[0:00] Everyone and welcome.
[0:01] My name is Erin Hunt.
[0:03] I'm the executive director
[0:04] of the Colorado River Valley Chamber of Commerce.
[0:08] Thank you all for joining us tonight
[0:10] for the Garfield County Sheriff's Forum.
[0:13] We're grateful to see such a strong community interest in
[0:16] learning about the candidates
[0:17] and the future of public safety in Garfield County.
[0:21] On behalf of the chamber, I'd like
[0:22] to thank both the candidates, Brent Baker
[0:25] and Dan Loya for being with us this evening
[0:28] and for their willingness to participate in this very
[0:30] important community conversation.
[0:32] Thank you both. I'd also like to extend a special thank you
[0:35] to our partners who helped make tonight possible thank you
[0:39] to the Youth Theater for hosting us in this wonderful venue
[0:43] To Ron Milhorn of KMTS for serving
[0:45] as our moderator this evening
[0:47] and to Recinos language services
[0:49] for providing translation services
[0:51] and helping ensure tonight's forum is accessible
[0:53] to more members of our community.
[0:56] If you need those, you can find
[0:57] that at the front table over here.
[1:02] We appreciate everyone taking the time to be here,
[1:05] to be informed and to be a part of the conversation.
[1:09] At this time, I'd like to turn things over
[1:11] to our moderator, Ron.
[1:13] Thank you all and enjoy the forum.
[1:17] Thank you Aaron. Well, good evening everyone.
[1:20] Welcome to tonight's forum.
[1:21] It is indeed intended to be a forum, a discussion
[1:25] between the Republican candidates vying
[1:27] to be the next sheriff in Garfield County.
[1:30] Many of us weren't sure when there would be a new sheriff in
[1:32] town because Lou Valerio proudly
[1:34] and with distinctions served
[1:35] as the top cop in the county for 23 years.
[1:39] Lou, you've certainly earned your retirement
[1:41] and we thank you
[1:49] Now about tonight's form.
[1:52] It is about sharing ideas, identifying issues,
[1:55] and considering solutions as they relate
[1:57] to law enforcement in Garfield County.
[2:01] Unlike a debate, there are no winners declared in a form
[2:03] that is something to be determined
[2:05] by each individual citizen when
[2:06] they exercise their right to vote.
[2:09] Before we begin, I must address the elephant in the room.
[2:12] While primaries are generally uneventful, I think we can
[2:16] and all all agree that the campaign trail leading up
[2:19] to this particular primary election has taken some strange
[2:22] and unexpected turns.
[2:25] It has drawn a great deal of attention
[2:26] and some very strong opinions expressed
[2:29] through various mediums.
[2:30] It has been unusual
[2:31] and to some degree unprecedented out of respect
[2:35] for the political process and most importantly,
[2:37] for the candidates and the voters both in attendance
[2:39] and to those listening and watching tonight's forum,
[2:42] I must demand that everyone be on their best behavior.
[2:46] Applause is fine, but cheering, jeering
[2:48] and rude comments will be frowned upon
[2:50] and if it gets out of hand,
[2:51] you may be asked to leave the theater.
[2:54] Each candidate has been informed of the topics
[2:56] to be discussed, but not the questions.
[2:58] If there's time, we might take a few questions.
[3:01] Well, we, we will have a few questions
[3:02] that have been submitted by members of the public
[3:07] and that's it.
[3:09] I'm off my soapbox. Let's
[3:11] begin now.
[3:15] Our rules of the game, if you will.
[3:18] Sorry, that's my sports background.
[3:23] Each candidate will receive two minutes
[3:25] to present an opening statement.
[3:30] Our questions candidates will receive two minutes
[3:32] to answer several questions.
[3:34] There will not be time to go back and forth.
[3:37] If you'd like to comment on the other candidate's answer,
[3:39] you'll be using your time to comment
[3:40] and still answer the question.
[3:42] Is that clear? Yes.
[3:43] Alright, and then we'll have a two minute closing
[3:47] statement as well.
[3:50] We begin with an opening two minute opening statement
[3:52] and we start with Brent Baker.
[3:56] Good evening. Make sure my mic works. It does. Okay, good.
[4:00] I'm Brent Baker and I'm not just running
[4:01] for Garfield County Sheriff.
[4:02] I'm stepping up to lead for 45 years. This has been my home.
[4:05] I was born in parachute, raised in our emergency services
[4:08] and stood on the front lines as a volunteer, EMT
[4:11] and firefighter right here in this community.
[4:13] I've served you in the Garfield County Sheriff's Office
[4:15] for the last 24 years.
[4:17] Let's remember why we're here today.
[4:19] This is a Republican primary
[4:21] and the focus should be on conservative values,
[4:23] constitutional rights, and the future of Garfield County.
[4:27] The question before us is not what's
[4:28] outside political interests
[4:29] or leaders from neighboring counties?
[4:31] Want. The question is what the people
[4:33] of Garfield County want, who they want as their sheriff.
[4:36] The selection should be decided by the conservative voters
[4:38] of Garfield County and by
[4:39] who they believe will best protect their constitutional
[4:41] rights and who will uphold the law
[4:45] and serve the community with integrity.
[4:46] At the end of the day, the most
[4:47] important question is simple.
[4:48] Who do the conservatives of Garfield
[4:49] County want as their sheriff?
[4:51] You ask me what separates me from the other candidate.
[4:53] The answer is dedication. Rooted in blood and sweat.
[4:59] He may have decades law enforcement,
[5:01] but my 24 years have been spent serving Garfield County
[5:03] and only Garfield County.
[5:04] He worked for a neighboring county.
[5:06] I have blood for this community.
[5:07] I wear the scars of serving you every single day.
[5:10] He cannot say the same.
[5:11] Integrity and character, these are just not words to me.
[5:14] They're my bedrock. While we hear the attacks aimed at
[5:16] current Sheriff Valerio whose endorsement I accept,
[5:20] but let me be clear, I'm not him.
[5:21] You'll find no honest facts to asail my integrity
[5:24] and trust me, people have tried.
[5:26] I stand ready to serve with honor
[5:28] to implement the vital changes this sheriff's office
[5:31] desperately needs and
[5:32] to ensure we better serve you the
[5:33] dedicated citizens of Garfield County.
[5:35] My dedication runs deeper than a badgeing uniform.
[5:37] It's wove woven into the fabric of this community.
[5:39] For two years, I fought
[5:41] for our children on the Garfield County School
[5:42] District 16 Board of Education.
[5:44] For years I dedicated myself
[5:45] to Colorado River Valley Little League board
[5:47] and I still volunteer an umpire there.
[5:49] I've invested in the future of our youth.
[5:51] I serve on the agricultural board
[5:53] for the Grand Valley Future Farmers
[5:54] of America Advisory Board,
[5:56] supporting our agricultural future.
[5:58] Let the other candidates in neighboring
[6:00] county appreciate his service.
[6:01] I have served and I will continue
[6:02] to serve you the citizens of Garfield County.
[6:04] Thank you,
[6:08] Dan.
[6:09] Two minutes.
[6:09] Good evening. I'm Dan Loya.
[6:11] I'd like to first to start off by thanking my family.
[6:14] My wife, as Mr.
[6:16] Hor said, this primary has been very unprecedented.
[6:20] It's been a long hard road
[6:21] and we're gonna, we're at the tail end
[6:23] and I'm here to serve Garfield County.
[6:25] This is my home. I've been here 45 years.
[6:28] I've raised my family here. My dad was a coal miner here.
[6:31] My kids graduated from Rifle High School.
[6:34] I graduated from Glenwood Springs High School.
[6:36] My wife works in the medical field here.
[6:39] We own a nice multiple properties in Garfield County.
[6:43] I've given my blood, sweat and tears as well.
[6:46] My family owned businesses here.
[6:47] I'm ready to serve Garfield County.
[6:50] I have 30 years in law enforcement.
[6:53] Most of those years have been in major crimes,
[6:55] protecting children, defending them.
[6:58] Narcotics investigations.
[7:00] Last six years in executive leadership,
[7:02] running an entire organization overseeing a multimillion
[7:05] dollar budget, writing policies, implementing policies,
[7:09] hiring command level positions.
[7:13] I'm also very unique that I'm able
[7:15] to serve everybody in Garfield County regardless of
[7:17] who you are, I'm bilingual, I'm bicultural.
[7:21] Regardless of where you stand on the immigration issue,
[7:23] over 35% at Garfield County is Latino.
[7:27] They're business owners, they're taxpayers
[7:30] and I'm here to represent them as well.
[7:32] That is unique and that's the first time in history
[7:35] that we have a candidate that can serve both
[7:38] citizens of Garfield County.
