(Photo Credit: KOAA News5)
By Nia Bender
COLORADO SPRINGS – The Colorado Springs police oversight committee is now in place. It’s the first of its kind for the city. The Law Enforcement Transparency and Accountability Commission members were confirmed by the Colorado Springs City Council on Tuesday. 11-members and two alternates were chosen out of more than 800-people who applied.
District 1:Debra Walker: Walker is the executive director of the Citizens Project and serves on many boards and committees. She is a Founding Member and Chair of the Haiti Village Project and serves on CPSD’s Community Leaders Steering Committee as well as on the advisory board for the Center for Religious Diversity and Public Life at UCCS.
Brent Windebank: Windebank is a student at UCCS and a volleyball coach at Colorado Springs Christian High School. He also works as a grocery clerk. He worked previously in the City’s Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services Department and has served on several boards and commissions.
District 3:
Dr. Luis Velez: Velez served as Colorado Springs Police Chief and served 31 years on the force. He was also Pueblo Police Chief from 2011-2017. He was the Dean of Criminal Justice at Colorado Technical University and served as the Vice President of Education.
Rachel Flick: Flick has over twenty years of experience in leadership, human service, and counseling. She currently owns her own counseling firm and also serves as a public speaker and author. She’s also the widow of Deputy Micah Flick, who was shot and killed on duty.
Terry Martinez: Martinez worked at several area schools during his 31-year career in education, serving as a principal, assistant principal, and teacher. Martinez serves on the Judicial Review Commission for the 4th Judicial District and on the El Paso County Parks Advisory Board.
District 4:
Justin Baker: One of the founders of the People 719 non-profit activism group, Baker helped write the initial proposal which formed the basis of the Commission. Baker works as a lumberjack.
Janice Frazier: Frazier chairs several organizations including Urbanites Leading the Pikes Peak Region, Colorado Alliance of Black School Educators and Diverse Coalition for Change-Oral Health. She has worked for Colorado Springs School District 11 for over 25 years and currently serves as D11’s human resources equity specialist.
Dennis Moore: Moore retired from a 20-year career as a program analyst in the Air Force in 1986 and spent 20 years in Federal Civil Service until 2007. He served on the Public Safety Sales Tax Oversight Committee from 2014-2020. Moore has served on numerous boards and commissions in government as well as Teen Court.
District 5:
Steve Kern: Kern retired from a 34-year teaching career in 2017. He taught for 23 years at Palmer High School and directed its International Baccalaureate diploma program for 15 years. Kern is currently an associate with Henjum Consulting Group and is a founding member of the Springs Philosophy Project.
District 6:
Joe Aldaz: President & CEO of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Aldaz also serves on the boards of the Colorado Springs Chamber and EDC and Junior Achievement of Southern Colorado and is active on the Pikes Peak Community College Hispanic Advisory Council and Institute for Veterans and Military Families Diversity & Inclusion Council.
Kate Angulski: Assistant professor of Criminal Justice for the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs.Angulski is a published author with an extensive background in research in the areas of drug use and policy, criminal desistance and international/comparative criminal justice.
Alternates:
Rosita Camargo (District 4): Camargo has over 12 years of experience working with homeless youth and adults and previously served on the board of the National Latinx Coalition to end Homelessness.
Felicia Embry (District 5): Embry is the owner/operator of Thelma Lou’s Innersoul Food catering company and runs her own financial consulting firm.
