CSPD Lieutenant Named American Legion Law Enforcement Officer of the Year
After 29 years of service to her community, Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) Lieutenant Jane Anderson is retiring. However, just weeks before her big send off, the CSPD had a surprise in store: A nomination for the American Legion Western Region Law Enforcement Officer of the Year. To all of our excitement, she didn’t just win the Western Region, she won the national title!
In her nomination letter, the CSPD stated, “Lt. Anderson represents the very best of the police profession. In her 29 years in law enforcement at the Colorado Springs Police Department, she has demonstrated to be someone who always exceeds the duty requirements for the position and has a distinct pattern of community service coupled with professional achievement.”
Her impact can be seen throughout the entire department and we wish her the best of luck in retirement. Her entire nomination letter can be found below.
Lt. Anderson will travel to Indianapolis next month to receive her award.
Nomination Letter
A Peekskill, New York, native, Lt. Jane Anderson moved to Colorado Springs after graduating from Elmira College in New York with a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Services, and a minor in Criminal Justice. While in college, Lt. Anderson played softball and basketball and became only the second woman in college history to score over 1,000 points in a four-year career. In her spare time, she served as a Campus Safety Officer at the college. Even in college, she was engaged with the community as an intern working with delinquent youth at a group home and at the Neighborhood Justice Center.
Lt. Anderson moved to Colorado Springs in the mid-1980s where she worked in a variety of fields such as serving as a camp counselor, swim teacher, landscaper, waitress, security guard, and substitute teacher. While substitute teaching for Harrison District 2, she served one year as an assistant coach for a girls’ freshman basketball team. Eventually, Lt. Anderson began to explore a career in law enforcement. She paid her own way through the very first Pikes Peak Regional Law Enforcement Academy in 1987, and later became a Reserve Police Officer for the Fountain Police Department before starting her career in law enforcement with the Colorado Springs Police Department in 1989.
During her police career, Lt. Anderson frequently engaged with area youth. She coached girls’ basketball at Falcon Middle School, Park and Rec T-ball, coach-pitch softball, and regular softball. She also coached YMCA girls and boys basketball for elementary school kids. Lt. Anderson remains in touch with her athletes and follows them on social media. She has also volunteered assisting with several Manitou Springs School District events over the years. Lt. Anderson was contacted by many parents to help teach their kids how to “throw and catch a ball” or “dribble and shoot a basketball.”
Early in her career, Lt. Anderson was selected and served as a Field Training Officer (FTO). One of her recruits, Sgt. Pat Turechek fondly remembers the guidance and insight Lt. Anderson brought to the job as an FTO and said, “Jane was a great inspiration as a training officer. While her focus was on officer safety, she had a way of making new officers feel included as part of the team and shift. While I was working with her, she had the opportunity to meet my mother, and to this day she asks about her.”
As a young officer, Lt. Anderson was selected to serve at the Training Academy in a temporary role as the first In-Service Coordinator where she was responsible for coordinating, scheduling, teaching, and tracking all In-Service and outside training. When the position opened as a permanent position, she opted not to apply because she only had three years on the job and missed working patrol. Once back in patrol, she was selected to be a Master Patrol Officer where she continued to train recruits in the field, perform her normal patrol duties, together with additional administrative and acting sergeant duties. During her time at the academy, and even after leaving the academy, she also took the initiative to become certified to teach Firearms, PR-24, and Taser and continued to be active in In-Service training and training new recruits.
In 1994, Lt. Anderson was recognized for ending the physical abuse of a handcuffed prisoner by a fellow officer. She immediately intervened and then notified her supervisor. The officer was later charged criminally and received disciplinary action. While this was a very difficult situation, Lt. Anderson demonstrated administrative courage and a commitment to ethics, leading by example due to her actions in this incident.
Lt. Anderson was promoted to sergeant in 1996. As a Patrol sergeant, she served as a cadet advisor, GangNet sergeant, Field Training sergeant, as well as the Reserve Officer Program sergeant. She also volunteered for the “Adopt-a-School” program where she would visit her assigned elementary school and read, play catch, or attend PE classes with the children.
As a new supervisor, Lt. Anderson gained respect by looking for solutions to problems and challenges. One example was when she led a team of officers through a problem-solving process that decreased the amount of time officers spent taking Escape Reports at Community Corrections. She listened to the officers’ complaints and encouraged them to become part of the solution. She facilitated the development of a new report form and the officers were empowered to conduct necessary research and obtain feedback from those affected by the changes. She gave presentations and revised policy related to the issue. Remarkably, it has been 20 years since the changes she implemented were put into place and they are still active today.
In 1998 while assigned to the Liquor Enforcement Program, she developed and implemented the “Adopt a Bar” program where officers were assigned a bar within their patrol division. The officers were responsible for meeting with the manager each month to discuss calls-for-service and provide a list of calls that were generated at their particular establishment, educate the managers and bouncers on statutory rules on use of force (following numerous complaints concerning bouncers beating up patrons), and conduct liquor enforcement inspections. Lt. Anderson helped develop the new user-friendly “Liquor Enforcement Directed Activity Supplement.” The information contained in this document was then captured monthly onto a spreadsheet. If a problem bar was identified, the police department would take the necessary steps to rectify the issues, to include recommending revocation of the liquor license. If the liquor establishment made a complaint, Lt. Anderson always had proper documentation available to show that the police department was not singling out certain bars and that everyone was treated equally. This community policing project opened the lines of communication between officers, bouncers, and bar owners.
In 1999, Lt. Anderson organized the crowd and traffic control plan in preparation for the Denver Broncos Super Bowl post-game celebrations in the downtown area. As a result, there were no riots, no fires, no injuries, and no property damage during the post-game celebration. Lt. Anderson received compliments from Tactical Enforcement Unit officers and Deputy Chief McElderry who were on standby and monitoring the radio for these activities.
As a Patrol Sergeant, Lt. Anderson managed many serious crime scenes and tactical calls, demonstrating both her technical expertise and her ability to properly allocate resources. In 2001, she had the honor of sharing the Officer of the Month award with one of her fellow sergeants at the Gold Hill Division for their efforts in handling a complex shooting scene that had multiple locations and persons involved, all while staying aware of staffing needs for the entire city.
During Lt. Anderson’s time as the Community Relations Sergeant, she served as the Program Manager for the Police Athletic League (PAL) and supervisor of the Crime Stoppers Program. This assignment allowed her to become familiar with the complex challenges of non-profit programs. She was responsible for the overall budget of PAL and wrote grants to secure funding to supplement the program. She also worked to increase police officer coaches from 7 to 17, supported the director in implementing a policy to track inventory more efficiently, reduce liability concerns, and increase safety by having football helmets refurbished.
One of the units that reported to Lt. Anderson as the Community Relations Sergeant was the Court Liaison Unit. Under her supervision, the unit researched new ways to save the department money by reducing court overtime. In 2002, the Court Liaison Unit generated a cost savings to the department of over $400,000. A portion of Lt. Anderson’s responsibilities were to write and rewrite court related policies to facilitate any necessary changes.
In Community Relations, Lt. Anderson also developed a strong relationship with Special Olympics through the Law Enforcement Torch Run. She went from being responsible for setting up the “run” portion, to becoming the Pikes Peak Regional Coordinator for all of the major events. Through her work, she educated officers about the run and increased agency participation in the Colorado Springs area from 7 to 17 agencies. In 2003, Lt. Anderson was honored by being the law enforcement officer selected to run the torch in the opening ceremonies with a designated athlete. She received a Department Commendation for her efforts with this program; and in 2005, our State Management Team was inducted into the Special Olympics Hall of Fame. She received a Department Commendation for her work with Special Olympics.
As the In-Service Training Sergeant, Lt. Anderson was asked to perform additional roles due to staffing shortages. She performed her own duties, together with running a recruit academy and being the In-Service Training Coordinator. She performed in an outstanding manner and was able to juggle all three jobs seamlessly. Lt. Anderson took on the extra task of working with several educational institutions in order to help employees obtain college credits by attending the department’s Recruit Academy and some In-Service classes.
In 2007, Lt. Anderson was promoted to lieutenant and returned to supervise a midnight shift on patrol. From 2008 through 2011, Lt. Anderson worked in Technical Investigations where she provided oversight to the Financial Crimes, Property Crimes, Metro Crime Lab, Computer Crimes, Registered Sex Offender Unit, Pawn Unit, and Internet Crimes Against Children Unit. She served as Interim Crime Lab Manager during a difficult time in which the lab manager had vacated his position. There were several issues to be dealt with, together with high employee turnover. Lt. Anderson handled all of these issues and converted the Crime Lab into a high-producing part of the department. This was in addition to supervising two sergeants, one civilian supervisor, and 18 employees (sworn and civilian) in her primary assignment. Lt. Anderson received a Department Commendation for her efforts as Interim Crime Lab Manager amongst her other duties.
One of the agencies that Lt. Anderson worked with while managing a variety of grants was the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority (CATPA). In order to take full advantage of CATPA funding, Lt. Anderson was instrumental in the formation of the Southern Colorado Motor Vehicle Theft (MVT) Task Force. The Southern Colorado MVT Task Force, led by Lt. Anderson, used overtime funds to combat the problem of motor vehicle theft. Lt. Anderson demonstrated her leadership abilities once again in 2009 when she coordinated the purchase of ten vehicle-mounted and one fixed-mounted Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) using CATPA funds.
Although Lt. Anderson changed positions several times within the CSPD, she maintained oversight of the CATPA grant. Detective Sergeant Kevin Miyakusu, who oversees the CSPD Auto Theft Unit, noted that without Lt. Anderson’s leadership, guidance, and diligence, the Colorado Springs Police Department would not have the robust ALPR program and dedicated Auto Theft Unit that it has today.
In 2011, Lt. Anderson returned to patrol as a patrol lieutenant, where she continued to demonstrate her passion of community policing. In addition to her regular duties, she provided oversight to many Problem Oriented Policing (POP) projects. Lt. Anderson was contacted by her commander about an issue with an increase in disturbances involving tow truck drivers and citizens that was the result of tow truck owners towing vehicles from private property and acting as “agents” for these property owners. The tactics they were using were questionable at best. Lt. Anderson worked with the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) agents with recommendations for legislative updates and rule changes to alleviate private property tow truck disputes that were tying up law enforcement resources. Several of these recommendations were implemented and were shown to be rules that were more consistent and fair. Agents from the PUC started holding tow truck violators in compliance; and as a result, the disturbances decreased tremendously.
Another community project that Lt. Anderson oversaw as a lieutenant occurred in 2012. Sand Creek officers had been responding to a multitude of calls-for-service at a local bar, the majority of which were disturbances or weapons related calls. From January 1 through June 25, 2012, officers responded to 92 calls for service, completed 27 case reports, and one traffic accident report at this problem location. The calls included 26 disturbances and 16 calls related to weapons or shots being fired. Additionally, it was believed that there were many other crimes that occurred at this location that were unreported due to the fact that many of the bar’s patrons were illegal residents and afraid of police contact. During the calls-for-service, officers routinely observed criminal and traffic violations in the parking lot and hundreds of patrons both inside and outside the business. On many of these occasions, officers did not have the time or staffing to address these violations. Lt. Anderson assigned a team of officers to a POP project using overtime funds for deployments to address these issues. Lt. Anderson and her staff worked with several resources including Crime Analysts, the Fire Marshall, the City Attorney’s Office, the District Attorney’s Office, DUI officers, Español Service Program (ESP), Liquor Enforcement, and ICE agents from Denver. Numerous arrests were made, guns and narcotics were recovered, and DUI arrests were made as a result of their efforts. By the end of the project, the disturbance calls diminished and there were no longer shots fired calls at this bar. Lt. Anderson’s passion for community policing spread quickly to her sergeants and officers who had total buy-in.
On June 6, 2012, Colorado Springs was hit hard with a rain and hail storm where there were 40 rescues, with many trapped in or on top of vehicles and 600 calls to 911 over a two-hour period. CSPD officers, along with the Colorado Springs Fire Department, responded to the area near the Citadel Mall where they found several occupied vehicles that were being submerged under water from this storm. Several officers and citizens had to wade or swim through strong currents of freezing water and hail that was anywhere from four to six feet deep to rescue victims from their vehicles. Some of the officers suffered from hypothermia. Lt. Anderson made a recommendation that several of her officers be considered for prestigious awards such as Medal of Valor, Life Saving, and other awards. The Awards Committee later agreed with all of Lt. Anderson’s recommendations and her employees received awards for their heroic actions. In addition, Lt. Anderson received the American Eagle Award for managing this incident.
