Dep. Chief Vasquez shares vision for the department if approved as Colorado Springs Chief of Police

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Following a nomination by Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers to permanently serve as the Chief of Police, Deputy Chief Adrian Vasquez shared his vision for the department.

Vasquez has served as the interim chief since the retirement of Colorado Springs Police Department Chief Vincent Niski in March.

If the city council approves the mayor's endorsement, Vasquez says he wants to make big changes to the Colorado Springs Police Department.

Transparency

Vasquez says one of his top priorities is improving transparency with the Colorado Springs Police Department, starting by holding forums and Town Hall meetings.

During those forums and meetings, the public would be invited to attend and express their thoughts and concerns about the department. Vasquez also said the department would gain insights into informational data such as the Use of Force and crime statistics.

Increasing positions in the department

Another area of focus is to create additional positions within the Department. KRDO previously reported there are 803 available positions within the department, 760 of them are filled.

Vasquez says he wants to increase those numbers and place a strong emphasis on how the Department recruits potential officers by focusing on strengthening relationships with nearby military installations so there can be an easier transition process for interested applicants retiring from service, who could start a career in law enforcement.

He also touched on recruiting more minority populations. Vasquez says he wants to make sure the department "looks like" the community it's serving. He says the current numbers put the department behind in the African American and Hispanic communities.

In the next ten years, Mayor Suthers said CSPD could add two more sub-stations. That means instead of four sub-stations across the city, there would be six.

Tackling a rise in crime

In response to a rise in violent crime across the city and nationwide, Vasquez says he plans to move the department towards a "Data-Driven Policing Model." He explains that means bringing all of the proactive units into the same area where CSPD houses their Intel Analysts.

"A lot of time they are targeting the same people, they are targeting prolific offenders. But because they were not housed together, they were not necessarily sharing information as well as they could," Vasquez explains. "So now, they are going to be embedded with the intel analysts, they will be able to talk about the offenders they are looking for and making sure they are not putting all their efforts into one group."

Additionally, Vasquez says he is giving officers more time on the streets in line with their alternative response model. He explains CSPD responds to a lot of traffic incidents and the alternative response model is going to help make those types of responses for citizens having to wait a long time and move those to a phone/computer type of reporting. As long as there is not an injury or a vehicle is not totaled.

"When we do that, that is going to give our officers more time on the streets to be more proactive," he says.