Colorado
Real estate problems move up to 3rd on Colorado’s Top 10 consumer complaint list
Consumer complaints and inquiries filed with the state surged 20% last year, with housing-related and imposter scams driving much of the increase, according to an annual update from Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser.
The attorney general’s office received 24,473 complaints last year, which surpassed the previous record of 20,390 set in 2023. The top category with around 1,670 complaints in each of the past two years involves retail sales — everything from defective products to impossible-to-cancel subscriptions.
Professional services represented the second biggest category of complaints and unlike retail, which was flat, incidents rose by nearly 30%. Complaints in that area centered on warranties, shoddy workmanship, and problems tied to legal and other professional services.
Real estate sales and services complaints, which had ranked 10th on the 2023 list, shot up to the third spot, going from 520 to 1,272 complaints, a 145% increase.
Consumer advocates have focused more attention on questionable practices like the use of algorithms that reduce rent competition and undisclosed charges or junk fees that zing renters after the fact, such as fees for package delivery or for moving out. Weiser has pursued action against real estate companies like RealPage and GreyStar alleging their practices harm consumers. The increase in complaints may reflect greater awareness as well as firms trying to push the limits of acceptable behavior.
Consumers also appear to be struggling more with imposter scams and business impersonations, where complaints went from 808 to 1,205, or more than 50%. Banks, government agencies, tech support, online retailers, delivery firms — the list of businesses being impersonated is long.
Weiser notes that the prevalence of social media accounts combined with the rise of artificial intelligence technology now allows scammers to take voice recordings or photos and use them to craft highly customized and believable messages.
More broadly, scammers can gain personal information, such as the name of a target’s bank, and then combine it with a spoofed or false caller I.D. number, overcoming the normal caution people might show.
“Stay nervous,” Weiser advised. “When someone contacts you by phone, text, or social media, don’t assume what is being said is real. You have to start from the opposite assumption. Assume it isn’t true.”
His advice is to hang up or ignore an email or text and then directly contact the supposed source of the call if there is any doubt. Don’t use the number provided in a text, email or showing up on the caller ID.
Weiser notes that the record number of complaints not only points to too many consumers being treated unfairly but also to greater public awareness of the website his office runs to gather complaints StopFraudColorado.gov. He also noted that his office has been able to secure $500 million in “refunds, restitution, credits, and debt relief for Colorado consumers” since he took office.
The Colorado Public Interest Research Group, or CoPIRG, also released a list of tips on Monday to help consumers better secure their data. One is to store sensitive financial documents in the cloud, which can prove especially helpful in the event of a disaster or an emergency evacuation.
Given how much sensitive personal data is floating around on the dark web after data breaches, consumers are urged to freeze credit reports with all three national bureaus. That will block attempts by scammers to set up new credit lines or loans under a victim’s name. The task takes about 30 minutes and is free of charge, but fewer than one in 10 consumers have ever implemented a freeze. U.S. PIRG provides a guide on how to freeze a credit report.
Under the Colorado Privacy Act, consumers have the right to install a browser tool that automatically blocks the sale of personal data by any websites visited. For Google Chrome, the extension is called Privacy Badger. CoPIRG has a guide on how to install and use the extensions.
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Colorado
Family of Colorado inmate files lawsuit against jail for her death
The family of a former inmate in Colorado is filing a federal wrongful death lawsuit against the Jefferson County Jail.
The lawsuit claims jail staff caused the in-custody death of Ashley Raisbeck in December 2023. It says the jail gave Raisbeck an antibiotic that she was allergic to and then failed to call 911 for an hour after she showed signs of a medical emergency.
Her mother, Jamie Raisbeck, and other family members believe this is a larger issue.
“It’s disgusting, it’s not okay,” Jamie Raisbeck said. “Along the way, I’ve been trying to make as much noise as I can. I want to make a change in the laws on how inmates are being treated with their medical care.”
The lawsuit also claims her death was not properly investigated. A critical incident response team led by the Lakewood Police Department presented evidence in the case to the district attorney’s office in 2024. It found no criminal conduct by law enforcement that caused her death, and the DA did not file criminal charges in the case.
Colorado
Construction complete on Grey Hawk Park in north Colorado Springs
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – Construction is officially complete on a north Colorado Springs park.
