jumps in new COVID-19 cases and the resulting victims requiring ventilators,” he wrote. “In other words, these next few weeks are a make or break moment for us. I am asking for your partnership and help in this critical moment.”

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By Thursday evening, the state had more than 3,700 cases and nearly 100 deaths, according to Worldometers.

Colorado’s coronavirus death rate rising sharply, governor tells Pence

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The coronavirus outbreak in Colorado is “far worse than we imagined,” the state’s governor wrote in a recent letter to Vice President Mike Pence, who heads President Trump’s task force on the pandemic.

In the March 28 letter to Pence that was made public Thursday, Gov. Jared Polis reportedly requested extra ventilators and personal protective equipment (PPE), citing a “crisis-level shortage” of such supplies in the state.

Polis, 44, a Democratic first-term governor who previously served in the U.S. House, also expressed concerns about the state’s coronavirus fatality rate.

Denver mayor reverses order to close liquor stores, recreational marijuana dispensaries after crowds swarm

“Colorado’s COVID-19 death rate is rising faster than any other state right now; the pandemic is spreading so fast that lags in testing are masking the true conditions experienced by Coloradans across the state,” Polis wrote, according to FOX 31 Denver.

“The pandemic is spreading so fast that lags in testing are masking the true conditions experienced by Coloradans across the state.”

— Colorado Gov. Jared Polis

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis enters a news conference in Centennial, Colo., April 1, 2020. (Associated Press)

He added that Colorado’s comparatively small population of 5.7 million people (21st in the nation) may be masking how critical the situation is there.

Since Polis sent the letter, some other states’ death rates have surpassed Colorado’s, state health department Incident Commander Scott Bookman said, according to The Coloradoan of Fort Collins.

The governor asked for 10,000 ventilators, 2 million N95 masks and 4.3 million gloves, among other supplies, FOX 31 reported.

“In these next few weeks we expect the biggest jumps in new COVID-19 cases and the resulting victims requiring ventilators,” he wrote. “In other words, these next few weeks are a make or break moment for us. I am asking for your partnership and help in this critical moment.”

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By Thursday evening, the state had more than 3,700 cases and nearly 100 deaths, according to Worldometers.

Colorado nurse contracts coronavirus: ‘A lot of my friends are nurses at the hospital and they’re very worried’

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A Colorado nurse who contracted COVID-19 told Fox News on Sunday that a lot of her friends are nurses “and they’re very worried” about running out of personal protective equipment (PPE) amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Lisa Merck spoke to Fox News’ Leland Vittert on “America’s News HQ” from her home where she’s remained in self-isolation.

She said she started feeling better three days earlier.

“It’s so mysterious. I have no idea where I caught the virus,” she said.

Merck had traveled to a medical conference in Hawaii and when she returned to Colorado, she resumed her “normal activities,” the nurse explained. “I watched my nephew. I saw patients in my clinic. I was asymptomatic for quite some time and then I just fell — I got really sick on March 1st and then it progressively got worse,” Merck said, adding that on March 8 she asked her husband to take her to the emergency room.

CORONAVIRUS: WHAT TO KNOW

Merck described her hometown of Crestview as “a really small community.” She continued, “It’s transient because it’s a resort community.”

When asked if she and her coworkers were facing a lack of PPE like other cities including New York, Merck said, “I feel like right now we have it under control, but a lot of my friends are nurses at the hospital and they’re very worried about it.”

“I just ordered some new supplies as well and it’s hard to get supplies from the different distributors that we have,” she continued. “They’re limiting the amount of supplies that you can order, so I foresee that at some point we will run out. We’ve just seen the very tip of it in our community. I think we have a lot more to come.”

She added, “We have a lot of sick people. The community is very tight-knit. The hospital’s very small, so I think we’re just seeing a minor bit of it right now and it’s going to spike,” she added.

When asked when she could return to work, Merck said, “I’m doing the test-based strategy where you have to have two negative COVID-19 tests 24 hours apart.” She went on to say that a negative test came back Saturday, six days after she took it.

“Tomorrow, Monday, I go back and get another test and then I have to wait for that,” she continued. “If it was a 24-hour turnaround, that would be better, but right now we’re waiting anywhere from five to seven days before we get our results back, which has been really difficult.”

She went on to say that she would stay “in isolation for another week.”

In the meantime, she said she’s been working from home. “I set up a telemedicine clinic so I can see patients from my house, and so that’s been really helpful.”

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Through this past Saturday, Colorado has reported over 2,000 cases of COVID-19, with more than 270 people hospitalized. The state has reported 44 deaths, an increase of 31 from Friday.

Fox News’ Leland Vittert and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Kindergarten teacher brings care packages to students stuck at home because of coronavirus outbreak

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A kindergarten teacher in Colorado who hasn’t seen her students in nearly two weeks due to the coronavirus outbreak brought each of them a care package over the weekend because she wanted to see them one more time.

Jean Witt has been a teacher at Broomfield’s Aspen Creek PK-8 School for 20 years. She told Denver’s FOX31 that this was her last year teaching.

The last day she saw her kids inside the classroom was March 12, the station reported. She thought she would see them again soon, but last Friday Colorado announced that schools would be closed for much longer.

“It’s really hard not to be able to see my students and for them not to see me or their friend,” Witt said. “So I thought, ‘I want to go see my kids one more time.’ So we made this plan to go visit and drop off bags.”

On Saturday, Witt and her family made 27 stops – one for each of her students – to deliver sanitized educational games and books.

“We made a route. My husband was the driver,” Witt said. “Our daughter was the photographer.”

Witt’s daughter edited the videos together and posted the result on her Facebook page. Witt can be seen smiling and waving to her students – most of whom are behind glass windows or doors – as she drops off the package.

HOW EDUCATORS ARE TEACHING THEIR STUDENTS AFTER THE CORONAVIRUS CLOSED THEIR SCHOOLS

“It brought tears to my eyes. It was so special to stand there. In the video, you don’t see it all. But some children just stood there with their hands up against the glass – just standing there,” Witt said.

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In an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus, 46 U.S. states have closed its schools – some through the rest of the school year – affecting 50.8 million public school students and 5.8 million school students, according to Education Week.

Denver mayor reverses order to close liquor stores, recreational marijuana dispensaries after crowds swarm

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Hours after Denver Mayor Michael Hancock announced liquor stores and recreational marijuana dispensaries would close across the city in an attempt to slow the spread of coronavirus, his office reversed course, a report said.

The mayor sent a tweet at 5 p.m. Denver time saying liquor and marijuana stores in city would be open as usual, but following extreme physical distancing rules (social distancing). The new rules will continue through April 10, the Denver Post reported.

Hours earlier, he deemed liquor stores and recreational marijuana dispensaries non-essential businesses, as opposed to grocery stores, gas stations and healthcare operations.

“We do not have them (liquor stores) listed as essential. As much as I might think it’s essential for me, it’s not essential for everyone.” 

— Denver Mayor Michael Hancock

“We do not have them listed as essential,” Hancock had said of liquor stores. “As much as I might think it’s essential for me, it’s not essential for everyone.” He suggested Denver residents buy their alcohol Monday night while they still could.

SEN. GARDNER: CORONAVIRUS FLIPPED A ‘CIRCUIT-BREAKER’ IN US ECONOMY

In response to Hancock’s order, city residents swarmed neighborhood liquor stores Monday afternoon — but violated social distancing requirements while they were at it — with some stores reporting lines forming a block long just 15 minutes after the mayor’s  news conference, the Post reported.

Argonaut Wine & Liquor co-owner Josh Robinson told the newspaper his staff had to act like bouncers, allowing one shopper in for each person that left.

