Weld County Sheriff’s Office

Why would anyone write a review of a Sheriff’s Department, unless they were a bitter felon, an enthusiastic law and order person, possessed of an uncontrollable urge to review everything in sight, or me. I am neither a bitter felon nor currently directly involved in law enforcement. Mostly I don’t even like government topics. However, I have had dealings with the Sheriff’s Department so would like to offer my view of their services. I had not realized they contract some services to private companies or organizations as well as provide the usual sheriffy services to the county as a whole. The Greeley Office, if I understand correctly, covers two districts of Weld County. Their 2009 annual report is on-​line. That reports lists among specially contracted services, AIMS Community College, Mead, Hudson, Keenesburg, Severance, US Dept of Forestry, and Weld Central High School. A lot of attention was given to those areas in 2009.
A number of services are provided directly from the front office. That is the Department’s first face to the community, so it is important that the civilian employees working in the offices are top notch. I think they are. I don’t know if the Weld County Sheriff Department people are typical of all Colorado County Sheriff’s Departments. So far, the office staff with whom I have worked have been pleasant to deal with. They treat you professionally and politely when they escort you to another section of the department, they listen to what you are saying, they answer questions clearly and thoroughly, they smile, and they don’t offer excuses. If you have a gripe or a question, they deal with it. At least they did with me. If they don’t do the same with you, check your breath. And your attitude.
Their forms are easy to fill out. You’ve probably had to fill out government and police or sheriff forms, and didn’t much like all the weirdness and intrusions. To be honest, I’ve only filled out a couple here. I have no objection to their format, the information requested, the fees, none of that, it was all okay.
The Sheriff’s Department maintains a website, and does so more efficiently in some areas than in others. For example, there are only four of the Sheriff’s op-​ed pieces, three of them from 2008 and one from 2010. I always read Greeley Police Chief Jerry Garner’s editorials in «The Tribune» newspaper of Greeley. I want to know how he views law enforcement and Greeley overall, and I like to be given a little information about particular projects and accomplishments of the Police Department. I would like to see the County Sheriff being more visible than he currently is — I mean in terms of reporting «directly» to the people through the newspaper and other media. However, he did speak boldly and straight-​forward about his opinions at the recent debate on «gun control» at the State Senate this year. Since he is one of the people who grants conceal-​and-​carry permits, and has lots of experience with people who apply for and get, as well as people who apply for and never deserved or could be trusted with a weapon in the first place, I think his opinion is worse about ten times as much as some stuffed shirt sitting behind a desk passing laws with exclusions for themselves.
So what has the current County Sheriff done? What has the entire County Sheriff’s Department done overall? If you do not have specific answers to these questions, I do not believe you are qualified to either praise or condemn them. So learn a little about your County Sheriff’s Department — from the outside if possible! — or from the inside if you have been remiss in your adherence to the multitude of laws plaguing the nation. The Department has a ride-​along program and co-​sponsors the Citizens’ Police Academy. They provide a list of registered sex offenders. A «registered sex offender» can be someone who simply drove someone to someplace she shouldn’t have, as well as someone who committed a heinous, crime for which she may find it difficult to be forgiven. You can sort of visit the prison, but you can’t get very many feet past the entrance, sometimes not even if you work there.
The Sheriff’s website includes «Cold Case Files». When you read some of them, you will at once realize that one reason for some criminals to be incarcerated is to protect them as well as to punish them or keep them out of circulation. The only redeeming aspect of this list is when a suspect or «alleged» person is arrested. The website provides a link to Colorado Revised Statutes, information on Concealed Handgun Permits (they are not handed out just willy-​nilly), information on the County Jail, a Public Information section and a Public Safety section which offer a lot of information.