THEY
THEY CAN'T STOP IT WHEN HE WAS ABOUT TEN YEARS OLD IS WHEN WE STARTED TO NOTICE HE ASKED ME
WHAT DEPRESSION IS RUNNING TO
AND FROM HOSPITALS IN A CYCLE
OF CRISIS WE GOT ANOTHER AUTISM
DIAGNOSIS.
HE WAS ALSO DIAGNOSED WITH
ADHD, PTSD, BIPOLAR IN SEVERAL
DIFFERENT MOOD DISORDERS.
TIMMY AND HIS MOTHER WERE
RUNNING OUT OF OPTIONS.
THE HOSPITAL BECAME HIS COPING
TOOL.
NOTHING SEEMED TO STOP TEMMUZ
FROM RUNNING INTO DARK PLACES.
NO LITTLE BOY SHOULD KNOW HE
STRUGGLED.
HE STRUGGLED WITH SUICIDE.
HE STRUGGLED WITH WANTING TO
HURT HIMSELF WHEN TIMMY'S
OVERWHELMED MOM COULDN'T GET
THE RIGHT HELP IN COLORADO
SPRINGS, I DISCOVERED THAT NO
PROVIDER WAS OFFERING THESE
SERVICES.
SHE TRIED THE RESIDENTIAL CHILD
CARE SYSTEM FIRST THE MOUNT ST.
VINCENT HOME IN DENVER WHERE
CHILDREN WITH DEEP EMOTIONAL
SCARS GO TO LIVE WITH
SPECIALIZED THERAPY.
TAMMY'S MOM SAYS HE RAN AWAY
FROM HERE A LOT.
HE GOT OUT A FEW TIMES AND HE
CLIMBED THAT 12 FOOT FENCE OR
HOWEVER IT IS AND HE WOULD GO
OUT TO THE STREET AND LIKE LAY
IN THE STREET.
TIMMY WAS IN AND OUT
OF FACILITIES LAST SUMMER.
HE CAME HERE TO TENNYSON'S
CENTER AND WITHIN A MATTER
OF DAYS HE RAN AWAY TWICE AND
HE'S NOT THE ONLY ONE NINE ONE
ONE DISPATCH DATA REVEALS A
SYSTEMIC PROBLEM WITH KIDS JUST
LEAVING LAST YEAR TENNYSON'S
CENTER CALLED POLICE ON AVERAGE
EVERY THREE DAYS FOR RUNAWAYS
WE FREQUENTLY HEAR A CONCERN
THAT CHILDREN ARE RUNNING AWAY
FROM THESE TWENTY FOUR HOUR
FACILITIES A RUNAWAY PROBLEM
THAT'S RUNAWAY FOR YEARS
ACCORDING TO THE CHILD
PROTECTION OMBUDSMAN,
THE OFFICE THAT INVESTIGATES
CHILD WELFARE COMPLAINTS.
OUR REVIEW OF 911 CALLS BACKS
THAT UP TOO.
SINCE 2013, TENNYSON CALLED
POLICE NINE HUNDRED AND TWENTY
EIGHT TIMES WITH MORE THAN A
THIRD OF THOSE CALLS INVOLVING
KIDS RUNNING AWAY IS THIS
RUNAWAY PROBLEM AN ACCEPTABLE
SYMPTOM OF THE SYSTEM?
YOU KNOW, NO RUNAWAY BEHAVIOR
REALLY PUTS CHILDREN IN PERIL.
THAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE.
WE SEE CHILDREN BEING SOLD INTO
SEX TRAFFICKING.
WE SEE CHILDREN THAT HAVE BEEN
HARMED IN ACCIDENTS.
WE SEE KIDS WHO HAVE BEEN
KILLED.
I HARD YOU KNOW, JUNE 21ST,
2020 WE JUST POPPED UP OUT
OF NOWHERE ALONG THE SO MANY
FRONTAGE ROAD AND WHEATRIDGE
I'M STILL SCHOALES THE OPERATOR
COULD UNDERSTAND THAT THIS
DRIVER TOLD POLICE IT APPEARED
THE BOY HE HIT WAS LYING IN
THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD.
