…participated in a three-day training conference of the County Sheriffs of Colorado held in Westminster.

The sheriff and undersheriff visited with Salida interim City Administrator Dara MacDonald to discuss items of mutual interest.

The sheriff and undersheriff met with Economic Development corporate director Wendell Pryor to discuss Over The River and ideas on leveraging those preparations to the economic benefit of the county.

The sheriff and undersheriff attended a three-hour Over The River meeting in Canon City.  Task forces will be developed that will include principles from various organizations involved in the event.  The Colorado Information Analysis Center has been alerted to our interest in obtaining any information associated with OTR.  CSP Captain John Lupton attended this meeting and anticipates a very positive working relationship between agencies, as do we. 

The undersheriff continues to work on an emergency response protocol with both school districts and the Salida and Buena Vista Police Departments.

Operations

A letter to all retail beer, wine, and spirits outlets was mailed on January 27, and posted on the CCSO website.  In it, the sheriff encourages merchants to engage with him in preventing access to alcohol by young persons.  This letter followed a press release the day before announcing the arrest of three persons for providing alcohol to underage partygoers in Buena Vista.

In 2011, the Sheriff’s Office received 102 concealed handgun permit applications.  All were approved.  By comparison, in 2010 this office issued 136 permits.

  News media

The Mountain Mail and Chaffee County Times published a guest opinion submitted by the sheriff reassuring the public about security for Over The River.  The article received favorable comments in the Mountain Mail’s editorial section.

A reporter from the Canon City Daily Record interviewed the sheriff for an article regarding Over The River security concerns.

The Mountain Mail carried articles on CCSO’s new office space and in a separate edition, the recently revised website. 

The Mountain Mail and the Chaffee County Times carried reports of arrests of suspects in Buena Vista charged with providing alcohol to minors.

  Training Attended

The patrol commander attended a class on conflict communications.  A patrol sergeant and two deputies attended a presentation on cold case investigations.  The tactical team continues to train in emergency response techniques.

  New hires

  Complaints / commendations

Victims Advocate

Our present victim advocate will be leaving within the next few weeks for other employment.  Her replacement has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and expects to receive her master’s degree in clinical counseling in April. She has completed an internship in domestic violence counseling and received a certificate in Healthy Family Behavior.

 Communications Center

New computers were purchased and we are in the process of having them installed.  They replace ones that were purchased in 2003 and 2004.

Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) will be held on February 21, 23, 28,and March 1^st.  The instructors for this training are Don Breece (who has taken the lead in creating this program in Chaffee County); the county Emergency Manager; our communications manager; and the Salida fire chief.  Citizens are encouraged to attend this free training.

  Training received

Two dispatchers participated in a HazMat tabletop earlier this month.  Additional tabletop exercises are planned this year culminating in a full-scale exercise in September.  Our communications manager is a member of the exercise planning team and participates in the tabletops as a facilitator.

 Records and Administration

 Detention Facility

Colorado Central Magazine’s January edition carried an article on homelessness in Chaffee County.  In the article, the executive director of New Caring and Sharing, Bonnie MacDonald, was quoted as saying about our detention center, “They really care about these people who are coming out.  Most of them don’t have money or family or resources.”  “Our [detention center staff] has been wonderful.”

The Sheriff Confesses… 

Full disclosure: I like beer.  And Colorado, with more independent microbreweries than any other state, is a beer lover’s paradise.  Pale ales, dark ales, lagers, pilsners, stouts… it’s a great place to live, isn’t it?

I enjoy a good cigar occasionally, too.  I’m an adult, I take my pleasures in moderation, and I do so legally.  No guilt here.

And that brings me to the reason for this letter.  I’m writing to all our county’s retail beer, wine, and spirits outlets to ask for your support and assistance in assuring that the products we enjoy as adults remain out of the hands of our youth, and to thank you for the diligence you have shown in this regard in the past. 

Last October this office, along with Chaffee County Build A Generation, sponsored two community forums on drugs and alcohol.  We learned from that experience that our citizens are greatly concerned about access to and use of alcohol and drugs by our youth.  While Chaffee Countycitizens are fairly liberal in their attitudes toward adult behavior, it is abundantly clear that they expect all of us to prevent alcohol and drug use by our youth.

Please consider doing two things for the community in furtherance of our prevention efforts:

1)      Sign up for our Internet newsletter.  You can do this by going to our website, www.chaffeesheriff.org; or by simply sending me an email at ppalmer@chaffeesheriff.org.

2)      Consider organizing a Responsible Alcohol Retailers group.  This is an organization of businesses that adhere to a code of ethics concerning the sale and service of alcohol. Members are liquor stores, bars, restaurants, and other businesses.  Similar groups have been created in Weld County and Fort Collins and our community would benefit from one here.  You can view both by going to http://www.teamfortcollins.org/rar/who-we-are/ (Fort Collins) and http://www.wcpreventionpartners.org/RAR/whoweare.shtml (Weld County).

Thanks for reading, and with your cooperation our community will continue to be among the safest in Colorado.

W. Peter Palmer

ChaffeeCountySheriff

Three persons were arrested.  Alex Canty, 26, the resident, was charged with permitting the serving of alcohol to an underage person.  Jessica Armstrong, 18, a host at the party, was charged with permitting the serving of alcohol to an underage person; and illegal consumption of alcohol by an underage person.  Sam Ortega, 19, was charged with illegal consumption of alcohol by an underage person.

Canty and Armstrong were jailed on $1500 bonds each.  Ortega was released on summons.

A marijuana smoking pipe and a small quantity of marijuana were seized during the search of the residence.

Investigation into this incident continues and additional charges may be filed. 

The Sheriff’s Office will be following this case as it winds its way through the court process.  Citizen input from community forums held in October clearly indicated that the community has a strong interest in preventing underage access to alcohol and drugs and desires to see robust enforcement and prosecution of offenders.

Why am I so confident that our public will be safe during the project’s lifetime?  For one thing, Christo’s organization has a long and successful track record and their planning for this event, including providing for the public’s safety, has been extensive.  OTR’s spokesman, Miles Graham, has publicly disclosed many of these details.  Their website, www.overtheriverinfo.com, outlines others.

Furthermore, Colorado officials are not novices in the planning and execution of security for complex events like this.  Consider one of the more recent, the Democratic National Convention in Denver, an event fraught with possibilities for disaster, that went off without a hitch.  I was witness to that event as a volunteer supervisor for three days within the Pepsi Center and my undersheriff, John Spezze, was actively involved in the preparation and later, the provision of security services at the street level.  Mr. Spezze, who’s been around this block more than once in his long career with the Denver Police Department, has the highest confidence, as do I, that OTR will be as uneventful as was the DNC.

And last, although resources that Fremont County Sheriff Beicker and I possess as rural county sheriffs are in themselves quite inadequate to deal with a project of this magnitude, we both will have access to as many personnel and equipment as we may deem necessary to assure the public’s safety.  So vast are the resources available to us that the trick will be not in obtaining those assets, but rather in managing them and the various agencies that will provide them.

Because OTR will occur close to a major highway, Colorado State Patrol will have a significant role to play not only in controlling traffic but in providing general security of the event as well.  And they are quite experienced and exceptionally competent to do so.

Importantly, we will have access to intelligence resources from local, state, and federal agencies including theColorado Information Analysis Center, a joint federal and state operated fusion center that will alert us to any suspected hazards.   

 As with the officials at CSP, I neither support nor oppose OTR.  However, I have every confidence that our continuing preparations will assure our citizens a safe and pleasurable experience.

Both were interviewed live on KSBV Radio’s Community Forum regarding funding problems related to the communications center and the results of the community forums on drug and alcohol abuse.

 The sheriff attended the December luncheon of the FBI National Academy Associates, Rocky Mountain Chapter, held at the PPA Events Center in Denver.

Operations

The sheriff and a deputy provided discreet plainclothes security at an afternoon reception for the artist Christo held at the SteamPlant.

With very substantial assistance from the County Clerk, the Sheriff’s Office cosponsored training at the Fairgrounds for employees in the retail alcohol sales and service industry.  Instructors were from the Colorado Liquor Enforcement Division.

Charges of first and third degree arson filed in May against a Buena Vista resident after a four-month investigation were dismissed December 2 in Chaffee County District Court.  The dismissal was in response to a motion filed by the District Attorney’s Office and was based on the district attorney’s opinion that the case could not be proved to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt.  The case involved investigators from the Sheriff’s Office, Chaffee County Fire, an independent insurance company, and CBI.  However, after careful consideration of the evidence presented by law enforcement and by the defendant’s team, and after considerable discussion among those involved, the district attorney determined that the evidence was not sufficient to prove this case to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt, and in the interest of justice, moved for dismissal.  The Sheriff’s Office and other agencies involved in the investigation fully concur with the district attorney’s decision.

Seven local police officers and three deputies participated in the annual Student Holiday Outing with Police (SHOP).  Ten fourth graders, five each selected from Salida and Buena Vista schools, accompanied the lawmen on a Christmas shopping trip for gifts donated by local businesses. 

The newly-revised website for the Sheriff’s Office is up and running.  Beginning with the November summary report to the commissioners, all such reports will be posted there for public inspection and comment.  Press releases also will be posted on the site, and eventually budget information and other items of interest to our community.  The site is found at www.chaffeesheriff.org.

Chaffee County Sheriff’s deputies and Buena Vista police officers assisted officers from the Salida Police Department in the arrest of Jayson Andrew Corbin Jamison, 37, on a warrant from Indiana charging Jamison with violating parole.  Jamison has a lengthy criminal history with arrests for illegal drug manufacturing for sale, dealing in illegal drugs, theft, forgery, disorderly conduct, and unlawful use of a weapon.  Jamison was taken into custody at a Salida motel where he was staying with his wife and two children.  Nine officers and deputies participated in the arrest which occurred at about 11:30pm Friday, December 30.  He was lodged at the county detention center on a no bond hold for Indiana authorities to await extradition to that state.

A late report.  In November, Chaffee Sheriff’s deputies arrested six persons, including three juveniles, for the burglaries in late October of several recreational trailers at Holiday RV Sales in Poncha Springs.  Information obtained from that investigation led to the arrests by Salida police of two of the juvenile suspects for several bicycle thefts and thefts from as many as thirty cars and trucks in Salida.  Charges filed against the defendants include felony and misdemeanor theft, felony and misdemeanor criminal trespass, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

   New hires

Our newly-hired patrol deputy began her 12-week field training program.  She formerly was a detentions deputy for several years with the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office. 

   Complaints / commendations

A CBI official called the undersheriff to commend a deputy on his response to a citizen who reported a possible scam. The official said the deputy did an outstanding job assisting the citizen and took the time to explain everything to her.  The official said the citizen expressed her appreciation for the deputy’s professionalism and compassion.

Search and Rescue

The body of a 55-year-old Salida woman, who was the subject of an extensive two-day search in the Brown’s Creek area in Chaffee County, was discovered by a search dog and handler.  The deceased woman was found in a sitting position with her back against a tree about fifty yards from a side road.  There was no obvious trauma to the body and we do not consider the death suspicious.  The autopsy was inconclusive as to cause of death and results of blood tests have not yet been received.  The investigation into the incident will continue with the Salida Police Department the designated lead agency.  About twenty volunteers from the Chaffee County Search and Rescue team participated in the mission. 

A 48-year-old woman was injured when the snowmobile on which she was riding with her husband overturned while traversing deep powder in the Shirley Site area.  State Parks officers responded to the accident, as they investigate these incidents by agreement with federal officials on whose land the accident occurred.  Chaffee Search and Rescue South volunteers, along with Chaffee EMS paramedics, responded to her location and transported her to an ambulance site.  The woman, visiting from Missouri, was taken to Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center where she was treated for a broken ankle.

Detention Facility

A Christmas Day dinner of turkey and ham was donated, prepared, and served by members of the Salida Vineyard Christian Fellowship to all 35 jail inmates.  Hosting the event was the jail commander, Rick Holland, and his wife.

  Training

A half-day program in organizational development was conducted for all detention center employees.  The training was conducted by Ms. Tina Rowe, former Denver police captain who served as the appointed US Marshal for Colorado for six years.  She is now the principle in Tina Rowe Training and a recognized expert in organizational issues.  

  Personnel status change

Two new detentions deputies were sworn in by the undersheriff and have begun their orientation and training.

Jamison was taken into custody at a local motel where he was staying with his wife and two children.  Nine officers and deputies participated in the arrest which occurred at about 11:30pm Friday.  He was lodged at the county detention center on a no bond hold for Indiana authorities to await extradition to that state.

The event was organized by Anna Johnson of the Salida school district who contributed significant time and effort to the project; Andrew Miller, from the Buena Vista school district; and Sheriff’s Sgt. Derek Bos, representing the Fraternal Order of Police.

After breakfast donated by the Country Bounty Restaurant, the adventure began.  Each student was allotted one hundred dollars and almost all downtown Salida businesses give the kids fifty percent off any store item.  Most purchase basic necessities such as toilet paper, bedding, clothes, and kitchen ware.  One even bought a vacuum cleaner.  Although the kids are allowed to purchase a gift for themselves, few of them do, choosing instead to spend the money on their families.

Family gifts like board games were donated by Hilton Lumber.  Pizza Works and Moonlight Pizza donated to a family night out: food and drinks for the kids and their entire families.

Sgt. Bos, an enthusiastic participant every year, told us, “It’s definitely a great event!”

Editor:

Allow me to respond to the Mail’s editorial urging that once again, for the third year straight, the county commissioners deny salary increases for County employees. 

While we well understand the commissioners’ dilemma and the difficult choices they face, the fact is that we cannot continue to attract and retain quality employees unless we fairly compensate them.  It’s not just that our employees “deserve” a raise.  Rather, it just makes good business sense and is in the best interests of our citizens to provide a stable workforce within our county.  To do that requires that we aggressively recruit the best candidates, ensure they receive top quality training, and provide fair remuneration for their services.

Speaking just for the sheriff’s office, we have over the past few months lost two experienced patrol deputies, several detentions deputies, and one experienced dispatcher almost solely due to their ability to find higher paying positions elsewhere.  Replacing these people is no easy task: we can recruit patrol deputies only from a limited pool of POST-certified candidates and the new hire must then undergo a twelve week field training program before being released for solo duty.  Similarly, detentions deputies and dispatchers must complete weeks of training to obtain various required certifications before becoming fully functional within their respective positions.  This is a costly process.  It is simply good business for management to do everything within reason to retain these valuable workers.

We recognize the fiscal realities facing our county’s residents.  But employee salaries and other issues, notably the communications center and detention facility funding, will not simply disappear.  For these reasons we intend to explore options and to go forward in the coming months with proposals for solutions that we hope will be supported by our community.

Pete Palmer

Chaffee County Sheriff

…attended various civic association meetings such as SAR North and South, Rotary Club, Chamber of Commerce, and others.  Both participated in the Salida Parade of Lights. 

The undersheriff attended a meeting concerning emergency response and planning for the Salida School District. This will be an on-going process to create and regularly update this document.  We hope to assist the Buena Vista School District in the same way.

 The report of the results of the two community forums on drugs and alcohol use in Chaffee County was sent to all participants and interested parties in newsletter format.  The report is also posted on our newly revised website that is now “live” at www.chaffeesheriff.org. 

The sheriff participated in a career fair for emergency services job seekers at Red Rocks Community College in Lakewood.

The sheriff was a judge for the We the People competition between Buena Vista and Roaring Fork high schools.  The event was held at Colorado Mountain College, Buena Vista campus.

Operations

   Complaints / commendations

We received a call from a local citizen commending a patrol deputy for his assistance during a traffic-related contact the day before.  The caller said the deputy was “courteous, professional, and helpful” during the contact. 

 Responding to several residents’ complaints of gunfire at or near the home of an off duty employee in the early morning hours, a sheriff’s sergeant contacted the employee inside the employee’s home where a party was underway.  Local police from the jurisdiction in which the employee resides later initiated an investigation that resulted in the filing of disorderly conduct and unlawful discharge of fireworks against the employee.  The sheriff ordered a separate internal investigation of the incident, and allegations of misconduct that reflects unfavorably upon the Sheriff’s Office and the employee were sustained.  Appropriate corrective measures have been taken.  In addition, the sheriff and undersheriff personally contacted the neighbors to apologize for the incident.

 Training

A patrol deputy attended an M4/AR15 patrol rifle armorer training class.  All patrol deputies participated in eight hours active shooter training.  The tactical team completed ten hours of specialized training.

 Communications Center

  Training received

Two dispatchers completed fTAC team training.

   Equipment issues

The radios from the 2010 grant project have been reprogrammed, correcting the previous issues with the on/off button and the emergency button.

 Search and Rescue

The estate of Dr. Robert Michael von Gortler, a Boulder doctor who, along with his 20-year-old daughter Makanna, died during a climbing excursion on Mount Missouri in July, donated a check in the amount of $10,000 to the Search and Rescue North Team.

 Detention Facility

  Significant incidents

Several months ago the Shamrock delivery truck struck the exhaust pipe from the boiler system and caused several thousand dollars of damage.  We finally received a check from the insurance company and parts have been ordered and repairs can be made. 

At the request of a firm producing a webcast documentary on jail conditions in the US, Commander Rick Holland assisted the production crew in filming some generic visuals and audio of a jail environment.  Inmates were relocated to a separate pod during the three-hour production, and no inmates were actually shown in the video.  The producer later wrote the sheriff about the project,

“I can’t tell you how helpful everyone was at the jail a few days ago.  Thank you to you, and your staff, for helping us with a very, very important segment of our short film. The cell you provided to us was exactly the visual and sound environment we needed. You all couldn’t have been more supportive.  We were particularly thrilled with the sound of a certain very heavy door slamming, which Rick Holland very patiently and good-humoredly helped us record several times.”

 A detention deputy was highly praised in a note from an official from the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office for her beyond-the-call-of-duty assistance in working with them on prisoner transportation and an inmate’s check issue.

The same detentions deputy received another note of appreciation from the Michigan father of a female inmate for the deputy’s assistance in retrieving a Western Union money order for his daughter and arranging transportation home to Michigan of the newly-released woman.  “I don’t know you, but you are a special person!!,” he wrote.

A group of eight inmates who voluntarily participated in a twelve-week non-violent communication course each received a certificate of completion at a graduation ceremony in the jail on November 4.  This program is one of several offered to inmates throughout the year, with the support and assistance Cmdr Rick Holland.  The Mountain Mail carried a three-column article on the event. 

  Personnel

One detentions deputy resigned to take a full time job in Las Vegas, Nevada.

  Training attended

Four detention officers completed a week long Detentions Academy that was grant funded by County Sheriffs of Colorado. 

Five detention deputies and Cmdr Rick Holland received CPR/ First Aid recertification training. 

All jail staff received training on a new DUI law.

  Equipment

Our detention facility was one of seven counties selected by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to receive replacement and upgrades of its obsolete Live Scan equipment.    This technology eliminates the traditional method of obtaining fingerprints by rolling one’s fingers on an inkpad and then pressing them onto a fingerprint card.  Instead, digital images of the subject’s prints are obtained.  These prints can then be reproduced effortlessly and transmitted to various agencies and databases electronically.  Estimated cost of this equipment, if purchased outright, is $36,000.  There is no cost to the County.

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