In 2013, Lt. Anderson was selected to be the Acting Commander of the Sand Creek Division while her commander was attending the FBI National Academy. This assignment was for three months and included regular daytime duties, evening commitments, and some weekend community events. Lt. Anderson was also responsible for running the largest patrol division in the city, assisted in the completion of the patrol division’s annual budget, carried out all duties of a division commander including discipline, acting as the Community Liaison for various groups, and attending several meetings on a regular basis. She took complete ownership of the division and ensured that the high standards that had been established by the commander were not only met, but exceeded. She received a Written Commendation for this temporary assignment.
In 2014, as a patrol lieutenant, Lt. Anderson was the supervisor for officers assigned to the Community Response Team (CRT), which is comprised of law enforcement officers, fire department paramedics, and mental health case workers. These officers were Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) certified and rode in one vehicle where they would respond to calls for service requiring mental health expertise. This unit became so successful that it started with just one unit working from 9am to 7pm, and soon expanded to two units. Lt. Anderson was also responsible for supervising the Community Service Officers (CSO) assigned to the Sand Creek Division. This is a nine-person civilian unit that handled many routine calls-for-service. The supervision of CRT and the CSO program were in addition to the supervision of her shift, consisting of four sergeants, 30 officers, and two Police Service Representatives. She continued to obtain buy-in from her officers doing community policing efforts and implemented the Adopt-a-School Zone Program for dayshift officers where each were assigned a particular school to run radar and do traffic enforcement when not on calls-for-service.
In January 2016, Lt. Anderson was selected as the new Training Director for the CSPD Training Academy, with oversight of all training to include recruit academy training and In-Service training. She was expected to be familiar with all POST rules and assist in tracking over 600 employees to ensure the department’s compliance with POST requirements. Lt. Anderson was also tasked with overseeing the DRMO Rifle Inspection Program where over 400 rifles were required to be inspected and tracked for compliance with federal and military standards. Lt. Anderson’s leadership and take-charge attitude resulted in her unit successfully meeting all objectives with POST. She has continuously strived to enhance training opportunities for both sworn and civilian personnel and provides excellent training.
As an additional assignment, Lt. Anderson was assigned to oversee CSPD’s new Wellness Program where a personal trainer was hired to assist officers with their physical fitness, nutrition needs, and more. She led by example by participating in the program and attending voluntary training classes on her lunch hour. She encouraged others to attend, assisted with a roll call training video, and made others aware of the program. Lt. Anderson demonstrated the success of the program by achieving her own personal fitness gains, allowing her accomplish the strenuous fitness program that is required of the younger recruits!
In 2017, Lt. Anderson and her CSPD Training Academy staff were tasked with putting on the largest recruit academy ever with 62 recruits. This request from the Chief required extensive work to develop a schedule involving three separate groups of recruits, coordinating outside instructors to teach certain classes multiple times, and the challenging logistics of preparing the building to host the large number of recruits; i.e., more tables, more chairs, more lockers, another refrigerator, more equipment, additional parking, etc. Outfitting this number of recruits with clothing and equipment, preparing all of the POST required documents, and recruit files was also taxing on Lt. Anderson’s staff. With their “can do” attitude, however, her staff did an amazing job of running the academy without any additional resources to accomplish this monumental task. In addition to her direct reports, Lt. Anderson assists in the supervision of 27 volunteers who perform many behind the scenes tasks to make the academy run smoothly.
Lt. Anderson’s compassion was evident when she was challenged with dealing with an elderly volunteer who was in need of assistance. She facilitated the transition of this volunteer from an assignment at the firearms range, which he could no longer safely perform, to an assignment at the Training Academy. She did this by being straightforward with the volunteer, working with Silver Key Senior Services, as well as with victim advocates, to ensure the volunteer’s needs were met. Lt. Anderson believes in and expects teamwork, professionalism, and commitment to the organization. These attributes that Lt. Anderson possesses are why CSPD continues to have one of the finest police training academies and In-Service training programs in the nation.
Within the Colorado Springs Police Department, Lt. Anderson has been very active on committees that go outside of her normal job duties. She has served on numerous committees, some of which she volunteered for, and others she was selected for. Some of these include the Pay Incentive Performance Evaluation (PIPE), Vision Statement Committee, Supervisor Rotation Committee, Employee Resource Team, Diversity/Inclusion Committee, Uniform Standards Committee, and others. Working on these committees has reinforced Lt. Anderson’s vow to respect the views of others and has helped her develop a better understanding of our organization. She was one of the Diversity Trainers who facilitated group discussions while teaching Diversity classes for city employees.
Lt. Anderson’s contributions to law enforcement extend well beyond the Colorado Springs Police Department. In 2002, Lt. Anderson was a founding member of the Rocky Mountain Women in Law Enforcement (RMWLE), having previously served as the president, Curriculum Chair, and was a moving force on the Board of Directors. RMWLE President Shelli Ellis, a corporal with Pueblo PD, remarked, “Jane takes on any job or task requested of her. She is always upbeat and positive and provides an excellent role model for women in our organization. Her enthusiasm for the profession is infectious.” RMWLE strives to promote the recruitment, retention, mentoring, and promotion of women in law enforcement, sworn and civilian, by providing an annual conference to educate law enforcement agencies and their employees on ways to increase the number of women in the profession. Lt. Anderson recently stepped down from this committee and is committing her time as a board member of the Central Mountain Training Region, which provides training to the law enforcement community in this region. She continues to stay active during meetings and provides feedback regarding by-laws, approving training requests, and providing governance to the organization.
Lt. Anderson is the consummate professional. She is a self-described “Type A” personality who worries not only about process and improvement, but also about people. No one is ever a stranger to her. She can carry on a conversation with anyone. In her time away from work, she can be found hiking the hills around her home with Dr. Dre, her black lab, exercising her Pedi-cab license in Denver, doing water aerobics, or attending a sporting event. She loves doing Tabata workouts and exercising in general. During her career, Lt. Anderson has competed in several 5Ks, sprint triathlons, and the Pikes Peak Ascent. Her favorite hike is the Manitou Springs Incline!
Over her 29 year career, Lt. Anderson has received the following accolades, which include Certificates of Appreciation, letters and emails from internal and external customers documenting their appreciation for her work, commendations, awards, etc.
A brief summary of those awards/letters/emails include:
- Two Department Commendations
- 12 Written Commendations
- Three Officer of the Month Awards
- 10 Commander’s Commendations
- One Rotary Club Officer of the Month
- Two American Eagle Awards
- Two CSPD Achievement Awards
- Three ACE (Commitment to Excellence) Awards
- More than 75 letters, notes, emails, appreciation certificates thanking her for her service both internally and externally
- One nomination in 1990 for Colorado Police Officer of the Year
Lt. Anderson and her partner, retired CSPD Lt. Maggie Santos, have two adult children, both college graduates. Family has always been extremely important to her. She made it a point to attend nearly every one of her children’s sports games and activities. She spent many years on midnights and said “sleep was over rated” and can proudly count on two hands how many activities she has missed attending, including kindergarten plays, sports, and awards ceremonies from elementary through high school. She even found time to drive to Nebraska to watch her son play college baseball. Her legacy continues as her son follows in her footsteps and has begun his career as a police officer in Arvada, Colorado. Her daughter spent the last two years tutoring high school students at an inner-city school in Watts, California. She has instilled the same community service philosophy in her children. As a supervisor, Lt. Anderson also provides her staff the flexibility and opportunities to be with their families. She believes that officers need to balance their lives between family, work, exercise, or other activities.
Lt. Anderson represents the very best of the police profession. In her 29 years in law enforcement at the Colorado Springs Police Department, she has demonstrated to be someone who always exceeds the duty requirements for the position and has a distinct pattern of community service coupled with professional achievement. For these reasons, and her continued dedication to improving the department and the profession, we request your consideration of this nomination for Lt. Anderson for The American Legion, Department of Colorado Law Enforcement Officer of the Year.