The City of Colorado Springs said Grey Hawk Park, near Voyager Parkway and North Gate Boulevard, is now complete.
The playground is 6,500 square feet, and the city said the park includes accessible walking loops, a multi-use field, a picnic pavilion, half-court basketball space, furniture, shade trees and a natural area with soft-surface trails and a scenic overlook.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony begins on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m.
The city said Mayor Yemi Mobolade, Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Director Britt Haley, City Councilmember David Leinweber, former City Council President Randy Helms, and Grey Hawk HOA leadership are expected to speak at the ceremony.
Following the ceremony, they said students from Discovery Canyon Campus Elementary School and neighborhood children will be given the opportunity to help with playtesting the brand new equipment.
The city said the park will provide outdoor opportunities for nearby communities.
Copyright 2025 KKTV. All rights reserved.
Colorado
Colorado State Patrol chases off-duty Denver police officer; officer arrested over a month later
Newly released documents detail how a Colorado State Patrol trooper briefly chased an off-duty Denver police officer near Golden in October, how investigators used cell phone location data to track the officer’s speed, and the charges he now faces.
Christopher Thomas, 29, was arrested on Friday and released later that day on a $5,000 cash or surety bond. An arrest affidavit obtained by CBS News Colorado on Monday shows that the arrest was connected to a brief Oct. 23 chase involving a state trooper on Highway 58 just west of Golden.
Around 11:30 p.m. that night, a state trooper parked on the shoulder of the highway clocked a Dodge Ram pickup truck at 102 mph in a 65 mph zone, according to an arrest warrant. The trooper chased the truck with his lights and sirens on and got a partial license plate number when they got to eastbound Interstate 70 near Kipling Street in Wheat Ridge. At that point, the trooper said he and the truck were going 90 mph.
The trooper said traffic was “moderate” and described the driver as “reckless.” When he got behind the truck, it “accelerated aggressively.”
“The Trooper initiated a short pursuit, but speeds exceeded 100 miles per hour, and due to moderate traffic on Interstate 70, the Trooper discontinued the pursuit,” CSP said in a news release on Monday.
Dispatchers ran the partial license plate and vehicle model, which brought up Thomas, according to the arrest warrant. Troopers parked on his street, and when Thomas returned home, he saw the troopers and allegedly fled, losing the troopers.
Learning the identity of the driver, CSP and several Denver police officers contacted DPD’s internal affairs unit, who requested that Thomas come into DPD headquarters. He did, having arrived in the same truck he allegedly fled troopers in, according to the arrest warrant.
After being read his Miranda Rights, Thomas requested to speak to an attorney, but agreed to let investigators search his personal cellphone for location data, calls, and text messages. Investigators say they were unable to find any evidence through a manual search of his phone and returned it to Thomas while they waited for a call detail records, or “CDR” warrant.
CDR warrants allow law enforcement to get cellphone metadata from cell service providers, which shows things like location data, who someone calls or is called by, when, and how long they’re on the phone for.
The warrant was approved and signed by a Jefferson County judge on Nov. 7 and sent to Thomas’s cellphone carrier. On Nov. 21, the company returned the requested CDR data to DPD, whose investigators then pored through that information using a program called Nighthawk on Dec. 3.
The location data, coupled with the time Thomas was allegedly at those locations, led investigators to estimate the speed at which he was traveling and placed him at locations consistent with the pursuit, according to the arrest warrant.
Two days later, Thomas was arrested on suspicion of felony vehicular eluding creating a substantial risk of bodily injury and misdemeanor reckless endangerment.
Thomas joined DPD in 2021 and was most recently assigned as a patrol officer to District 1, in the northwest part of the city, according to the department. He was suspended without pay because he’s facing a felony charge. If convicted of the felony, he’d lose the ability to be a law enforcement officer in Colorado.
“The Denver Police Department is committed to transparency and accountability,” the department said in a statement on Friday. “When a Denver Police officer is arrested, DPD works to proactively share information in a timely manner, when possible. As with all arrests, the suspect is innocent until proven guilty.”
DPD says it will conduct an administrative review of Thomas’s alleged actions after his criminal case concludes.
He has not yet formally been charged. He’s due back in court on Monday.
Reached by phone on Tuesday, Thomas’s attorney declined to comment on the case while it’s ongoing.
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