What are the nuts and bolts of the Mesa County Sheriff's Office?

• Custodian of the Jail (C.R.S. 30-10-511)

• Act as Fire Warden (C.R.S. 30-10-512) 

• In charge fire expenses (C.R.S. 30-10-513)

• Transportation of Prisoners (C.R.S. 30-10-514)

• Execution of Writs – Attend Courts (C.R.S. 30-10-515)

• Preserve Peace – Command Aid (C.R.S. 30-10-516)

• Issues Concealed Handgun Permits (C.R.S. 30-10-523)

• Search and Rescue Responsibility (C.R.S. 24-32-2107)

To accomplish these statutory requirements the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office has 258 full-time employees and over 300 volunteers. The Sheriff is responsible for managing a budget that is currently over 33 million dollars.  

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What are your plans to address the crime rate in Mesa County? 
Over the last five years, we have implemented several strategies to reduce crime. From our Crime Reduction Unit that focuses on solutions to long-term public safety issues, to our Jail Transition Program that leverages community resources to reduce recidivism for those leaving our Detention Facility. These programs have a significant impact on crime and victimization already. Through the pandemic, we had to change our focus to make sure we were able to respond to calls for service and staff the jail amidst COVID related absences. My plan is to get the programs that we know are effective back to operating at their full capacity. Additionally, substance abuse and mental health have a significant impact and correlation on crime and jail population. As Sheriff, I will focus my leadership on improving the way our community assists those who suffer from addiction and mental health. Finally, Mesa County is full of amazing citizens who want to assist in preventing criminal activity. I will leverage those community partnerships so all of us have an opportunity make this a safe place to live.
 

What will you improve upon? What will you change? And what is working well?

Although we share an amazing relationship with our community, I will continue to make intentional efforts to create positive encounters between citizens and our deputies. This will require deputy involvement in community events, service clubs, and neighborhood meetings. 

I will change the way we manage jail overcrowding. In the past we have focused on arrest standards and the possibility of expanding our jail at a cost of over 20 million dollars. Over half of our inmates suffer from some mental health disorder. Many are booked into jail more than 10 times a year. If we do not solve this problem, we will quickly fill additional bed space, but not solve the underlying issues. The specific areas that I will invest resources to combat this issue are:

• As inmates are released from the detention facility, we will leverage local community resources to get them treatment, case management, housing, and work. Most inmates will be back in our neighborhoods and we have a vested interest in them becoming productive members of society and not continuing criminal activity.

• We need to continue to invest in our youth. The troubled youth in elementary schools and middle schools will likely be a criminal justice issue as they reach adulthood. We will work with schools and youth advocate groups to provide opportunities at a time when behavioral change is highly impacted.  

Finally, what is working well? We have been blesses to hire the best employees over the last couple of decades. These individuals are dedicated to keeping this community safe. I will continue to hire employees that want to raise their families here and want to see a safer community for the next generation.

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What is your stance on concealed handgun permits and issuing them to law abiding citizens? 

I am a firm supporter of both the US Constitution, as well as our State Constitution. Both are clear on the citizen's right to keep and bear arms. By becoming a concealed handgun permit holder, citizens are trained in firearm safety and prepared to react properly if the need should arise that they have to defend them self or others. I will continue to explore ways to make receiving and renewing concealed hand gun permits as efficient as possible.  

Do you support law enforcement in our public schools?

Absolutely. We have an excellent relationship with our schools in Mesa County. The school resource program plays an essential role of keeping our children safe and having positive law enforcement contact with our youth.