Colorado reorganizes homeland security

On Wednesday the state of Colorado announced that it was reorganizing its homeland security operations.

With the announced changes, the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security will be dismantled and the Colorado Department of Public Safety (DPS) will now take responsibility for managing grants and coordinating programs among state agencies.

“We will increase the effectiveness of our programs and the accountability of our services,” said James Davis, the executive director of the DPS.

The restructuring comes following a Denver Post investigation that revealed the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security did not properly account for the $354 million in federal grants that the state received over the past decade to boost emergency response capabilities.

The reorganization is designed to cut overlapping responsibilities for homeland security, bolster public outreach, “reduce confusion,” and “establish a single resource for accountability,” according to DPS.

In reference to the state’s performance on tracking homeland security spending, Colorado governor John Hickenlooper said, “I think it’s ridiculous” explaining that the poor oversight was a result of shuffling responsibilities between state agencies over the years.

The new structure for homeland security oversight will take effect immediately and is not expected to add any additional costs. Three state positions will be cut, while fifteen employees will move to the newly created Division of Homeland Security which will be directed by Kevin Klein, the head of the state Division of Fire Safety.

The new division will encompass the existing Office of Preparedness and Office of Prevention and Security.

“This structure takes into account the strengths each of our agencies brings to ensure Colorado communities are empowered to prepare for, respond to and recover from natural and man-made disasters,” said Reeves Brown, the executive director of the Department of Local Affairs.