One of the hundred reasons I love Colorado Springs. 

Statistics show that Colorado Springs has 50% lower violent crime rate than other cities of comparative population. In other crime we are 22% lower in comparison. Pedestrians have a 76 percent lower than average risk of being killed by a motor vehicle here-among the safest in surveys. This is very good informaion since we are one of the fittest states we have a plethera of people jogging, biking, walking, running, horseback riding...ok I'll stop (more on that later)

 The Colorado Springs Police Department is continually working to improve their service to community. Last fall a new DNA Facility began to process locally. This will drastically reduce the turnaround time for results on forensic DNA evidence.

 As we move forward, the CSPD continues to work toward improvement. Recently some initiatives failed during the November 2008 election. We will see how funding will affect our averages. With that said, we still have a high quality of life and offer the best of both worlds. A big city feel with small town problems.

This Chart shows the rate of occurrence of Part 1 Index Crimes occurring per 1,000 persons in Colorado Springs, Fountain, unincorporated El Paso County and the United States (U.S.).

What Does It Mean? Part 1 Index Crimes include: murder, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, and auto theft. The U.S. rate is for cities of similar size to Colorado Springs (200,000 to 530,000 residents) and allows us to compare ourselves to a national average.

Why is this Important? Tracking trends in modes of travel will help to plan improvements for existing systems to make them more accessible to all segments of the population in an effective manner.

How are we Doing? In 2006, the index crime rate in Colorado Springs was 51.4, below the national average.

Potential for Action In 2008, Citizens for Effective Government, a group of civic leaders, organized the Safer Community Initiative to encourage support for adequate levels of funding for public safety, including law enforcement and crime prevention. NOTE: This initiative failed during the November 2008 election.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sTuo5zaGyg

 http://www.springsgov.com/units/police/miscDocs/2008FastFacts.pdf

http://www.fitpregnancy.com/bestcities2008/118

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sTuo5zaGyg

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzYBFz5FREU (this link is just for fun)

There are a hundred reasons why I live in Colorado Springs. One reason is a fabulous woman I know.  Her name is Becky Kiser, and she is a hero.

Becky is a Mary Kay sales director and savior of hundreds of women. She founded Women for Women a non profit organization that works to correct the social agony and pain of the condition called Fistula. Becky has been honored nationally and internationally for her work. She works tirelessly, using her own funds, and risking her very life to help these many women. Please take some time and view the video.  If you are interested in donating or becoming involved with Women for Women and The Trampled Rose Shelter, please visit their site     http://trampledrose.org/

http://www.aboutsweep.org/applause2page.pdf

http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/3420

http://www.csindy.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A33428

While education costs skyrocket we have still found a way to educate ourselves. You would think that the internet would be the great meeting hall for thirsty minds. But, its not the only place. Despite the explosion of the internet age the old fashioned book is still popular. So much so that 68% of all Americans have a library card and the number is increasing.

Here in Colorado the averages are even higher. In the top 10 of the "smartest" cities in the U.S., Colorado has two, Boulder and Fort Collins. According to U.S. government census projections the population in Colorado is about 5 million, compared to states like New York, 20 million, and California, 36 Million. By comparision of population that would indicate that Coloradoans are super SMART (Start Making A Reader Today)

In tough economic times, everyone looks to stretch a dollar. Libraries are a great resource. It's FREE to you and me. Very few other countries offer such a resource to their citizens. If you haven't been to the library lately, take some time and cruise the bookshelves.

http://harvester.census.gov/imls/compare/ReportComparisonGroup.asp

I was just reading Why Colorado Assessors are going to need TUMS by Mary Douglas. Her blog on property tax assessments made me think of tax time, which made me think of money and then of course what I wouldn't be getting back. Remember those economic stimulus checks mailed out last year. What many people didn't and still don't understand is that the money was actually and advance on your tax return. But I did a bit of research and incase you haven't already found out there is actually a "recovery rebate credit" if your financial circumstances have changed dramatically since 2007. So, if that was the case for you in 2008 you should qualify for this credit when you file this year. Ask your tax adviser if you qualify.

http://www.consumerismcommentary.com/2009/01/02/filing-your-2008-taxes-with-the-economic-stimulus-recovery-rebate-credit/