[7:40] Along with everybody else, I want to be the sheriff
[7:42] of all the people and serve everybody regardless
[7:46] of your race, creed, sexual preference and everybody,
[7:50] and protect your constitutional rights,
[7:52] which every law enforcement officer should swear to do.
[7:59] First question for Dan,
[8:01] and again, we will alternate throughout these questions.
[8:07] Public safety and community priorities.
[8:10] What do you believe is the biggest public safety challenge
[8:12] facing Garfield County right now
[8:14] and how would you address that as sheriff?
[8:17] Two minutes.
[8:20] Thanks Ron. That's a great question.
[8:22] In my opinion, the biggest priority right now
[8:23] is the drug issue.
[8:26] As you guys saw just recently, Eagle County,
[8:29] we seized over 500 Fentanyl pills that came
[8:31] through Garfield County in the nineties.
[8:35] We had the crack issue. Now we have the fentanyl issue.
[8:38] That can be devastating.
[8:39] That's the root of all evil that goes to car break-ins,
[8:43] issues at home, construction sites being broken into.
[8:47] We gotta get our handle on that.
[8:50] I've created a team in in Eagle County
[8:53] that's been nationally recognized for that.
[8:55] It's a lot of work created by highly motivated individuals.
[8:59] We work closely with everybody in the state.
[9:03] I think that's a big focus
[9:04] that we need here in Garfield County.
[9:08] I would get constant compliments of the things that we see
[9:11] and the loads that we see.
[9:13] 30 years ago we used to get small amounts,
[9:18] maybe half a pound if we're lucky.
[9:20] Now we're getting car loads, 40, 50 pounds of drugs
[9:24] that are coming through the state.
[9:26] That's gonna continue and we gotta get a stock to it.
[9:29] That infiltrates Garfield County,
[9:31] the problem's only gonna get bigger.
[9:38] Brent, Thanks. Yeah, great question. I would agree.
[9:43] Drugs are a problem. I think we disagree on how we go about
[9:47] enforcing drugs, right?
[9:51] If you any of you have a drug house next door to you,
[9:55] where do you want your deputies?
[9:57] Do you want them focusing on the drug horse house next
[9:59] to you or do you want 'em on the interstate?
[10:01] I want 'em focusing on my neighbors
[10:03] who are causing me problems.
[10:05] That doesn't mean we should ignore the interstate.
[10:07] The interstate brings us a lot of crime
[10:09] and it absolutely does
[10:10] and I am super proud of what the Spear Task Force has done.
[10:13] Two weeks ago they took off over 50 pounds of drugs.
[10:16] You didn't see that in the paper.
[10:17] You know why you didn't see that in the paper?
[10:19] Because they made it a bigger case Because we are integrated
[10:23] with the Drug Enforcement Administration, the DEA.
[10:25] So we work as a team with the DEA,
[10:30] so that case is gonna go bigger.
[10:32] I don't want just the drug mule
[10:33] driving up and down the interstate.
[10:35] I want the person who sent it from the border
[10:38] and I wanna catch them and make sure they go
[10:39] to federal prison where they get real time
[10:41] and I want to catch the distributor who's in Denver
[10:43] and make sure they get real federal time.
[10:47] And I wanna catch all that.
[10:49] We don't put a lot of the big drug bust Spear does out in
[10:52] the news because it's a continuing investigation.
[10:55] You might see it a year later.
[10:56] But we wanna catch all those people, not just the drug mule.
[10:59] And I'm super proud of the work
[11:00] that the Spear Task Force has been doing.
[11:02] Again, they took off a huge load here a couple weeks ago.
[11:04] I can show you pictures, but it's not in the news
[11:06] because it's still a continuing investigation.
[11:08] So excellent work by them.
[11:09] But again, we need to focus on neighborhoods
[11:11] and we need to focus on county roads
[11:13] and your neighborhoods
[11:15] where crime is occurring in your neighborhoods.
[11:17] And that's where people wanna see the deputies
[11:18] and that's where I wanna put 'em.
[11:20] The other thing about public safety
[11:21] and community priorities,
[11:23] people just wanna feel safe in their neighborhood, right?
[11:26] We don't wanna focus just on drugs,
[11:28] even though I agree drugs are 80 to 90% of crime
[11:31] is backed by crime somehow.
[11:33] But also we have to focus on other things.
[11:36] Domestic violence, child sex, assault, child abuse.
[11:39] We have to focus on all that, not just drugs. Thanks.
[11:46] Second topic deals with code enforcement
[11:48] and inter-agency cooperation.
[11:50] Mr. Baker, how would the Sheriff's Office work
[11:53] with the police department's, state agencies, schools
[11:56] and neighboring counties to address
[11:58] public safety challenges?
[12:01] It really is a team effort. It really is.
[12:03] And we have to approach it as a team.
[12:05] No single agency can do that by themselves.
[12:07] That's why the Spear Task Force is a task force
[12:09] and not just a Sheriff's office unit.
[12:12] It's a task force. 'cause we need all that help
[12:14] and we need all that experience from other agencies.
[12:17] I have been very fortunate
[12:19] to grow up here in Garfield County with
[12:24] the chiefs and the sergeants and the lieutenants
[12:26] and the deputies and the police officers
[12:28] here in Garfield County.
[12:29] So I know them. I call them friends, I call them colleagues
[12:34] and I'm proud to have their support.
[12:36] I'm proud to be supported by chiefs.
[12:38] I'm proud to be supported by fire chiefs.
[12:40] That's a huge job that the Sheriff's Office takes on is
[12:42] as the fire marshal.
[12:44] And I'm super proud
[12:46] and honored to have endorsements from local fire chiefs,
[12:49] local fire unions because they trust me
[12:51] and they believe in my leadership
[12:53] and they know I've been on the front lines
[12:54] with them fighting fires, fighting bad guys.
[12:59] Again, it's a team effort.
[13:00] I'm really proud of the sheriff's office
[13:03] and what we've done when I first started here 24 years ago,
[13:06] and Lou can speak to this,
[13:08] but we did not get along well with a lot of the PDs
[13:12] and that has come a long way in the last 24 years.
[13:14] And we do really well and we work with all of 'em very well.
[13:18] Thanks
[13:20] Mr.
[13:21] Loy. Two minutes. Yeah, I'm, I'd
[13:22] Like to refer back to the public safety
[13:24] and clarify my drug task force also works in neighborhoods.
[13:27] It's a tier tier task force.
[13:29] I have two members that work the interstate with canines.
[13:32] And then I have four other members that are doing
[13:35] investigations about your neighbors working informants.
[13:38] So just to clarify, they don't,
[13:40] we don't just work on the interstate.
[13:42] They actually are also working undercover
[13:45] narcotics with informants.
[13:46] So add to that, back to cooperation with local law,
[13:51] emergency services, it's priority
[13:53] and it's more important now than ever during a major event.
[13:56] There's a catastrophe, a wild land fire.
[13:58] You have to have those partnerships in place.
[14:01] You can't have 'em without the, the school districts
[14:04] as well have been protecting our children
[14:05] with school resource officers.
[14:07] I've just met with local school officials here.
[14:09] They have reached out to me.
[14:11] They want to continue to move that.
[14:12] I've spoken with local law enforcement chiefs
[14:15] personally in their command.
[14:16] They want to do that. I don't know if I agree
[14:18] with Mr. Baker about the working relationship
[14:20] that they have, especially
[14:21] with the current issue they've had
[14:23] with Glenwood Springs Police Department.
[14:25] However, I think that's imperative.
[14:28] We need to continue to build those relationships.
[14:30] Not one single agency has enough resources
[14:33] to cover the entire county
[14:35] and everything that happens on, we gotta work together.
[14:38] There's a big event in any municipality.
[14:40] We have to create partnerships and a brotherhood
[14:43] and a sisterhood to come and work
[14:44] and help one each other out.
[14:46] We do that in Eagle County. It's been great.
[14:48] We have multi-jurisdictional task forces,
[14:52] our special operations unit
[14:55] and that is for your safety and public safety.
[14:58] Ultimately we have to have those relationships,
[15:00] put the egos aside, come work together.
[15:03] So make sure everybody's safe. Thank you. Ron.
[15:09] Third topic is school safety and youth.
[15:13] Dan, how would you approach balancing school safety
[15:16] with positive interactions
[15:17] between law enforcements and young people?
[15:21] Well, as we all know, we have school
[15:23] resource officers in all the schools.
[15:24] That's something maybe at our
[15:25] generation thought we'd never have.
[15:27] And I think that's a priority.
[15:29] I think selecting the right school resource officer,
[15:32] putting him in that school is important
[15:34] that they can build relationship with the kids.
[15:36] Let them know what law enforcement's about.
[15:39] There's more, there's nothing more important than that.
[15:41] Building those relationship with law enforcement
[15:42] that at young age, I'm a firm believer that when you're
[15:46] interacting with a young 14, 15, 16-year-old kid,
[15:49] that's an important time in that children, that child's life
[15:53] that you can build that relationship.
[15:55] You stop that kid for speeding,
[15:57] doesn't really need a ticket.
[15:59] What a great opportunity to build
[16:01] that relationship and educate them.
[16:02] So public safety or school safety is a priority.
[16:06] It should be for everybody in this room.
[16:08] I think Mr. Baker probably feels the same way.
[16:11] However, it's make sure you're vetting the right school
[16:14] resource officers to put 'em in there.
[16:16] That represents the agency well
[16:18] and has a very well understanding of public safety.
[16:21] But along also building relationship with children.
[16:24] That's a must. You gotta build trust with the parents.
[16:29] You have to build trust with the students.
[16:32] 'cause they're the ones that they're gonna go to.
[16:34] If there's anything that's gonna be planned,
[16:36] they're gonna go to that school resource officer first
[16:38] and they may stop an incident.
[16:40] But you gotta also have good relationships
[16:42] with the school district, the board,
[16:44] and all the officials at that school.
[16:47] I think we have a great program in Eagle County.
[16:49] The sheriff's office and the county commissioners have
[16:52] chosen to fund some of that
[16:55] and we absorb some of those costs.
[16:57] I know that's maybe not always feasible
[17:01] depending from jurisdiction to jurisdiction,
[17:03] but I think public safety for schools, events
[17:06] and children's safety should be a priority.
[17:10] Brent, two minutes. Thanks.
[17:12] I'll go back to the interagency real quick.
[17:15] We have got a great relationship with Glenwood pd.
[17:17] I was just in a meeting with him two days ago.
[17:20] They help us, we help them.
[17:23] The politics in Glenwood, I would say is difficult
[17:27] and we have nothing against the PD
[17:28] and the PD has nothing against us.
[17:30] But the city council might be a different story.
[17:34] So I, I will leave it at that.
[17:36] But I would encourage you to talk to the Glenwood PD
[17:38] and ask 'em if they get along with the sheriff's office
[17:40] and we consider them brothers just like they consider us.
[17:45] I know you probably didn't mean it mean it
[17:46] as a shot at our SROs, but I kind of took it as a shot.
[17:51] Our SROs are great.
[17:53] Both our SROs, one who works in Garfield County School,
[17:56] district 16 has more than 20 years of experience,
[17:58] more than 10 years as an SRO.
[18:00] He is great with the kids.
[18:02] He's coached football, he's a great guy.
[18:04] And then our SO who works in RE two out at Coleridge,
[18:07] another guy who's got more than 20 years
[18:09] of experience in law enforcement.
[18:11] Really, really, really great cop
[18:13] who is also on the SWAT team.
[18:15] A hurt and just highly trained great guy
[18:20] who do great things in the school.
[18:21] They put on classes really, really great guys.
[18:24] And so I, I know, but I just wanted to reach out to them
[18:28] 'cause they are some of the best deputies we have
[18:30] and that's where we should be
[18:31] putting some of our best deputies.
[18:33] The second thing I would say on that is we need
[18:36] to get another SRO in re one.
[18:39] Politics are rough up there.
[18:41] Not gonna sit up here and tell you
[18:43] politics or anything else.
[18:46] It's rough up in re one.
[18:47] But we have a working relationship with them
[18:49] and we need to continue that and we need
[18:51] to get an SRO back into re one out at Riverview school.
[18:54] So that's one of my main priorities starting day one.
[18:57] The second thing is I believe completely in making sure our
[19:02] deputies are engaged in your community.
[19:04] Our deputies need to be out
[19:05] and they are out coaching, baseball, coaching, football,
[19:08] coaching, wrestling, being involved in the community,
[19:11] being part of your community and that helps with the youth.
[19:14] Thanks.
[19:17] Next topic. Jail mental health and crisis response.
[19:23] Brent, what role should the sheriff's office play in
[19:25] responding to mental health crises?
[19:30] We don't have a choice. We have to respond
[19:33] to mental health crises 'cause nobody else is going to.
[19:35] There is not a fail safe in Garfield County for
[19:39] the mental health crisis.
[19:42] Years ago, we probably both agree on this.
[19:45] Years ago the state invested a lot
[19:46] of money into mental health because that was the topic
[19:49] of the day and a couple years ago
[19:51] that dried up and went away.
[19:53] And so we've had to take that on ourselves.
[19:58] We currently partner with Aspen Hope
[20:00] and they have had some really great numbers here recently
[20:05] in 24 they deployed with us 31 times in the county,
[20:10] 12 in 25 and only four times this year.
[20:13] But I'm sure that'll increase as the weather gets hotter.
[20:15] 48% of these times, Aspen Hope was responding
[20:19] with us directly to the client's home.
[20:21] And we have to continue that relationship
[20:23] and probably expand that relationship.
[20:26] Those keep the mental health crisis out
[20:29] of the ERs and that's what we're shooting for.
[20:31] Keep it outta the er, keep it out of the jail,
[20:35] keep it back in the community
[20:36] with community resources to help solve that.
[20:39] As far as the jail goes, we have some
[20:41] of the best programs in the state in our jail currently.
[20:44] We just did a audit slash staffing survey in the jail
[20:48] and the company came back to us
[20:50] and said, we are gonna use you as an example
[20:53] for the programs you have and the engagement you have.
[20:56] 75% of our inmate population engages
[20:59] with our programs, which is huge.
[21:02] It reduces those people coming back to jail,
[21:04] especially when they get out.
[21:06] If we can keep them connected with those programs,
[21:10] then we have a 75% chance
[21:12] of them not coming back to our jail.
[21:15] As long as we can keep them in those programs outside.
[21:17] And that's what we're looking for is
[21:19] that reduces crime overall.
[21:20] Makes the community a better place.
[21:25] Dan, two minutes jail have mental health
[21:27] and crisis response.
[21:28] Sure. So we have a similar
[21:31] crisis response unit in Eagle County,
[21:32] but we also have 'em respond with community paramedics.
[21:36] Sadly, mental health is not a law enforcement issue,
[21:40] but at two o'clock in the morning, one on one
[21:42] of your loved one calls and we have to respond.
[21:44] Who else is gonna respond? It's gonna be law enforcement.
[21:47] The key is that we have mental health services to provide
[21:50] and deescalate that situation.
[21:52] We respond with our, our Hope center
[21:56] and then also a community paramedic.
[21:58] Once the situation is deescalated, we leave
[22:02] and they have ongoing services
[22:04] and they continue to follow up with that individual.
[22:07] All with the hopes that we don't have a repeated offense
[22:10] or a repeated incident.
[22:11] And oftentimes we may have that.
[22:13] So we, we have a very good solid program.
[22:15] We, we started ours about 10 years ago.
[22:17] It's been very successful in our detention center.
[22:21] We also have three contract mental health providers.
[22:24] Our mental health provider
[22:26] or our, our medical provider has a staff member.
[22:29] We also bring somebody in separate from them
[22:32] that we contract with that provides dependency therapy.
[22:37] And then we also contract with a separate company
[22:39] that provides crisis management.
[22:42] Somebody comes, comes into our facility
[22:45] and they're in crisis, they're evaluated
[22:48] and then we put 'em on what is called a step program.
[22:50] And as they move through that step program,
[22:52] the professional decides where they're gonna be placed
[22:55] and provides services
[22:56] and ongoing services upon while they remain with us.
[22:59] And then provide services or,
[23:02] or sends them forward to where they need
[23:04] to continue services upon leaving the center
[23:10] Leadership accountability and transparency.
[23:14] Dan, what would transparency look like
[23:16] under your administration?
[23:20] As most of you saw my flyer, I think accountability
[23:22] and transparency for everybody, including myself.
[23:25] It starts with me. You set the example as a leader
[23:29] and you have to have your command staff
[23:30] and your sergeants follow in that same rule.
[23:32] There's, it's not an option.
[23:35] And that follows down to your front line and to the public.
[23:39] In today's day and age, I'm sure Mr.
[23:43] Valerio would agree if he would've said We're gonna be
[23:45] wearing body cameras one day,
[23:46] we would've probably disagreed with everybody.
[23:48] I, I mean he's laughing
[23:50] 'cause I think we would've never
[23:51] thought this day was coming.
[23:53] But you need it more now than ever.
[23:55] And body cams don't cover it all.
[23:57] But you gotta be fully transparent to the public.
[23:59] No, no options. There's some things you can't discuss.
[24:02] Personnel matters that are just not privileged to you.
[24:05] But everything else needs to be fully transparent.
[24:08] You're the people we serve.
[24:10] You're the taxpayers, you're the ones
[24:13] that we're providing the service to.
[24:15] So when you call, we need to respond, we need
[24:17] to provide you answers.
[24:19] Might not be the answers you want,
[24:22] but that also calls down to our staff.
[24:24] If somebody's misbehaving, whether we like it
[24:27] or not, we're the only profession
[24:29] that has an off-duty policy.
[24:31] How we behave off-duty reflects on your profession
[24:34] and it could cost you your career.
[24:36] That's what we sign up for and that,
[24:40] and that's the standard that needs to be set.
[24:43] I started a program hiring employees
[24:46] based off character, not skill.
[24:49] We can teach you the skillset,
[24:51] but character's not something you can be taught.
[24:54] And we hire based off that. And it's been successful to us.
[24:58] And accountability is not for everyone,
[25:00] but there's the standard needs to be set
[25:03] 'cause that's what's required by the voters
[25:06] and the citizens we serve.
[25:11] Brent, Oh, I was excited for this question.
[25:15] So I just wanna touch on something Dan said real quick.
[25:19] And hiring is a huge thing in what we do.
[25:23] Leadership, accountability and transparency.
[25:26] That's why we have a 12% turnover rate at the Garfield
[25:29] County Sheriff's Office, which is national average.
[25:31] And we're proud of that even though we live in one of the
[25:34] very high standard of living, high cost of living area,
[25:38] 12% turnover rate in law enforcement's
[25:40] almost unheard of in this area.
[25:42] That's because people wanna work at the Garfield County
[25:44] Sheriff's Office because we hold people accountable
[25:46] and they know we want transparency and character.
[25:49] People wanna work here. People are not flocking.
[25:52] The patrol divisions fully staffed right now.
[25:55] They're not flocking to the counties around us that pay more
[25:58] to the cities that are offering a $30,000 hiring bonus.
[26:02] They're working at the Garfield County Sheriff's Office
[26:04] 'cause they wanna work there
[26:06] because they wanna work with me.
[26:07] They wanna work with Sheriff Valerio
[26:09] and they've wanna work with what we've built.
[26:13] I was an executive development class a few years ago
[26:15] and they listed the four top traits of a leader.
[26:17] Honesty, competency, inspiring, and forward-looking.
[26:20] That is why the majority
[26:21] of employees at the Garfield County
[26:23] Sheriff's Office support me.
[26:24] Thanks for coming guys. Appreciate you.
[26:27] I, I know, I know this is important to you guys too.
[26:29] They've seen my integrity on display every day.
[26:32] They know my competence, they know how forward looking I am.
[26:36] They know where we're headed.
[26:37] I've been in the trenches fighting
[26:38] with them day in and day out.
[26:40] That's what really separates us.
[26:42] I think we, we can both agree public safety,
[26:44] being aggressive on crime, school safety,
[26:45] crisis response, that's all important.
[26:47] But having true integrity, accountability to the public
[26:50] and being transparent is what separates me.
[26:52] I've been campaign campaigning for nine months.
[26:55] Those nine months have been attacked.
[26:56] A deep dive, deep, deep dive on me has been done.
[26:59] And on my family as well.
[27:01] You know what, they found nothing
[27:03] because I've lived my life with integrity.
[27:05] I've lived my life with character.
[27:08] Come at me, come, come dig into me please.
[27:12] I've lived a good life
[27:13] and I've lived in a life full of integrity and character.
[27:16] Thank you.
[27:26] Community trust and civic responsibility.
[27:30] Brent, describe what being the newly elected Garfield County
[27:32] Sheriff means to you and what your responsibility would be
[27:36] for the department and community.
[27:38] What in the departments would remain the same
[27:40] and what would be different in four years?
[27:44] First thing I'm gonna do is take a big deep breath
[27:47] because it's been a long nine months
[27:49] and we still got another months to go.
[27:51] And then we got six months after that. So,
[27:54] And we, we didn't get a $30,000 hiring
[27:56] bonus when we got hired.
[27:57] I'm no, we did not.
[27:59] So that's one of the first things I'm gonna do.
[28:02] Some changes coming to the Garfield County Sheriff's Office.
[28:06] Staffing issues. We've been working 12 hour shifts
[28:08] for 24 years and we are the busiest from four
[28:12] to 6:00 PM Anybody in this valley knows that, right?
[28:14] If you're on the roads from four
[28:15] to six, it's hard to get around.
[28:17] And that's when the sheriff's deputies are flying
[28:19] around trying to get to calls.
[28:22] We have to look at doing something different.
[28:24] We are looking at 10 and a half hour shifts.
[28:26] So we have a swing shift to cover that busiest time.
[28:29] So when our deputies are trying to go home at 6:00 PM
[28:33] they're not taking all these calls,
[28:35] we will have a swing shift in there to help
[28:38] that swing shift will also o off obviously overlap,
[28:41] which will allow some deputies
[28:43] to be able to work out on duty.
[28:45] We're gonna take an hour on duty
[28:46] and get the deputies some wellness,
[28:47] some physical wellness, some mental wellness.
[28:51] And so that is something I'm gonna implement day one.
[28:55] Those are some of the big changes coming, some
[28:58] of the long-term changes that we need to start planning for.
[29:00] Now. The jail's almost 30 years old
[29:03] and anybody that builds a jail
[29:04] or a prison will tell you
[29:05] that having multiple floors is a bad idea.
[29:09] We got three. That's why when you see a prison
[29:12] or a jail anywhere that's really big, they expand out.
[29:15] They don't expand up because when you put inmates in a
[29:18] elevator and you rely on an elevator to take people places,
[29:21] it's not a good solution.
[29:23] So here in five to six to seven years, we need
[29:26] to start saving now and we need to start planning
[29:28] for a new jail for Garfield County
[29:30] because the current one we have is not gonna work
[29:32] with current jail standards coming July 1st,
[29:34] which the state's putting on us
[29:36] and it, it needs some updating.
[29:40] So that's some of the big things coming.
[29:44] I'll repeat the question for our listening audience.
[29:47] Describe what being the newly elected Garfield County
[29:49] Sheriff means to you and what your responsibility would be
[29:53] for the department and the community.
[29:55] What in the department would remain the same
[29:57] and what would be different in four years, Dan?
[30:00] What it means to me, it'd be just a complete honor
[30:02] to be able to serve where I grew up, what I call home,
[30:05] where my family lives,
[30:07] and where my parents have been laid rust.
[30:10] That'd be an honor and that's what it means to me.
[30:12] I think it's a civic responsibility
[30:13] to every law enforcement officer
[30:15] that wears a badge in Garfield County.
[30:16] That that's why they do it.
[30:19] It it's, it oftentimes can be a thankless job.
[30:21] It's not something easy, but we do it because we care
[30:24] and we wanna serve the public.
[30:26] I can't predict the future of
[30:28] what it's gonna look like in four years.
[30:30] I don't know what legislator is gonna pass,
[30:32] but if I'm elected, I think it's important
[30:36] to get my hands on the budget.
[30:38] I would like to see some things reimplemented.
[30:40] I think animal control is a big, a big issue
[30:43] that we need back in rural Garfield County.
[30:45] I think that's a priority.
[30:47] One thing I'm proud of in Eagle County is we do over a
[30:49] hundred community events a year.
[30:51] That could be something from very minor
[30:53] to our biggest event, which is Shop with a Cop.
[30:55] We raise over $50,000 of donations
[30:58] to take less fortunate kids shopping.
[31:01] Community engagement is, is is big to me.
[31:04] And getting our community engaged, involved in our children
[31:08] and making that connection is important to me as well.
[31:11] So that civic responsibility goes back
[31:14] to committee engagement, connecting with the people
[31:18] that we serve and being out in the public.
[31:22] The jail is your biggest liability
[31:24] along with your employees.
[31:25] So you gotta get a grasp on that.
[31:27] A 30-year-old jail is a problem.
[31:29] We gotta address those issues
[31:32] and make sure that we're within
[31:34] the standards that are coming.
[31:35] I'm overseeing a jail now. I don't have a jail commander.
[31:37] I'm, I'm overseeing the jail so I know what that's like.
[31:39] That's a big liability.
[31:41] And if anybody tells you different, they're,
[31:44] they're not being honest with you.
[31:45] But the jail and your employees are your biggest liability.
[31:49] Employee health is big to me as well.
[31:51] We implemented an employee health wellness program
[31:53] and mental health program for our employees.
[31:55] You gotta take care of your employees and
[31:58] and that's the key is make sure they're valued
[32:01] opportunities given to them and
[32:06] and make sure they, they're taken care of.
[32:13] Budget, staffing and resources.
[32:16] Dan, what investments in training equipment
[32:18] or technology do you believe are most important
[32:21] for the future of the sheriff's office?
[32:25] All of the above. I think technology,
[32:27] I'm a big technology guy.
[32:29] We just implemented AI at our office where our,
[32:32] our officers can, when they get back to their office,
[32:35] they can dock their body cam, it writes the reports.
[32:37] The key is to get them back on the street serving you.
[32:40] We don't want our officers sitting in the patrol room
[32:43] typing, we want them back being visible to serve you
[32:45] and responding to calls for service.
[32:47] So that's important to us. Training is also big to me.
[32:52] I think cutting training, I know budgets can be tough.
[32:56] I know Garfield County has struggled
[32:57] with their budget issues and it's probably not gonna get
[33:01] any better in the near future.
[33:02] However, training is is essential.
[33:05] You gotta keep your guys trained.
[33:07] You gotta ke meet the state mandates that required by post
[33:11] and keep them fresh
[33:12] because they gotta be prepared to respond
[33:14] to calls when they go to you.
[33:17] Budgets. I'm overseeing
[33:20] all the budgets within my organization,
[33:22] not just parcel budgets.
[33:24] Nothing gets purchased
[33:26] through our organization without our
[33:28] financial team improved.
[33:30] The first year I was the undersheriff,
[33:32] we cut our overtime rate by 75%.
[33:35] Not that we're cutting overtime,
[33:37] but we're holding our staff accountable.
[33:39] That needs to be justified.
[33:40] Articulate why you need the overtime,
[33:43] that's big, that's your money.
[33:46] So holding our staff accountable,
[33:49] holding the budget accountable.
[33:50] It's not an open checkbook, it's my money.
[33:52] It's your money and we wanna make sure we have those
[33:56] services to provide to you.
[33:58] And we're, we're watching the bottom line of the dollar
[34:01] and making sure our staffs are being paid fair, right?
[34:05] That they're comparable to other agencies
[34:07] so we're not losing them
[34:08] to another law enforcement agency in the valley.
[34:11] I have staff that drive Diego County if I'm sheriff,
[34:14] I'd love them to be serving here.
[34:17] But budgets are are difficult but they gotta be managed
[34:21] and I'm proud that I've been doing
[34:22] that for the last six years.
[34:24] I see a multimillion dollar budget, I see every line item.
[34:27] I meet with my staff and go over every line
[34:29] item once a week.
[34:35] So Brett, what investments in training equipment
[34:37] or technology do you believe are most important
[34:40] for the future of the Sheriff's office?
[34:42] So I would love to see the Eagle County guys come
[34:44] down and work in Garfield County too.
[34:45] 'cause we have great environment.
[34:50] I would agree that equipment
[34:53] and training is really important.
[34:55] We implemented AI a year ago for the deputies via Axon
[34:59] and draft one and it's been working
[35:02] out really, really well for us.
[35:03] But there has to be controls on that.
[35:05] We are continuing, we are on the cutting edge
[35:07] of law enforcement in Garfield County
[35:08] and that's due to the investment that
[35:09] Sheriff Valerio has made.
[35:10] And there's been a lot of attacks recently on our
[35:13] budget and our equipment.
[35:15] And I find that hilarious in
[35:17] that the guy who's run the office for the last 24 years,
[35:20] who gives back a million dollars every year is
[35:23] being attacked for his budget.
[35:25] Gimme a break. Our equipment is second
[35:29] to none here in Garfield County.
[35:31] And the deputies want that. That's why deputies work here.
[35:34] Yes, our cars are expensive
[35:35] because we give them the best equipment they have.
[35:38] If you're on Douglas Pass at two in the morning
[35:40] and it's snowing sideways,
[35:42] you want the best equipment you can have.
[35:44] If you're in a fire and you're running from a fire
[35:46] that's licking the back of your patrol car,
[35:49] you want the best equipment you can have.
[35:51] That's what matters to our deputies.
[35:53] That's why our pay is great,
[35:56] but we don't have to pay Eagle County Pickin County rates
[36:00] because they wanna work here
[36:01] because they get good equipment, they get good support.
[36:05] Training is huge for us. Unfortunately due the budget cuts.
[36:08] Last year we had to cut back on training,
[36:09] but we're gonna get back to where we were.
[36:11] We, we were doing four times
[36:13] what the state required in training
[36:15] at the Garfield County Sheriff's Office
[36:17] and we're gonna continue that.
[36:18] There's two ways you make and, and Dan will agree with this.
[36:20] There's two ways you make a deputy
[36:23] a good law enforcement officer.
[36:24] One's training and one's experience, right.
[36:26] If you can't gain experience, you gotta get 'em training
[36:29] and you put those both together
[36:31] and you get some really, really good
[36:32] law enforcement officers.
[36:37] We get audited every year by the same company
[36:39] that Eagle County uses McMahon and Associates
[36:42] and the outside audit comes in
[36:44] and audits the Garfield County budget
[36:45] to make sure we're doing right by with your money.
[36:52] All right, we're gonna get to some public questions,
[36:54] but first we're gonna take about a 10 minute break,
[36:57] allow people to stretch a little bit, use the facilities,
[37:00] get something to drink and then we'll come back in 10
[37:02] minutes and resume this with some questions from the public.
[37:15] Alright? All right, we will continue now with some
[37:20] questions from the public that have been examined, read.
[37:24] Some of 'em are redundant,
[37:25] some subjects have already been covered
[37:28] and some aren't questions at all.
[37:29] Just statements. So I took
[37:34] my black pen and just, no offense,
[37:37] you can make your statement,
[37:38] but this is not the time or place.
[37:45] We will continue with Brent.
[37:49] This is about guns and gun rights.
[37:51] What are your thoughts on some of the red flag laws
[37:54] that have been passed by the state legislature?
[37:58] The state legislature in Denver continues
[38:03] to pass laws that do nothing for crime
[38:06] and only make it harder for the citizens of this state
[38:09] to exercise their constitutional rights.
[38:12] And it's ridiculous.
[38:20] We need a sheriff who will continue to be boisterous
[38:25] and to be loud and to what I tell everybody,
[38:27] go yell into the void.
[38:29] 'cause sometimes it's like yelling into the void.
[38:30] Perry will tell you that he worked over there.
[38:34] It's like yelling into a void.
[38:35] But you have to have somebody that's gonna go over there
[38:37] and stand up for your constitutional rights.
[38:40] And we need that. We have
[38:44] discretion in law enforcement
[38:46] and we have to exercise that when it comes
[38:48] to these crazy laws that are coming outta Denver.
[38:52] I am committed to that and I'll stay committed to that.
[38:56] And since day one, that's been one of my top priorities
[38:59] as a Second Amendment and making sure we protect that
[39:01] for the citizens of Garfield County.
[39:03] Thank you.
[39:08] I, Dan Red flag Laws.
[39:12] I agree with Brent. I echo that.
[39:13] I'm a gun advocate, gun owner, a firearm instructor.
[39:17] And you know, the Second amendment's dear to me,
[39:21] I'm a, I'm a concealed weapon instructor
[39:23] and I've been teaching firearms for since 97, 98.
[39:28] I so long I can't remember,
[39:30] but they continue to pass laws this year they
[39:35] actually passed another law ex expanding the red flag
[39:39] to other people to submit that.
[39:41] However, we've had one
[39:44] or two instances in Eagle County
[39:45] where a red flag has been signed
[39:46] by a judge in a court order.
[39:48] And I will tell you if it's done properly, it's effective
[39:51] because the gentleman that they submitted to
[39:54] was extremely dangerous.
[39:56] That was three years ago, I believe.
[39:59] And we're still in possession of his firearms.
[40:02] So if it's used properly, the judges read it
[40:05] signs the court order and vetted it has a purpose,
[40:09] but it needs to be done right.
[40:11] So it continues.
[40:15] I'm, I'm with Mr. Baker on this.
[40:18] Go down, we fight with the legislators, we get
[40:21] with the county Sheriffs Colorado.
[40:23] We team up with them, we team up with the other sheriffs
[40:26] and we, we stand up for your rights.
[40:28] We may not always win it, but it won't be without a fight.
[40:41] The budget wa came, came up during some
[40:43] of your comments from both of you
[40:45] and over the years the budget continues to,
[40:49] has continued to shrink
[40:51] and the commissioners have made some difficult decisions
[40:53] and I've, I've, I cover all the meetings
[40:55] and I know Sheriff Lou Valerio has
[41:01] been forced to make some cutbacks.
[41:03] How would you, with oblique forecast over the next five
[41:08] years or so, how would you manage to continue
[41:12] to meet the, the needs of the,
[41:14] the community law enforcement needs
[41:17] with a shrinking budget, Dan?
[41:20] Well you're gonna have to, you know,
[41:21] unfortunately I was part of oh eight
[41:23] and we, we struggled all just like probably everybody he did
[41:26] here in Garfield County.
[41:27] The budget restraint, you're gonna have
[41:29] to prioritize what's important, which is public service,
[41:32] having cops responding to calls for service
[41:34] and make sure your safety's protected is the number one.
[41:37] The jail's also number one priority by statutorily
[41:40] where the sheriff's required to maintain a jail.
[41:43] So you gotta maintain that.
[41:45] You're gonna have to trim the fat, you know,
[41:47] really justify your overtime.
[41:50] Things that aren't needed, you know, are gonna have
[41:54] to cut back and, and get by with the, the bare necessities.
[41:58] I'm not a firm believer
[41:59] that you turn one thing about government,
[42:01] there's always a set of money coming the next year, right?
[42:05] And it's not to, hey, let's turn to the taxpayer
[42:07] and ask for a tax increase.
[42:10] Nobody else gets to do that. Why should government?
[42:12] So I think is we have to run a tight budget,
[42:16] hold each other accountable,
[42:18] the taxpayers hold us accountable
[42:21] and make sure that we're meeting the basic services.
[42:23] If we get to that point where we have
[42:25] to just maintain services, we have to be responsible
[42:29] and good stewards of the budget.
[42:31] And I know everyone
[42:33] and anybody that's elected will tell
[42:35] you how they're gonna do it.
[42:37] But every sheriff has their own priorities on
[42:40] how they want things done.
[42:41] But my main focus would be public safety.
[42:43] I want people to make sure they feel comfortable going
[42:46] to the store, walking in a park, safe at home.
[42:51] So you're gonna have to streamline some things
[42:55] and make sure your budget is accounted for
[42:57] and cut back on some things.
[42:59] I've been through that in oh way. It wasn't pleasant.
[43:02] But the key is to make sure everybody stays employed
[43:05] and maybe through attrition you just don't fill some
[43:08] positions and you wait and you move on
[43:11] and see if it balances back.
[43:19] Brent, future budget challenges.
[43:21] Thanks. I'm gonna go back real quick
[43:23] to the Second Amendment
[43:25] and some statements made about the red flag law.
[43:28] I don't believe it serves a purpose at all.
[43:29] It's not due process, it's not in the second Amendment
[43:32] and it's a violation of our constitutional rights.
[43:35] We've had one, we've had one red flag law
[43:41] come to the Garfield County Sheriff's Office here
[43:43] and we handled it appropriately
[43:45] and that we didn't go enforce it.
[43:47] We went and talked to the family
[43:48] and said, Hey, your dad's having a rough time having some
[43:51] mental health issues, let's go help him.
[43:54] And the family reached out and went out and helped him
[43:56] because as soon as you put law enforcement
[43:59] with guns against a person who's mentally unstable
[44:02] with guns, you're gonna end up with a horrible outcome.
[44:05] And we don't want that on the onto the budget.
[44:08] Yes, we have to protect core services, patrol, detentions,
[44:12] emergency operations, fires, search and rescue.
[44:15] We have to protect all those within the budget.
[44:17] We've started already started making
[44:19] moves in the sheriff's office.
[44:21] We took a admin spot and moved it over to patrol
[44:23] because it could be better served there
[44:25] and we needed it there to provide better services
[44:27] to the citizens of Garfield County.
[44:30] I'd be curious to know what's not needed.
[44:32] What are we gonna cut from the budget We've made cuts
[44:34] to the budget to balance it this year
[44:37] and if we're forced to do that again next year,
[44:39] which it doesn't sound like we're gonna be,
[44:40] sounds like we're gonna be status quo,
[44:42] but what are we gonna cut?
[44:46] We've made cuts and we can do it again.
[44:50] We made cuts to training and overtime
[44:51] and that's where we save that money.
[44:54] So if it's needed to do it again, we'll do it again.
[44:57] But again, I think again, what's important to the citizens
[45:00] of Garfield County is those core services
[45:02] and we have to continue funding those.
[45:04] Thanks.
[45:10] This is another interesting question from the public
[45:12] residents in some of the more rural
[45:14] or outlying parts of Garfield County
[45:16] have concerns about patrol coverage and response times.
[45:20] How would you address those concerns? Brent
[45:26] Garfield County is 3000 square miles
[45:29] and we're just north of 63,000 people currently.
[45:35] We have a large county to cover
[45:37] and that's why we need so many deputies.
[45:40] We are fully staffed currently in the patrol
[45:43] division, which really helps.
[45:46] I just got an email last week
[45:48] or two weeks ago from a county resident saying, Hey,
[45:52] I really appreciate seeing the deputies back out on the
[45:53] county roads and that's because now we can staff that
[45:56] and get the guys out to where they need to be.
[45:59] We are looking into the future to
[46:03] take the emergency operations division
[46:05] and put them over a rural patrol unit to
[46:07] where we put deputies out on the flat tops out on Douglas
[46:10] pass out in those areas during busy times
[46:13] to make sure we're getting coverage out there.
[46:16] But I don't disagree with the comment that we need
[46:19] to get more deputies back out on the county
[46:20] roads and off the interstate.
[46:24] Yeah, Well it's my,
[46:27] it's my philosophy, it's real simple.
[46:29] You give that directive to your leadership
[46:31] and if that's not being done, you address that.
[46:34] If you're fully staffed shouldn't be an issue.
[46:37] You tell your rank, we need officers in these areas.
[46:41] We're having a traffic issue
[46:43] or speeding issue in this areas.
[46:46] I know it's not always feasible when calls
[46:48] for service are maybe a priority,
[46:50] but we encounter the same things in every law enforcement.
[46:53] I think one of the biggest issues in every law enforcement
[46:55] locally is parking and traffic.
[46:57] Probably the complaints that come in quite regularly, right?
[47:00] I mean we get a lot of those people calling in
[47:02] neighborhoods, people are speeding, parking on the street
[47:05] and that can be very bothersome to a lot.
[47:08] But when time there's downtime, you get out there
[47:10] and you run radar and you contact the public
[47:14] and you enforce that.
[47:17] And those people out in those county roads are just
[47:21] as equally important as anywhere else.
[47:23] And we should be out there.
[47:24] Every law, every municipality in Garfield County has its own
[47:28] law enforcement agencies.
[47:31] So there's no reason we shouldn't be
[47:32] out there enforcing those.
[47:38] Next question for Dan,
[47:40] what role should the sheriff's office play in cooperating
[47:42] with ICE Spear
[47:44] and local municipalities on immigration related issues?
[47:49] Well, as much as we would all want to, that rolls outlined
[47:54] by our legislators.
[47:55] We have very limited enforcement, which was set out
[47:59] by our legislators and government.
[48:01] There's laws on the books that we as law enforcement can't
[48:05] take enforcement action if that that's gonna cost.
[48:09] Our fully staffing levels are gonna drop.
[48:12] And the way that legislators are passing laws now is they're
[48:15] holding those officers personally liable.
[48:17] They can hold that officer up to 50,000 personally liable.
[48:21] We all know officers don't make a lot of money
[48:26] and then we don't wanna put 'em in that position.
[48:28] So we gotta know our lane.
[48:30] We have to respect our lane
[48:32] and stay within our laws whether we like it or not.
[48:35] We have to comply with that.
[48:36] This may not something we, we may want to do,
[48:39] but we have to stay within our laws and,
[48:42] and you know, I'm all about working
[48:44] with our federal partners.
[48:46] I think we've all done that. They live in our communities.
[48:50] They want safe communities just like everybody else,
[48:54] but we also don't want to be violating our federal,
[48:57] our state laws and getting
[48:58] and jeopardizing our deputies and our officers.
[49:01] So I think that's important.
[49:09] Brent, two minutes. I agree
[49:12] that legislation has totally hamstrung us as it comes
[49:17] to immigration enforcement.
[49:19] It's not our job
[49:21] and it's not something we're allowed to be involved in.
[49:25] I would say, and I'll steal this from a,
[49:30] for a former opponent
[49:32] and a really good guy, that we
[49:38] have to continue to work as a team with our federal partners
[49:42] and we have to make sure we're working with them
[49:47] to steal a line from my former opponent.
[49:50] We are still allowed to work with ICE
[49:53] and HSI on criminal investigations.
[49:55] That hasn't stopped. We're just not allowed to work
[49:57] with them on immigration issues.
[50:00] But when there's really bad people in our community doing
[50:03] really bad things, we're gonna work
[50:05] with every federal agency we can
[50:06] to remove them from our community
[50:08] and we will continue to do that.
[50:10] Spear has done a great job.
[50:11] They are co-located again with DEA and HSI as well
[50:15] because we wanna do those joint criminal investigations
[50:19] to remove bad people from our community.
[50:21] Whichever way that takes.
[50:23] If they're doing crime, they need to leave. Thank you.
[50:33] We've touched a bit on, on mental health
[50:39] for guests of the Garfield County Jail.
[50:42] What about the, the deputies, the staff,
[50:45] how important Brett is mental
[50:48] and physical health when you're serving the community?
[50:52] Super important. We have a very strong peer support team
[50:57] at the Garfield County Sheriff's Office.
[50:58] The second to none, it's led by a doctor.
[51:02] We have a doctor employed within the sheriff's office thanks
[51:05] to Sheriff Valerio.
[51:07] I mean you won't get that anywhere else
[51:09] but here we provide our people
[51:12] with the best mental health support that we can find.
[51:17] We contract with what's called Code four counseling
[51:20] and they provide counseling sessions free
[51:22] of charge every month to any deputy that wants it.
[51:26] We have to take care of our people.
[51:29] Second to that is the physical side.
[51:32] And you know, I have a plan already put forward
[51:35] that we are gonna start making deputies not making,
[51:37] we're gonna start letting deputies work out on duty
[51:40] and making sure their physical side's taken care of as well.
[51:44] That's, again, I, I keep going back to it, the climate
[51:47] and culture at the Garfield County
[51:48] Sheriff's Office is a great place.
[51:50] People wanna work here, they wanna come work for us,
[51:53] they wanna come work with us because we have these programs
[51:55] and because we support 'em.
[51:59] Yeah, I,
[52:01] I think physical fitness is highly impor important
[52:04] and a priority along with mental health Peer support's.
[52:09] Great. I think every agency has it. It's nothing new.
[52:13] But one thing we do more
[52:14] and above that is we require every one of our employees
[52:18] included administrative staff
[52:20] to do a mental health wellness check
[52:22] with a mental health professional
[52:25] that is required every once a year.
[52:27] We just did it two weeks ago.
[52:28] They meet with their mental health professional.
[52:30] They don't tell us anything about it.
[52:32] They just sign a document that they met.
[52:33] It's signed by the doctor.
[52:34] We put it in our, and we, we chart it
[52:37] just like a doctor's physical is
[52:39] important, so is the mental health.
[52:42] It's just not about peer support,
[52:44] but our officers see a lot,
[52:45] we can't just ask 'em to bury it.
[52:48] So they go and see with a, a mental health provider
[52:52] of their choosing and they meet with them once a year.
[52:55] On top of that, law enforcement officers are having heart
[52:59] attacks between 46, 43 to 49 years of age.
[53:03] Corrections officers is three times that.
[53:07] We contracted with a company called Sigma.
[53:09] They come in, they draw your blood, they,
[53:13] and this is offered to staff their spouses as well
[53:16] because of the work we do.
[53:17] They send your blood screen into the Cleveland Heart Lab.
[53:21] They do a seven page panel.
[53:23] They come back to your office, our office at this last year
[53:28] and they do artery ultrasounds to see
[53:31] what your plaque buildup is.
[53:33] They put you on a bike
[53:34] and collect your breath particles
[53:36] to see what you should be eating.
[53:37] To make a long story short,
[53:41] law enforcement average is at 42%
[53:43] at risk for a heart attack.
[53:45] That should be concerning to everybody in this room.
[53:48] Our agency was at 38% at risk.
[53:51] We don't do it to scare officers.
[53:53] We do it to catch that early and reverse it.
[53:57] Officers been caught for cancer based off this screening.
[54:01] We save longer on insurance,
[54:02] but that's a priority that we need to implement now.
[54:06] Not peer support, that's important as well.
[54:09] But so is that physical wellness.
[54:18] Final question. Let's do deals with
[54:23] incident command response.
[54:27] For those of us who've lived in this county long enough,
[54:29] we've experienced some incredible devastating
[54:34] natural disasters.
[54:35] Fires just every summer
[54:38] and we're anticipating a rough year ahead.
[54:45] Storm king, coal seam, grizzly Creek,
[54:47] and the list goes on and on.
[54:54] Brent, what have you learned over the years
[54:57] about incident command
[54:59] and what could be improved when in terms
[55:03] of interagency cooperation, when it comes to
[55:07] natural disasters or protecting the public
[55:09] and keeping people informed?
[55:13] Yeah, so we unfortunately are experts here in Garfield
[55:17] County on disasters.
[55:20] It's just, unfortunately we live in a beautiful area
[55:23] and a great county, but it comes with a price
[55:26] and that is wildland fires, mudslides
[55:28] and all the rest of the stuff.
[55:30] And so we have become experts on responding to those.
[55:35] I would say what we can improve on and we need to improve on
[55:39] and if you've seen any of my stuff online
[55:41] or anything else, is we need to do better
[55:43] with communicating with our public.
[55:45] We don't do a good job of communicating
[55:47] with our public what's going on when those emergency
[55:49] disasters are help are happening.
[55:51] And so we need to do a better job on that.
[55:53] And I'm committed on day one again to improving that
[55:57] communication with our public
[55:58] and make sure if the public knows why what we're doing
[56:01] and why we're doing it, they're always supportive
[56:04] and we really appreciate that.
[56:07] As far as fires go, that's our biggest disaster
[56:09] that we usually see as,
[56:10] and again, unfortunately we're experts on it.
[56:14] We have an emergency operations division staffed
[56:16] by three highly trained, really excellent deputies
[56:20] who do a great job with that.
[56:22] They are all NIMS instructors,
[56:24] national Incident Management systems.
[56:25] So they actually go out
[56:26] and teach the incident management system to other
[56:31] agencies and they do a great job with that.
[56:33] We have a great working relationship
[56:35] with our fire departments.
[56:37] So if a fire starts in a local fire district, it's on
[56:39] that local fire district to handle that fire
[56:41] until it becomes a outside of their ability
[56:46] and then it gets turned over to the county,
[56:47] it gets turned over to the sheriff's office
[56:49] and then we take over managing that fire.
[56:51] When it gets too big for us, then it goes
[56:53] to the federal government and they come in
[56:55] with their million dollar a day teams and take over.
[56:58] I've been fortunate to be incident command on several
[57:01] of our large fires here recently.
[57:03] The one in Ruralton that took,
[57:04] unfortunately took out a house.
[57:07] I was the first incident commander on that scene
[57:10] and am proud of the work CRFR, grand Valley Fire
[57:13] and the rest of the fire departments did there.
[57:15] Thanks
[57:19] Dan.
[57:20] Sure. You know I've lived in this valley, I've seen those,
[57:24] but I've also been the, I was one
[57:26] of the first ones on scene on the Lake Christine, which is,
[57:29] you know, that was a huge fire along
[57:31] with Grizzly Creek Derby Mesa Fire last year.
[57:33] But one thing that we discovered
[57:35] that's a flaw in the system, Eagle Garfield County overlaps
[57:39] with Eagle and Pickin County.
[57:41] The evacuation procedures are a flaw at this moment.
[57:44] 'cause there's no communication.
[57:45] Everybody uses a different evacuation system.
[57:48] That's a problem that needs to be addressed.
[57:50] We don't wanna lose a life because people aren't getting the
[57:52] messages to be evacuated.
[57:54] How can we have so many incidences?
[57:56] And that hasn't been addressed yet.
[58:00] I know where I live, I have one way in and one way out.
[58:03] I agree with Mr. Baker Ridge.
[58:04] We live in a beautiful place,
[58:06] but there's no reason we shouldn't be all getting together.
[58:09] And that's, and and sitting down
[58:11] with all these other agencies and federal partners
[58:13] and our local partners of creating one evacuation system
[58:18] because our counties overlap and talk to one another.
[58:21] One thing that I would implement if I was a,
[58:23] is an incident management team.
[58:24] We created that in Eagle County and that has been great.
[58:28] We work together and you work things out
[58:30] and you troubleshoot.
[58:32] Not after an incident in the middle of an incident.
[58:37] We've been fortunate enough that we haven't lost lives.
[58:40] Nobody wants to do that,
[58:42] but we have to have great messaging to the public.
[58:45] But it's not a PIO report or a social media report.
[58:51] It's you need to pack and you need to go.
[58:53] You need to message the public
[58:54] and have things ready so they can get out.
[58:57] But one thing during these major incidents, one thing
[58:59] that we've recover discovered is the messaging
[59:02] on the outlining skirts of the county where it overlaps.
[59:06] They're not talking to one another.
[59:07] And that can be problematic.
[59:09] And an incident management team, if created,
[59:12] doesn't cost more money.
[59:13] It's just getting the partnerships together
[59:15] can communicate and resolve that.
