Leadership

Throughout the state of Colorado, basic public safety services are delivered through local units of government. County sheriffs enforce state laws in Colorado’s counties, and local police departments enforce state and local laws within cities. The Colorado Department of Public Safety provides help to sheriffs, police and fire departments, and emergency managers whenever local officials request assistance. 

Stan Hilkey Executive Director Colorado Department of Public Safety		Rebecca Spiess Deputy Executive Director Colorado Department of Public Safety
Colorado native Stan Hilkey began his service as Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Public Safety in June 2014 after more than 11 years serving as Sheriff of Mesa County. His leadership in Evidence Based Decision Making (EBDM) will continue in his new role as Executive Director of CDPS and as Chair of the Colorado Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice.   Read more about Stan Hilkey here...		Appointed Deputy Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Public Safety by Executive Director Stan Hilkey in May 2015, Rebecca Spiess served Mesa County, Colorado, for more than 10 years in various sworn officer positions in the Sheriff’s Office.    Read more about Rebecca Spiess here ...

The Division of Fire Prevention and Control trains and certifies firefighters, conducts fire safety inspections of many public schools, hospitals and nursing homes. DFPC coordinates wildfire response in state, federal and local areas and provides firefighting resources when wildfires occur.

 

 

 

Colorado Bureau of Investigation
Michael S. Rankin - Director
 

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation provides a variety of criminal investigation services to local agencies, including forensic and crime scene analysis, trained investigative agents, fire investigations and complex financial crime investigations.

 

 

Division of Criminal Justice
Joe Thome - Director
 

The Division of Criminal Justice provides assistance to state and local agencies in the criminal justice system through grants, research and policy development. DCJ serves as the “R&D” agency for many different component agencies and services in the criminal justice system. 

 

 

 

Division of Homeland Security Emergency Management
Kevin R. Klein - Director
Read about Kevin R. Klein here...

The Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, working with Colorado’s regional emergency managers, coordinates responses to disasters and emergencies within Colorado.  DHSEM is a partner to local, state, federal and international agencies that are responsible for terrorism investigations. 

 

 

 

Colorado State Patrol
Colonel Scott Hernandez - Chief
Read about Colonel Scott Hernandez here....

The Colorado State Patrol enforces state traffic laws on state highways outside city boundaries. CSP also assists local authorities in any part of the state when needed.
 

 

 

Colorado School Safety Resource Center

Although not a formal division but as an office of CDPS, the Colorado School Safety Resource Center assists local schools with safety planning, trains local officials on a wide range of school and student safety issues including bullying and suicide prevention, and helps school administrators and faculty find ways of addressing virtually any safety need.

Human Resources

Human Resources hires new members of CDPS divisions and provides assistance to all members with benefit information, orientation, training and position development. HR, like the Colorado School Safety Resource Center, is a component of the Executive Director’s Office.

Executive Directors Office

The Executive Director’s Office supervises all divisions, develops the department’s budget and policies, provides liaison to the Colorado General Assembly, helps members of the public determine what CDPS office can provide assistance to them, supervises payroll and procurement services within the department and works with the Office of the Governor to carry out the mission of the department.