“It’s created a safety issue in the short term,” Robinson said. “The mayor said not to panic buy, but that is exactly what he encouraged people to do by shutting us down.”

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On Monday afternoon, bars and restaurants offering food and drinks for takeout or delivery were still considered essential businesses and will remain open for those services, Hancock clarified during the news conference.

Restaurants and bars also will still be able to sell alcohol, including wine, beer and cocktails, following an executive order from Gov. Jared Polis on Friday.

Grocery stores that either sell beer, wine, liquor or a combination thereof would be able to continue doing so while practicing extreme social distancing.

Sen. Gardner: Coronavirus flipped a ‘circuit-breaker’ in US economy

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Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., who is self-quarantining in Washington, D.C., said Saturday that the coronavirus tripped a “circuit-breaker” in the U.S. economy and it is Congress’ job to act for the benefit of the American people.

Gardner said on “America’s News HQ” that most sectors of the economy have shuttered in response to the public safety aspect of the highly-contagious virus, and that has left millions of Americans without a steady income.

“This coronavirus has inserted a circuit breaker into our economy, the circuit breaker has been tripped and what we have to do is make sure that we reset that — that we get this economy back and snapping back as soon as we’re through this health emergency. That’s our obligation,” Gardner told host Leland Vittert.

Vittert asked Gardner about the trillions of dollars such a stimulus could cost, and also questioned whether there is a concern that some Constitutional rights could be infringed upon during this restrictive period.

DHS REFUTES RUMORS OF NATIONAL LOCKDOWN

Gardner praised the American people for taking heed of the government’s warnings and health care experts’ advice to stay home and not congregate in groups.

“There are people terrified what’s happening right now. I’ve talked to hundreds of them over the last hour alone and they have to have the certainty that we’re taking care of them to get this economy to snap back, that they’re going to be okay, going to be able to pay their mortgage and pay their rent and put food on the table and get back to work,” said the lawmaker, who had just held a tele-town hall with constituents.

He said Colorado, like many other states are being hit hard by the economic downturn caused by the virus, noting that the early spring would normally be a popular time for ski resorts and general tourism throughout the state. He also said that the annual “bull sale” in the livestock sector will be canceled — which is expected to hurt the Centennial State’s many ranchers.

“Real change happens at moments of crisis,” he said, pivoting to the subject of constitutional rights.

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‘We have to make sure that that real change is in the spirit and best interest of this country, that it follows our constitution and our law and that we don’t go too far that we don’t violate rights. That’s a balance that we have to succeed with.”

You have a time frame when courts may be shutting down because they’re afraid of the coronavirus, but courts are still there to uphold our rights.

“[O]ur constitution is crystal clear,” Gardner continued. “It is not a series of things that we can do because the government is so generous it’s going to let us do these things. It’s actually a check on what … the powers of the government.”

Colorado deputy escapes mountain lion attack; big cat shot and killed

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A mountain lion was fatally shot after attacking a civilian and deputy at an RV park in Colorado on Wednesday.

The big cat was captured on video nearly sinking its jaws into the neck of the deputy in Larimer County before members of law enforcement converged and the animal was kicked off.

Witness Gregory Scot Paul was able to capture the encounter from inside a trailer after the big cat jumped on the deputy.

PROTESTS BREAK OUT IN RALEIGH AFTER POLICE-INVOLVED SHOOTING, REPORT SAYS

“My heart goes out to her,” Paul told the Loveland Reporter-Herald. “If she hadn’t put her arm up, it would probably would have gotten to her neck.”

Both the deputy and civilian were transported from the scene with non-life threatening injuries, according to the paper.

The mountain lion was later killed by a Colorado Parks and Wildlife officer. Multiple gunshots shots could be heard in the video after the deputy was freed.

BABOON MOMS CARRY THEIR DEAD BABIES FOR UP TO 10 DAYS, SCIENTISTS REVEAL

The deputy’s name has yet to be released by the Sheriff’s Office.

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Much of Colorado is described as “prime mountain lion country,” according to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife. There are estimated to be between 3,000 to 7,000 mountain lions in the state.

David Avella: Electoral College on Colorado ballot – voters can support Constitution and stop big states’ power grab

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Colorado voters will make a decision at the ballot box this year that will have much larger consequences for our country than their vote for president. Before them is the choice to keep the Electoral College or overthrow it with the National Popular Vote (NPV).

The NPV is nothing more than a power grab by Democrats in large urban states. States would give their Electoral College votes to the winner of the national popular vote, no matter how the citizens of the state voted.

Colorado got in the mix when Democratic Gov. Jared Polis and the Democratic-controlled state legislature joined the National Popular Voter Interstate Compact. As currently devised, the compact has 15 states and Washington, D.C., comprising nearly 200 Electoral College votes, that would turn over their electoral votes to the alleged winner of the popular vote.

NEWT GINGRICH: BIDEN VS SANDERS – HERE’S WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE FIGHT AHEAD

With Democrats on the march in nine more states possessing 88 electoral votes, including Michigan, Maine, North Carolina and Virginia, their sights are set on an iron-gripped control of the federal government by large urban states.

This is why a Colorado citizen initiative via the ballot box to repeal the state surrendering to NPV is worth all of us watching. These citizens have organized “Preserve Colorado’s Electoral Vote” to give actual voters their first chance to directly express their opinions.

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Repeal would be a serious blow to any national momentum for the disastrous compact. It will also serve notice to other Americans that just because Democrats want to squander your states political power, doesn’t mean you have to let them.

The writers of our Constitution, beginning with Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, did not stumble on the Electoral College by chance. It was a deliberate choice to protect the rights of small states and stop larger states from simply imposing their will on the entire country. It is not a mistake that we have a bicameral national legislature, with one chamber’s membership determined by population and the other which treats states equally, giving them each two senators.

Progressives want to impose a standard of majority rule, as determined exclusively by matters of population size. That is not what the Founding Fathers envisioned. They made a conscious decision to avoid the tyranny of the majority.

The National Popular Vote would be an opportunity for a very few large population hubs to essentially dictate the entire national agenda and push their policies and preferences on the majority of Americans. 

Abandoning the current Electoral College, which Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren support, would be surrendering to “tyranny of the majority” of coastal elites who believe changing to a national vote system is an easier path to the White House than having rural state voters cast judgment on out-of-step progressive agendas.

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The NPV would be great for states such as California, New York and Illinois. It would be an opportunity for a very few large population hubs to essentially dictate the entire national agenda and push their policies and preferences on the majority of Americans, most of whom live outside those metropolitan areas. For the majority of states without major population centers, the NPV would be a disaster.  Why any of the mid-size and smaller states would surrender their right to be heard is befuddling.

Presidential candidates would essentially be incentivized to ignore the issues facing not just Colorado, but virtually any state without large population centers. My home state of West Virginia has about 1.8 million people. There are more than 8 million votes to be had in New York City alone. Gone will be the days of coalition building and visiting states and voters with a variety of backgrounds.

In Colorado, why would presidential candidates care what rural communities think about the water wars on the Colorado River when the population of southern California is five times that of the entire state of Colorado?  Even if candidates did campaign in Colorado, their attention would be on Denver and surrounding localities. Candidates would no longer be compelled to address the concerns of an entire state.

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To tie this all together, the interests of Democrats in large population states are driving the national popular vote system. Of the $1.8 million that has already been spent in Colorado in favor of the National Popular Vote, more than 99 percent has come from outside the state, with more than 75 percent coming from the state with the largest population and most to gain – California.

The famed Benjamin Franklin led the charge for the Declaration of Independence to call on us to “mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” While it is a pledge all of us need to take seriously, a little of Franklin’s common sense is what is needed in Colorado this year.

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