DCSO Deputies Bring Jail Operations Insights to Highlands Ranch Senior Academy

Deputies from the Douglas County Sheriff's Office Special Operations and Response Team, the unit responsible for cell extractions inside the county jail, spent Tuesday morning at the Highlands Ranch Senior Center fielding questions from seniors enrolled in DCSO's ongoing Senior Academy program.

The visit gave attendees an unusually candid look at how the county's correctional facility operates day to day. SORT works full time inside the DCSO jail and handles some of the facility's most tactically demanding situations, including cell extractions. Bringing that expertise to a morning session at a senior center reflects a deliberate effort by the department to demystify law enforcement operations for older residents.

The Senior Academy session was held at the Highlands Ranch Senior Center, a 15,600-square-foot facility on the south side of Highlands Ranch Parkway east of Broadway. The center opened to the public on January 13, 2025, the product of a planning process that began with a 2017 feasibility study and drew on collaboration between the Highlands Ranch Metro District, Douglas County, and the broader community. The facility is available to residents ages 55 and older, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and includes a satellite office for Douglas County Health & Human Services. Before the center opened, senior programming in Highlands Ranch had been offered through community partners including the Highlands Ranch Community Association and Southridge Recreation Center.

DCSO's engagement with seniors extends well beyond single-event visits. The department maintains a dedicated Senior Resource Deputy, Ryan Falkner, who regularly presents at senior centers and retirement communities across the county. Falkner can be reached at 303-663-7748 or rfalkner@dcsheriff.net for questions ranging from scam prevention to general safety concerns. For non-emergency matters, DCSO's main line is 303-660-7500.

Falkner is also accompanied on some visits by LEO, the department's first law enforcement senior resource dog. LEO, a Mini Bernedoodle rescued and donated by the Colorado Animal Care Foundation, was officially sworn in on February 28, 2024. The dog's role is specifically designed to ease interactions between deputies and older adults and to address isolation and depression among seniors.

The Senior Academy sits within a broader community programming portfolio that under Sheriff Darren Weekly also includes a Youth Academy, crime prevention initiatives, identity theft prevention, and the Senior Safe program. DCSO patrols unincorporated Douglas County and the communities of Castle Pines, Franktown, and Larkspur.