First Responders Are Our Community

02/25/2020

Durango Police Detective Kathleen O’Toole moved to Durango to enjoy the outdoor lifestyle, and as a police detective, she’s dedicated to help men and women avoid sexual assault.

Learn More...

Read the Full Transcript

0:00:11.460,0:00:15.290
WELCOME TO OUR FIRST EDITION OF MEET YOUR
FIRST RESPONDERS, CELEBRATING THE MEN AND

0:00:15.290,0:00:16.800
WOMEN WHO KEEP OUR COMMUNITY SAFE.

0:00:16.800,0:00:17.800
BROUGHT TO YOU BY BANK OF THE SAN JUANS, ONE
BIG HAPPY LITTLE BANK SERVING DURANGO, COLORADO.

0:00:17.800,0:00:22.970
WHEN DURANGO POLICE DETECTIVE KATHLEEN O'TOOLE
WAS ON A MEAL BREAK AS A ROOKIE COP IN BOULDER,

0:00:22.970,0:00:28.120
A STRANGER BOUGHT DINNER FOR HER AND HER FELLOW
OFFICERS AS A THANK YOU FOR THEIR SERVICE.

0:00:28.120,0:00:29.450
THAT'S WHEN IT STRUCK HER.

0:00:29.450,0:00:34.250
SHE HAD AN IMPORTANT JOB THAT CONTRIBUTD TO
THE SAFETY AND WELFARE OF THE COMMUNITY.

0:00:34.250,0:00:38.690
AND TODAY, AS A DETECTIVE WITH THE DURANGO
POLICE DEPARTMENT, HER APPRECIATION FOR POLICE

0:00:38.690,0:00:40.610
WORK HAS ONLY GROWN.

0:00:40.610,0:00:42.160
IT'S VERY REWARDING WORK.

0:00:42.160,0:00:43.160
DEFINITELY.

0:00:43.160,0:00:44.329
I'LL SAY THAT.

0:00:44.329,0:00:54.149
AND WHAT I REALLY APPRECIATE IS WE SEE AND
HEAR THINGS THAT ARE USUALLY THE MOST TRAUMATIC

0:00:54.149,0:00:56.339
EVENTS FOR PEOPLE'S LIVES.

0:00:56.339,0:01:01.879
AND IT'S, IT'S AN HONOR WHEN PEOPLE ALLOW
US TO STEP INTO THEIR WORLD IN THEIR MOST

0:01:01.879,0:01:03.489
HORRIBLE MOMENT.

0:01:03.489,0:01:09.500
AND I'M REALLY HOPING THAT I'M DOING THEM
JUSTICE BY LISTENING AND TRYING TO HELP THEM

0:01:09.500,0:01:12.810
IN ONE WAY OR THE OTHER FOR WHATEVER'S HAPPENED.

0:01:12.810,0:01:16.860
O'TOOLE GRADUATED FROM PARKER HIGH SCHOOL
IN PARKER, COLORADO, COMPLETED HER DEGREE

0:01:16.860,0:01:20.920
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT BOULDER,
THEN WORKED AS A NEWSPAPER REPORTER IN THE

0:01:20.920,0:01:21.920
DENVER AREA.

0:01:21.920,0:01:30.049
I WAS COVERING COURTS AND COPS, AND SO I WAS
CONSTANTLY IN, WATCHING THE NEWS, STORIES

0:01:30.049,0:01:34.220
AND YOU KNOW, WRITING THE NEWS STORIES OF
POLICE EVENTS AND DID WENT ON MANY RIDE ALONGS

0:01:34.220,0:01:35.810
AND BECAME AN OFFICER.

0:01:35.810,0:01:38.759
IT SEEMED LIKE A, A GOOD JOB FOR ME.

0:01:38.759,0:01:43.380
O'TOOLE ATTENDED POLICE ACADEMY AT ARAPAHOE
COMMUNITY COLLEGE IN LITTLETON AND WAS HIRED

0:01:43.380,0:01:45.280
BY THE BOULDER POLICE DEPARTMENT.

0:01:45.280,0:01:48.619
BUT THE MOUNTAINS AND A RURAL WAY OF LIFE
WERE CALLING HER.

0:01:48.619,0:01:51.710
WE LOVE HIKING, WE LOVE CAMPING AND BACKPACKING.

0:01:51.710,0:01:56.930
MY HUSBAND'S GETTING US INTO ICE CLIMBING
AND ROCK CLIMBING.

