DENVER—Lawmakers want the state Department of Human Services to explain why juvenile injuries at a northern Colorado youth detention facility were not reported to police for possible investigation.
Rep. Jim Kerr, a Littleton Republican, said he is asking the House Health & Human Services Committee to convene a hearing on the incidents at Platte Valley Youth Services Center that were reported by The Associated Press.
Betty Boyd, a Democrat from Lakewood who chairs the Senate Joint Health & Human Services Committee, said an examination on camp security procedures is needed “to get at the root of what’s going on.”
The Department of Human Services, which has jurisdiction over Platte Valley, said it has discretion over whether to report youth camp incidents to police.
In June, a security guard using thumb restraints broke a girl’s wrists in two places while trying to calm her down. A day later, a developmentally disabled youth claimed he was injured while handcuffed for refusing to obey orders. Witnesses said a security guard sat on him for 20 minutes. Camp administrators disputed that claim.
Neither youth was immediately taken to a hospital for treatment—a possible violation of state policy.
A third youth at Platte Valley nearly lost an eye when he was beaten by other detainees because they believed he was a snitch. The youth had told counselors he was targeted by gang members, but no security precautions were taken. The youth also told authorities he believed he had been set up by Platte Valley counselors.
State officials said they took that youth to a hospital in a state vehicle because his injuries were not life threatening. Counselors who asked that they not be identified for fear of retribution by their supervisors said an ambulance wasn’t called to avoid alerting police.
Ultimately, police were notified in that case because a detainee was charged with assault in the attack.
“It’s definitely a public safety issue when people are taken in private vehicles in hospitals so they don’t have to report that these injuries have occurred,” Kerr said.
Liz McDonough, spokeswoman for the Department of Human Services, said she was unaware of the proposed hearings and couldn’t immediately comment.
An investigation by the Division of Youth Corrections, which runs the center 50 miles north of Denver, found no wrongdoing by security guards. The agency did commission an outside firm to look into the credibility of staffers who complained about the incidents and other problems at the facility.
Karen Beye, director of the Department of Human Services, has said Human Services can choose whether to notify local police of incidents at youth camps or turn a case over to county social services departments. She said the Weld County Department of Human Services investigated all three cases at Platte Valley and found no wrongdoing.
Weld County Human Services Director Judy Griego has refused to comment. Griego said she was told by the Department of Human Services not to respond to inquiries.
In July, Platte Valley supervisor John Malloy told an investigator hired by the state that he believed children were in danger of being hurt by staff, according to documents obtained by the AP. Malloy said staff used improper hand holds and handcuff techniques. “I don’t think that the kids are safe at the facility,” Malloy said.
Platte Valley houses 130 youths convicted of crimes or detained for court hearings.
