ASPEN — The police department insists it does not have a problem with the local media, even though it broke a front window at The Aspen Times offices sometime late Thursday or early Friday.
While pursuing a black bear and trying to spook it out of town, officer Jeff Fain fired a beanbag at the critter. Fain hit his target, but the beanbag deflected off the bear and through a window at the Main Street newspaper.
It was the first time that a beanbag intended for a bear caused property damage, said Police Chief Richard Pryor, who added that the department would pay to replace the broken window.
“When we rewrite our bear policy, we’ll make sure to include to not fire near a news building,” Pryor jested.
Joking aside, the bear problem of late is hardly a laughing matter. In fact, the abundance of hungry bears in the Aspen area prompted the Department of Wildlife to ask Aspen police and county deputies to shoot and kill bruins that are deemed dangerous or aggressive — in other words, ones that break through locked doors, have attacked someone, or pose a threat to a human.
Pryor said a new bear policy has been written by police addressing how to handle the aggressive bears when the DOW is not available to euthanize them. He said Pitkin County Undersheriff Tom Grady is expected to take a look at it Tuesday before it becomes official.
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