0:01:56.930,0:02:02.710
BUT IT'S HARDER TO DO THAT IN THE, IN THE
HIGH- POPULATED URBAN AREAS LIKE DENVER, THOUGH

0:02:02.710,0:02:04.560
I WAS BORN AND RAISED THERE.

0:02:04.560,0:02:10.500
SO, WE ACTUALLY TOOK A MAP OF COLORADO AND
LOOKED TO SEE WHERE ARE THE WHITEST PEAKS

0:02:10.500,0:02:15.930
THAT STILL HAD A TOWN AROUND IT, AND DURANGO
POPPED UP, AND WE'VE LOVED IT EVER SINCE.

0:02:15.930,0:02:21.340
I REMEMBER ONE OF MY FIRST DAYS COMING TO
WORK IN, IN DURANGO, AND WAS LOOKING OFF TO

0:02:21.340,0:02:23.660
PERINS PEAK, AND IT WAS JUST A BEAUTIFUL DAY.

0:02:23.660,0:02:28.500
IT WAS FEBRUARY, BUT IT WAS BEAUTIFUL, AND
THERE WAS SNOW ON PERINS PEAK, AND I JUST

0:02:28.500,0:02:32.200
REMEMBER, LIKE, LOOK WHAT I GET TO LOOK AT
EVERY DAY?

0:02:32.200,0:02:34.660
SO THAT, THAT MAKES IT WORTH IT FOR ME.

0:02:34.660,0:02:38.520
WHEN SHE'S NOT HEADED OUT HER BACK DOOR TO
GO CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING, ICE-CLIMBING, OR

0:02:38.520,0:02:43.490
HIKING, O'TOOLE IS TEACHING WOMEN SELF-DEFENSE
TECHNIQUES IN HER BUSINESS CALLED SAFE SISTER,

0:02:43.490,0:02:49.010
NINE-HOUR COURSE FOR WOMEN THAT INCLUDES SAFETY
AWARENESS PRACTICES AND HANDS-ON SELF-DEFENSE

0:02:49.010,0:02:50.640
MOVES IF THEY FACE AN ATTACKER.

0:02:50.640,0:02:54.890
IT'S AN EXTENSION OF HER CRUSADE TO REDUCE
SEXUAL ASSAULT IN THE COMMUNITY.

0:02:54.890,0:03:00.330
I DID SEE A POSTER THAT REALLY RANG TRUE TO
ME, AND IT WAS AN OLDER POSTER FROM THE '70s,

0:03:00.330,0:03:07.700
AND IT READ THAT SOCIETY TEACHES WOMEN NOT
TO GET RAPED BUT NOT, DON'T RAPE.

0:03:07.700,0:03:09.400
AND THAT'S WHERE WE NEED TO START.

0:03:09.400,0:03:16.980
IF YOU ARE NOT CLEAR THAT YOUR PARTNER IS
CONSENTING, YOUR GIRLFRIEND, YOUR BOYFRIEND,

0:03:16.980,0:03:20.700
WHOMEVER, IF THEY'RE ASLEEP, THEY'RE NOT CONSENTING.

0:03:20.700,0:03:21.700
THAT'S IN LAW.

0:03:21.700,0:03:22.700
THAT'S IN STATUTE.

0:03:22.700,0:03:26.430
SO YOU HAVE TO BE A BETTER HUMAN.

0:03:26.430,0:03:33.640
WAKE THEM UP, ASK, GET A VERY CLEAR ANSWER,
AND ONLY THEN MOVE FORWARD.

0:03:33.640,0:03:40.750
BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T, THEN CIRCUMSTANCES MIGHT
MAKE YOU AND I MEET IN SOME SITUATIONS THAT

0:03:40.750,0:03:44.390
YOU MAY NOT APPROVE.

0:03:44.390,0:03:48.880
THANKS FOR WATCHING MEET YOUR FIRST RESPONDERS,
BROUGHT TO YOU BY BANK OF THE SAN JUANS AND

0:03:48.880,0:03:50.160
THE LOCAL NEWS NETWORK.

0:03:50.160,0:03:51.580
I'M DEBORAH URODA.

0:03:51.580,0:04:10.980
BE SAFE OUT THERE.

PAST DURANGO LOCAL NEWS STORIES

December 22, 2023

Need more  Local DURANGO News?

News for Locals. By Locals.
Editorial Policy | Copyright © Local News Network Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy