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Law enforcement: we don’t have enough Sheriff's deputies in El Jebel area

Development proposals in the mid Roaring Fork Valley have prompted law enforcement officials to discuss whether more officers are needed. The Basalt Police Department and Eagle County Sheriff’s office have been talking for a while now about staffing in the El Jebel area. The two agencies often trade off handling cases, based on which has more officers on duty.

  “We’re starting to spend a lot of time assisting Eagle County,” explains Basalt Police Chief Greg Knott, going on to say that 7% of his department’s calls are on county land. “It’s sustainable right now, but with the projects on the horizon, I don’t believe it will be sustainable.” Knott and Eagle County Sheriff James van Beek say the two agencies are friendly.

With current land use applications, like the Tree Farm project, proposing hundreds of new residents, the two law enforcement leaders and other officials recently met to assess whether more county law enforcement is needed. They came to the conclusion that the four rotating Sheriff's deputies is not enough. Now, increasing that number is largely up to the Sheriff’s office, and van BeeK says he's actively looking for more funding.

 

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