Lora’s Unmatched Record
Proven, Effective Public-Service Leadership and Trusted Law Enforcement Experience
First Woman Captain and Major in the Colorado State Patrol
Lora spent 26 years serving with the Colorado State Patrol, starting as a dispatcher and continuously earning promotions to higher positions of management with greater responsibility and authority. She progressed through the ranks from trooper to sergeant, and went on to become both the first female captain and then major in the history of the Colorado State Patrol, the largest statewide law enforcement agency in Colorado. During her career she was assigned to several duty posts throughout the state including Castle Rock, Lamar, Golden, Limon, Durango and Denver Headquarters. During her long and distinguished career, Lora served or led in virtually every facet and field comprising the State Patrol, including:
★ State Patrol Dispatcher at Denver Headquarters: Lora worked as a Dispatcher for the Colorado State patrol for 7 years. The job duties included answering incoming calls from the public, dispatching calls for the officers, operating the CCIC/NCIC computer system and compiling records and data for the organization. Dispatchers did ride-alongs with state troopers to better understand how to assist them as dispatchers. Lora clearly remembers the Blizzard of 1982 - she drove to work early for her 6am shift on December 24, and her car got stuck on Colorado Blvd at Arkansas. It's a good thing that the office was close. She was assigned the District 1 channel which meant dispatching for troopers assigned to Douglas, Arapahoe, Adams and Boulder counties. Many of the dispatchers worked for 30 hours, taking short naps on the floor in the Chief's Office.
★ State Patrol Trooper assigned to Douglas County: Being a State Trooper became a goal for Lora while on ride-alongs with troopers. When she was accepted into the State Patrol's Training Academy, there were only eight women troopers in the organization. While in the Academy, Lora was assigned to Troop 1-C in Castle Rock which included Douglas, Arapahoe and Elbert counties. During the 7 years in Castle Rock, she worked closely with the members of the Douglas County Sheriff's Office. Trooper Thomas patrolled the roadways, investigated crashes, wrote tickets and made arrests. On September 26, 1987, a drunk driver killed Trooper Charlie Fry on Monument Hill and drove away. Thomas later located the vehicle that was still being driven by the drunk driver. She stopped the suspect vehicle and arrested the driver. After processing the driver at the Douglas County Jail, Thomas read the driver his Miranda rights which he waived. During a long interview, the driver indicated that he "had hit something." The driver was charged with Vehicular Homicide and was convicted by a jury in El Paso County.
★ Promoted to State Patrol Sergeant assigned to Lamar: After a comprehensive 150 question written test and then a grueling Assessment Center, Lora was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and transferred to Troop 2-C in Lamar where she was a first-line supervisor for 12 troopers in Baca, Bent, Kiowa and Prowers counties. Although Lora had been doing the work of a trooper for many years, she found that procedures and processes were different in Lamar, and she learned to adapt to the area.
★ State Patrol Sergeant assigned to Golden: Sergeant Thomas transferred to Troop 6-A which included Jefferson and Gilpin Counties. This troop was much different from the rural Lamar area; it was very busy with more traffic, more crashes and many more troopers. Voters had recently approved gambling in Blackhawk and Central City which had a drastic effect on the traffic patterns in Gilpin County.
★ First woman promoted to the rank of Captain in the State Patrol's history; assigned to Limon: Sergeant Thomas participated in a promotional Assessment Center and was the first woman promoted to the rank of Captain in the history of the Colorado State Patrol. Captain Thomas was assigned to Troop 1-A in Limon which included parts of Adams, Arapahoe, Elbert, Lincoln, Kit Carson and Cheyenne Counties. The troop's responsibilities included I-70 from the Aurora city limits to the state line with Kansas. There were many communities in this Troop and each had its own characteristics. While in Limon, Captain Thomas was very involved with the community. A couple of activities included serving on the School Board's Accountability Committee as the secretary, and occasionally teaching classes in the high school.
★ First woman promoted to the rank of CSP Major; assigned to Durango: Captain Thomas participated in yet another promotional process and was the first woman promoted to the rank of Major, and she was assigned to District 5 in Durango. In this position, Major Thomas oversaw the 3 field troops in Montrose, Durango and Alamosa. The district included 17 counties, numerous police departments and 2 sovereign Native American Indian tribes. It was critical that Major Thomas understand and adapt to the widely-varied communities and cultures represented in District 5.
★ Transferred to Denver Headquarters as the Operational Services Branch Commander: Lora found that she wanted to come back to Douglas County so she built a home in Highlands Ranch while she was in Durango. There were only 8 Major's positions in the State Patrol but eventually the Major's position at Headquarters became available! This position in the Operational Services Branch was much different than any of the other assignments Lora had held in that the personnel were assigned statewide and in Specialty Services including the Motorcycle Unit, Colorado state aircraft, the CSP K-9 Unit, Criminal Investigations Section, Motor Carrier Safety Section and Hazardous Materials Section.
★ Temporary assignment to the Governor's Office: Governor Bill Owens instituted a project called New Century Colorado that focused on making government more efficient and less costly. One hundred, twenty state employees were brought together, and Lora was assigned to this project as 1 of the 6 Team Leaders. It was while working on this project and seeing opportunities for efficiency that Lora found an interest and passion to reform government. Lora returned to Headquarters after this assignment was completed.
★ Appointed by Governor Owens to head Homeland Security for the Denver Metro Area: After the terrorist attacks on America in 2001, the state was divided into seven regions, and Major Thomas was assigned to develop the structure for planning and cooperation in spending Federal Security Funds for the Denver Metro area which included Denver, Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Douglas, Elbert, Gilpin and Jefferson Counties. The sheriffs, police and fire chiefs elected Lora to serve as Chair of the region. Today this group is known as North Central All-Hazards Region; here is their website: https://www.ncrcolorado.org/
While this history outlines Lora’s 26-year career in the Colorado State Patrol, it would be impossible to list/describe the numerous statewide and national friendships she developed and opportunities that she experienced along this impressive journey.
Rooting-Out Waste and Corruption and Restoring Efficient and Responsible Service to the Douglas County Coroner’s Office
After becoming Douglas County Coroner in 2011, Lora slashed her annual budget by 33%, even as her caseload increased by 45%. Through her commitment to voters for strict fiscal responsibility, Lora returned $1,485,448 to Douglas County taxpayers over her four-year term. When Lora discovered the theft of guns and prescription medications by Coroner’s Office personnel, she immediately commenced an investigation by law enforcement, which apprehended and convicted a former employee and resulted in the separation of another. Lora then took preventative measures by building a secure evidence room and establishing strict internal policies to prevent further theft. Efficient service and scrupulous-observation and adherence to the law became the hallmarks of Lora’s Douglas County Coroner’s Office.
Dynamic and Effective Leadership as a Douglas County Commissioner
School Safety - Providing the Resources Our Schools Need
After the STEM tragedy in May 2019, Lora once again took the lead on an important issue for our county and, instead of looking to advance a political agenda and attach excessive government strings, sought the availability of county funds to directly and immediately give our schools the tools that they identified to improve safety. Lora then proposed a commission of experts from all fields to work with Douglas County schools to identify and prioritize their safety needs. Thanks to Lora, ten million dollars has been budgeted--without any governmental/political strings or red tape--for improving school safety in Douglas County. Once again, Lora took action rather than engage in public political rhetoric and exchange, and under her dynamic leadership Douglas County established an example of real, substantive problem-solving on an important issue.
As a mother and grandmother, Lora knows that the safety of our children is not just important, but essential. That’s why, for Lora Thomas, school safety is a paramount mission for law enforcement and that’s why as County Commissioner she helped secure an additional $3M for more school resource officers in Douglas County schools. Many seeking or occupying public office talk about improving school safety—Lora Thomas actually gets it done!
Safer and Better Roads - More Than Just Lip Service
Even before taking office as Commissioner, Lora publicly pledged to seek increased funding—without raising taxes--for badly-needed road projects to meet the demands of an ever-growing Douglas County. For three years, Lora worked to re-prioritize existing tax revenues from areas of surplus to transportation infrastructure.
Despite resistance from many camps, including those in her own party, Lora spearheaded the passage of Ballot Initiative 1A in November 2019 that immediately infused sorely-needed funds to jump-start many important Douglas County transportation infrastructure projects. This wasn’t about political glory or grandstanding—Lora knew that safer and better roads were necessary and important for all county residents.
Keeping a Close Watch on Government Spending
Lora understands that your taxpayer dollars are valuable, and that as residents of Douglas County you believe that every dollar should be spent wisely and responsibly. Lora has made her ethic of fiscal responsibility a personal commitment throughout her life in public service and has extensive experience in managing large, complex government budgets in her work at the Colorado State Patrol, the Douglas County Coroner’s Office and as Douglas County Commissioner.
Lora believes that active participation and supervision in budget management and oversight are essential, and in this arena she once again does more than just talk the talk—she walks the walk! Lora remains an advocate of outsourcing as many government services as possible to the private sector as one of the chief methods of getting the most out of every single one of your tax dollars. This is why Douglas County stands far ahead all other Colorado counties in government services value per capita. Lora never just asks for the “highlights” in assessing budgets and prioritizing items—she reads every single line and item and its costs and then the questions begin! There are no rubber stamps in Lora Thomas’ desk drawer! Lora knows that leaders take responsibility for their people and how they spend their money, and that no matter what public leadership position she may occupy, she always works for YOU!
No Issue Too Big or Complex
Lora believes in the importance of experience—in both depth and breadth--and that it should consist of a journey rather than a destination; something to be continuously built-upon rather than something to rest on. Her ever-expanding experience is well-summarized in this partial list of other leadership positions Lora has held during her long career of public service to both the State and her community:
Board Member: Colorado Independent Ethics Commission
Board Member: Colorado Coroner’s Association
Legislative Committee, Colorado Coroner’s Association
Command Staff: Colorado State Patrol
Chairwoman: North Central All-Hazards Region (Appointed by Gov. Bill Owens in 2002)
Team Leader: New Century Colorado (Gov. Owens initiative to reduce cost of government)
President: Western Colorado Peace Officers Association
Vice President: Northwestern University, School of Police Staff and Command, Class September 11, 1995-February 2, 1996, Arapahoe County, Colorado
Denver Summit of the Eight (1 of 2 State Patrol Captains assigned to assist Denver PD with security and transport of world leaders)
Board member: Men’s Crisis Connection, Castle Rock
Member: Douglas-Arapahoe Suicide Prevention Alliance
Volunteer: T.A.P.S. Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, caring for the families of fallen military heroes.
Chairwoman: Victim Compensation Board, 18th Judicial District
President: A Night With the Coroner, 501 (C) 3 organization
Speaker to students and groups about work of the coroner, law enforcement and perseverance.
Room mother: Castle Rock, South and Rock Ridge Elementary Schools
18th Judicial District Attorney’s Seizure Board
Chatfield Basin Watershed Authority
Colorado Coroners Standards and Training Board – Appointed by Governor Hickenlooper and Reappointed by Governor Polis
Colorado Works Allocation Committee
Denver Regional Council of Governments – Alternate
Denver Regional Council of Governments – Sub-regional Committee – Members
Denver South Economic Development Partnership Board of Directors – Alternate
Denver South Economic Development Partnership – Member
Denver South I-25 Urban Corridor Transportation Management Authority – Alternate
Douglas County Emergency Telephone Service (911) Authority
Douglas County Mental Health initiative
Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Forfeiture Board
E-470 Public Highway Authority Board – Alternate
Highline Canal Conservancy
Metro Area County Commissioners – Member
Mile High Flood District
Northwest Douglas County Economic Development Corporation
Partnership of Douglas County Governments – Member
State Emergency Medical and Trauma Services Advisory – Appointed By Governor Hickenlooper and Reappointed by Governor Polis
-Statewide Trauma Advisory Subcommittee
-Emergency Medical Trauma Services Injury and Prevention Subcommittee
Unified Metropolitan Forensic Crime Lab-Board member
Colorado Counties Inc (CCI) committees:
-Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee
-General Government
-Tourism and Economic Development, Chair
Secretary of CCI Board, 2021-2024