I DIDN'T SEE HIM ALL OF A
SUDDEN BAM FOR MORE THAN 24
HOURS WHEATRIDGE POLICE
COULDN'T IDENTIFY THE SEVERELY
INJURED BOY AND PUT OUT HIS
PHOTO ON SOCIAL MEDIA FOR HELP.
EVENTUALLY TIMMY'S MOM GOT
THE NEWS AND WHEN I WALKED IN
THE ROOM AND SAW I CAN'T EVEN
TOTAL AND THEN I THOUGHT I MEAN
I KNEW HE WASN'T COMING BACK AT
AGE 12 TIMMY STOPPED RUNNING.
IT'S BEEN ABOUT TWELVE HOURS
WITH HIM AND THEN HE PASSED
AWAY.
WERE THERE CASES THAT YOU
RECALL WHEN CHILDREN TRIED TO
RUN AWAY FROM THE FACILITY
EVERY DAY EVERY EVERY DAY WE
WERE SURPRISED TO HEAR FROM
FORMER STAFF MEMBERS TENNYSON
AND MOUNT ST. VINCENT ABOUT HOW
THEY CAN'T STOP KIDS FROM
RUNNING AWAY OR EWWW ELLATIF TO
PHYSICALLY RESTRAIN KIDS BEFORE
THEY WOULD LEAVE.
SO YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO
HONESTLY IT'S PROBABLY NOT AN
UNDERSTATEMENT TO GUESS AT
LEAST ONCE A DAY YOU'D HAVE A
KID YOU'VE GROWN.
I EVENTUALLY LEARNED WE'RE NOT
SUPPOSED TO BLOCK THE CHILDREN
AND I NEVER UNDERSTOOD WHY.
PRIMARILY IT IS BECAUSE THE LAW
AND THE REGULATIONS AROUND
THOSE FACILITIES DO NOT PERMIT
STAFF TO EITHER STOP CHILDREN
FROM RUNNING AWAY OR IN ANY WAY
CHASE THEM IF YOU WILL, A
RUNAWAY PROBLEM THAT'S ESCAPED
ANY SOLUTION FOR YEARS AS KIDS
DIE IN THE CARE FACILITIES THAT
ARE SUPPOSED TO KEEP THEM SAFE,
THEN NO, IT'S NOT ACCEPTABLE
FOR US TO CONTINUE AFTER
DECADES OF SAYING BUT IT'S JUST
ALWAYS BEEN THAT WAY.
HOW BAD IS THE PROBLEM?
WE OBTAINED AN EMAIL FROM
DENVER POLICE WARNING THEM THAT
THEY WERE AT A QUOTE TIPPING
POINT WITH THE NUMBER OF NINE
ONE ONE CALLS.
THAT EMAIL WAS SENT ONE MONTH
BEFORE TIMMY DIED DURING A FOUR
MONTH PERIOD.
AROUND THAT TIME DENVER POLICE
SPENT THE EQUIVALENT OF THIRTY
SIX DAYS HANDLING 911 CALLS
THEIIR.
THAT'S WHY EARLIER THIS YEAR
TENISON SHUT DOWN THEIR
RESIDENTIAL PROGRAM.
ALEX JEREMY, WHAT ARE
THE FACILITIES SAYING ABOUT ALL
OF THIS?
WELL, TENISON CENTER
TO
TO COMMENT FOR THIS SPECIFIC STORY BUT MOUNT ST. VINCENT THE KNOWLEDGE THAT STAFF BY LAW
ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PHYSICALLY
STOP KIDS FROM RUNNING AWAY OR
EVEN LOCKING THEM IN A DENVER
POLICE SERGEANT LOST HIS TEMPER
ON ONE OF THESE CALLS AT ONE
OF THESE PLACES WE HAVE THAT
AUDIO AND MORE ON THESE RULES
TOMORROW NIGHT.
OK, JEREMY, THANK YOU KNOW
WANTS TO KNOW IN COLORADO SUN
INVESTIGATION ON THIS CONTINUES
ONLINE WITH A DEEPER LOOK AT
HOW OFTEN AND WHY THIS FACILITY
AND OTHERS ARE CALLING POLICE.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM