Montezuma County Sheriff's Office

State of Colorado

Gerald A. Wallace - Sheriff

Summer is just around the corner and it will be good to see the strong spring winds start to subside.  

Along with summer comes an increase in outdoor activity both positive and negative. Already in the past several weeks we have seen an increase in traffic related accidents with fatal and serious consequences. I would urge all drivers to please show courteous behavior on the roadways and help reduce the number of traffic accidents. 

My deputies will be increasing their traffic related contacts this summer for speeding and careless driving. We have received a grant which will pay overtime dollars for deputies to work Hwy 160 and Hwy 491 south of Cortez and around the Ute Mountain Casino. We will also be increasing DUI patrols this summer which will focus on arresting those drivers who are driving under the influence of alcohol and /or drugs. 

Along with the driving concerns I would ask all drivers to especially take care when driving past the worker inmates who will be out on the county roads this summer. This program will increase from 3 days per week last year to 5 days a week this year. Deputy Stroud takes great pride in this program and maps out all of the county roads to make sure that he gets to as many of them as possible. Although our priority is on the county roads I have also asked that we clean up the highways leading into Cortez. 

We are looking at upgrading our website to include a “Montezuma County’s Most Wanted” page which will list those people who have outstanding criminal warrants. Our attorney is reviewing Colorado statute as to what can and cannot be published about a person but we hope to have this page up and running by early June. If you are one of the many people who does have an outstanding warrant now may be the time to turn yourself in and take care of that warrant. Please come to the jail located at 730 East Driscoll Street in Cortez if you have an outstanding warrant and the Detention Deputies will be happy to help you get it taken care of. 

I knew I was jinxing myself last year when we talked about the down turn in inmates that were being housed at the detention center. Currently we are at approximately 20% over capacity in the jail depending on the day. The jail has 104 regular beds and several cells that are used to hold and monitor high risk and suicidal inmates. The jail can still hold more inmates in the regular housing units but the special holding areas are close to full. The jail staff is working to address the overcrowding conditions but we are facing the same economic issues that other employers are facing with vacant staffing positions that we are unable to fill. It takes a special person to be a good Detention Deputy, someone who is compassionate but firm, and someone who can tolerate the constant verbal abuse from the prisoners and yet get the job done in a professional manner. If you are reading this article and would like to enquire further about being a Detentions Deputy please call Lt. Worcester at 565-8452 ext. 330. 

In closing, I wanted to publicly thank all of the staff at the Sheriff’s Office both sworn and non-sworn, along with the members of the Cortez Police Department and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation who have and continue to work diligently on the latest homicide that we are investigating. It is this collaborative effort both within agencies and between agencies that provides a quality service to the citizens of Montezuma County. 

If you have any questions regarding the Sheriff’s Office please do not hesitate to call me at 565-0583.

 

Thank you and have a safe summer

 

Sheriff Gerald Wallace