On Wednesday June 18th around 10:30 PM, officers were dispatched to the Pueblo Municipal Airport in regards to a disturbance involving several people.
Upon arrival, officers learned that several planes had been diverted to the Pueblo Municipal Airport due to bad weather. Passengers had been waiting several frustrating hours in the plane and at the airport. Approximately 170 people were stranded.
Due to a number of events happening in the Pueblo area, there were no available hotels.
With limited resources, Sgt. Frank Ortega made it a priority to assist these people who were obviously frustrated with their situation.
Members of the police department dispatch did a great job in assembling resources (CSU-Pueblo, Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office and the Red Cross) to assist. In a short time, officers and deputies were able to transport passengers to the CSU-Pueblo dorms to get food, drinks and a place to sleep for the night.
All available hotel rooms at the Econolodge in Pueblo West were also reserved and families with small children were prioritized for the hotel rooms.
Officer Perez, on his own accord, purchased some baby items for families with infants.
It was evident the reluctant passengers had a very frustrating time in Pueblo, but they also had a chance to see that Pueblo’s law enforcement agencies and community organizations care about people.
We would like to commend the members of the Pueblo Police Department for going above and beyond, as well as thank the assisting organizations for their help with the stranded passengers. Great teamwork!