[59:23] Before we get to closing statements, I wanna thank
[59:27] the Colorado River Valley Chamber of Commerce.
[59:29] Thank you, Aaron. That our timers,
[59:36] the City of Rifle, pat Dupre,
[59:40] and his staff here at the Ute
[59:41] for providing us a wonderful venue.
[59:48] This form has been carried live on
[59:50] Rifle Community television.
[59:52] Thank you to Michael Churchill and his staff.
[59:56] And it'll be available for replay.
[59:58] It's been carried live on kts.com
[1:00:01] and on K MTSS Facebook page.
[1:00:04] So it's covered.
[1:00:05] If you miss something, it it'll be available,
[1:00:08] it'll be archived and very important information
[1:00:14] that's gonna do it.
[1:00:16] Oh,
[1:00:17] Three to four Minutes.
[1:00:18] Okay. Okay.
[1:00:22] We're gonna get to closing statements now.
[1:00:24] And I want to, again, thank the, the candidates
[1:00:28] for your willingness to serve the community
[1:00:31] and put yourself out there.
[1:00:33] I wanna thank the audience for their participation
[1:00:35] and the good questions.
[1:00:40] Since we have a little extra time,
[1:00:43] we're finishing a bit early, we will start with Dan
[1:00:47] and each of you'll get I'll,
[1:00:49] I'll just give you, you know, three or four minutes.
[1:00:50] You can just kind of take your time
[1:00:52] for your closing thoughts.
[1:00:53] Ooh,
[1:00:59] Thanks Ron.
[1:01:00] I appreciate it. You know, I'll start off by these last four
[1:01:04] or five months has just been
[1:01:07] something I'd never thought I'd ever do.
[1:01:10] It's been humbling.
[1:01:11] I want to thank all the supporters
[1:01:15] and everyone that I've interacted with
[1:01:18] through the whole entire Garfield County area.
[1:01:22] It's, it's, it has really pushed me
[1:01:26] To the levels I didn't think I had.
[1:01:28] I've learned so much as myself.
[1:01:31] Watching my wife go through it
[1:01:32] with me has just been humbling and, and an honor.
[1:01:34] Along with my campaign team, I've gotten to know people
[1:01:39] and supported by people
[1:01:41] and encouraged by people
[1:01:42] that I never thought would be in my corner.
[1:01:45] And after 30 years in law enforcement to start
[1:01:48] to realize a few things that after this career, what's next?
[1:01:53] And I've been here my whole life.
[1:01:55] I grew up here, raised my family here.
[1:01:57] I also wanna recognize Mr. Brent Baker.
[1:01:59] This is not something that I will tell you.
[1:02:02] I've been through a lot of battles in my life.
[1:02:04] I've been drug through a lot of things in my life
[1:02:06] and working cases.
[1:02:08] I've been in the courtroom with some
[1:02:09] of the best attorneys in the country
[1:02:11] and been cross examined.
[1:02:14] Kobe Bryant put me through the ringer.
[1:02:15] I'll tell you that right now. And we think we've both
[1:02:19] learned a lot about ourselves, our family,
[1:02:22] and it's been an honor to, to run this campaign and,
[1:02:26] and be a part of it, and interact with everybody here,
[1:02:29] to my friends and my family.
[1:02:30] I can't thank you enough. I, I really can't.
[1:02:33] You kept me motivated
[1:02:35] and pushed me when I, I didn't think I'd be pushed.
[1:02:38] But with that said, I'd be honored to be your sheriff.
[1:02:42] I got 30 years. I started at the bottom pushing a room.
[1:02:48] I've worked myself through the ranks.
[1:02:50] I've seen the worst cases of humanity
[1:02:52] that you could ever see.
[1:02:55] I've sat around
[1:02:57] and I've, I've sat in interview rooms,
[1:02:59] interviewing murderers,
[1:03:01] and still try to leave there, trying to make that family
[1:03:04] that day better, which you can't.
[1:03:08] And those, the last six years of my career,
[1:03:10] I continue to learn and to grow.
[1:03:14] And I've vowed to myself is, as long as I continue to do
[1:03:17] that, I'm gonna continue to try to serve.
[1:03:21] And I want to serve Garfield County
[1:03:22] where it's my home, where I live here.
[1:03:25] I'll live here my whole life.
[1:03:27] And I'm sure I will make mistakes along the way. We all do.
[1:03:31] But it's how you recover from those mistakes.
[1:03:35] But one thing that I can tell you is I'm proud of
[1:03:38] where I've been and what I've learned.
[1:03:41] I've been promoted under three different sheriffs.
[1:03:44] Sadly one of 'em passed away today.
[1:03:49] But we're still gonna move forward.
[1:03:50] That's one thing about this profession.
[1:03:52] When you encounter some of the worst things
[1:03:54] that you could ever imagine, you still gotta get up
[1:03:56] and put your, pull yourself up from your
[1:03:58] bootstraps and move forward.
[1:04:02] But I will tell you, we wanna represent one another
[1:04:06] and represent the badge in the best uniform that we can.
[1:04:08] Because of you. We wanna
[1:04:13] provide a service to make sure you're protected.
[1:04:16] And when you call that, we respond.
[1:04:20] But I want to be able to learn and still grow.
[1:04:25] I also want to be able to serve
[1:04:27] the other part of our community.
[1:04:31] We have Latinos in the community
[1:04:32] that they don't feel they have representation.
[1:04:35] And regardless of where you're at with the ice
[1:04:38] situation, there's fear in there.
[1:04:40] And that's a cultural thing.
[1:04:42] They would like someone that they can speak to.
[1:04:45] I work major cases in where they would only speak to me
[1:04:50] 'cause I could speak their native language.
[1:04:54] And they're here and they live in your community.
[1:04:56] They go to school with your kids, they're your neighbors.
[1:05:01] And I would like, and I'd be honored to serve
[1:05:04] as your Garfield County Sheriff.
[1:05:06] I'm not gonna sit here and give you the rhetoric.
[1:05:08] My experience, I think you've all heard it for the last,
[1:05:12] well, five months and not this last hour.
[1:05:17] But thank you for your time. Thank you for your efforts.
[1:05:21] Thank you for listening.
[1:05:22] And thank you for all those that have stood beside us,
[1:05:26] not just me, but also through Brent Baker
[1:05:29] for the last nine months in my race since January.
[1:05:34] Thank you,
[1:05:42] Grant, you have the floor.
[1:05:44] Thank you. I would like to start
[1:05:47] by thanking the Colorado River Valley Chamber, KMTS,
[1:05:50] the Ute Theater and Rifle Community TV
[1:05:51] for hosting this forum
[1:05:53] and providing the opportunity
[1:05:54] for the community to hear from us.
[1:05:56] I would second like to thank my supporters.
[1:05:59] They work really, really hard
[1:06:02] and I appreciate everything they do.
[1:06:05] So thank you, thank you, thank you so much.
[1:06:08] My wife, Gina, my kids Marshall and Kimber.
[1:06:11] Shout out Marshall, wherever you are, buddy.
[1:06:15] But thank you so much. It's been, whoa,
[1:06:19] it's been a crazy nine months.
[1:06:20] And lemme tell you, I've learned a lot about
[1:06:22] politics in the last nine months.
[1:06:26] But let's talk about the election, the election's,
[1:06:28] about leadership trust
[1:06:31] and the future of Garfield County Sheriff's Office.
[1:06:34] The sheriff, whom the people
[1:06:35] of Garfield County have elected a record six times.
[1:06:38] Trust me to carry forward the legacy he has built,
[1:06:42] the dedicated men and women
[1:06:43] of the Garfield County Sheriff's Office.
[1:06:44] Trust me, to lead this organization into the future.
[1:06:47] Most importantly, the people
[1:06:48] of Garfield County have trusted me for the past 24 years
[1:06:51] to protect this community.
[1:06:53] And today I'm asking for
[1:06:55] that trust once again from the Garfield County community.
[1:06:58] As your next sheriff, I'll continue to lead a professional,
[1:07:00] accountable, and exceptional sheriff's office
[1:07:02] that puts the safety and needs of our citizens.
[1:07:04] First, I'll be honored
[1:07:07] to earn your vote in the Republican primary here in June 9th
[1:07:11] through June 30th vote.
[1:07:12] Brent Baker for Sheriff, thank you
[1:07:22] Once again.
[1:07:23] Ballots will go in the mail on Tuesday, June 9th.
[1:07:27] You should be receiving them next week.
[1:07:28] And the primary is June 30th. Thank you for attending.
[1:07:32] Have a great evening.
[1:07:40] I even
[1:07:41] want, I don't
[1:07:47] Ever,
[1:08:03] Yeah,
[1:08:17] Yeah, that was good,
[1:08:40] Aaron.