Following a series of high-profile crime incidents that have rocked communities across San Miguel County, Colorado, local law enforcement agencies are pointing to state bail reforms and low staffing numbers as likely causes.
However, shoring up officer recruitment and retention and adjusting to recent pre-trial detention reforms are not easy tasks, law enforcement leaders say.
Currently, the San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office (SMCSO) is severely understaffed, down 25% from authorized strengths.
Sheriff Bill Masters spoke on the recent struggle, pointing to the exhaustive time and resources required to recruit and train new deputies.
“It takes about a year for us to recruit and train a deputy before they can be out on the street by themselves,” Sheriff Masters explained. “That’s a big investment, and sometimes we spend resources on a person, and then they’re recruited away by another agency that can offer better benefits and wages, and these individuals can live in a place that has reasonably priced housing.”
While the Mountain Village Police Department appears to be fully staffed, the Telluride Marshal’s Department (TMD) is facing its own challenges, with two vacant deputy marshal positions and an ongoing struggle to maintain adequate staffing levels.
Sheriff Masters said there were significant limitations imposed by staffing shortages, such as the department’s ability to be proactive in addressing issues.
“We end up waiting for things to be reported to us rather than going out to investigate and stop crimes from happening,” he lamented.
Masters continued:
“By the time we get there, we’ll be picking up the pieces. There’s a saying in patrolling a large county: When seconds count, we’ll be there in minutes. Here, it’s more like: We’ll be there in hours.”
Moreover, Sheriff Masters reported a concerning rise in the use and trafficking of drugs such as methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine within the county.
The department’s capacity to combat these issues has been further hampered by a lack of resources, including the inability to assign a deputy to the drug task force due to staffing constraints.
The impact of recent pre-trial detention reforms is also evident, with both Sheriff Masters and TMD Chief Josh Comte referring to a trend of repeat offenders cycling through the system with little to no consequence for their actions.
“We’ve arrested the same person multiple times,” Chief Comte confirmed, echoing Sheriff Masters’ concerns about the current legal framework.
The situation has also been exacerbated by a significant backlog of over 300 active arrest warrants in the county for individuals who have failed to appear in court, leading to what Sheriff Masters described as a “joke” of a judicial system.
“It’s astounding. It’s made the court a joke,” Masters complained. “The judges, court clerks, and officers don’t like this new reality of letting everybody go. It’s just causing more confusion and chaos in the system.”
To counter these difficulties, Sheriff Masters recently presented an option to the San Miguel Board of County Commissioners to contract with Montrose County for housing San Miguel County inmates.
However, a recent conversation with an inmate incarcerated in the local jail facility in Ilium has given him pause.
The inmate, who had been incarcerated for driving recklessly while in possession of drugs, spoke of the transformative impact of the treatment and support he received during his time in custody.
“Comparatively, we have the ability and the time to help each one of these people, which might lead to their not re-offending,” Sheriff Masters reflected. “At least we gave this fellow some tools to help him succeed.”
