MEET OUR SHERIFF

I’ve been a resident of the Roaring Fork Valley for over 40 years. In the spring of 1985 I began a career in public safety when I joined the Aspen Police Department as a police officer. I loved municipal policing and interacting with the citizens and visitors in Aspen. However, in 1988 I made the decision to join the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office. I found the work more diverse and enjoyed patrolling rural Pitkin County along with the challenges it offered. The duties of a deputy were quite different than municipal policing. I learned to manage complex mountain rescues, wildfires, airport security, civil process, criminal and traffic investigations, and large scale incident management. After a few years I was promoted to investigator, where I investigated assaults, homicides, missing persons, property crimes, and fraud. My time in investigations were some of the most satisfying of my thirty seven year career. 

In 2006 Sheriff Braudis chose me to be his undersheriff. As undersheriff I was second in command and fulfilled all the duties of sheriff in his stead. I also managed the total six million dollar departmental budget. Other duties included overseeing the jail, patrol division, and the sheriff’s office management team, along with reporting to the Board of County Commissioners and state and local elected officials. As undersheriff I learned to budget and manage grants at the state and federal level, and learned to interact with these agencies during local large scale incidents like wildfires, floods, and dignitary visits. 

In 2010 Sheriff Braudis announced his retirement and I made the decision to run for the vacant seat. I campaigned against five other challengers and won the election by over 85% and was sworn in as sheriff on January 11, 2011. In 2014 I ran unopposed and began my second term. In 2018 I ran for my third team as sheriff and won with 79% of the vote. In 2022 it is my honor to seek my fourth term as your sheriff.

I enjoy serving the people and visitors of Pitkin County. Although we have accomplished many things, there is still more we can do. I strongly believe there is no better group of public servants than the men and woman who represent the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office and serve this community everyday. During the course of my thirty-seven year career, my predecessors instilled in me the importance of treating all people with dignity and respect, and to never compromise any individual's constitutional rights. I continue to pass these values along to the the deputies who serve me. This community has a long history of tolerant and compassionate policing, it is what makes the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office as unique as the community we serve.

• Incident Management Team 
• Initial Covid response and management  
• Management of the countywide vaccination sites 
• Management of 2021 natural gas outage 
• First in the state to have Text to 911 
• IPAWS alert system 
• Implementation of body worn and in-car cameras 
• School Resource Officer program in schools 
• Served on the construction team to build the new Sheriff and County Administration building 
• Patriotic Employer Award   
• Host of the Sheriff's Cup Golf Tournament for 6 years raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for local charities 
• Implementation of new courthouse security team 
• Statewide recognition of our Emergency Management and emergency response
• 2019 “Ardy”’ Award from New York City Police Department for volunteer work with veterans    
• Peak Safety Program 
• Valley Marijuana Council 
• CSOC board member 2015- 2019 
• Worked with Mountain Rescue on the approval of state-of-the-art facility 
• Presented the Independence Pass law to the Colorado State Legislature (no trucks over 35 feet) 
• Financially responsible for $12M departmental budget, regularly coming under budget
• CIT training for all deputies 
• Highway pacing 
• Appointed to the Governors committee on body worn cameras 
• First jail to implement PREA Prison Rape Elimination Act