The town of Carbondale's Board of Trustees voted unanimously to withdraw from a special law enforcement task force in Garfield County on Tuesday night over concerns that its board had not adequately clarified the group’s role in immigration enforcement.
Special Problems Enforcement and Response, or SPEAR, is a small team of local investigators with training in drug enforcement, human trafficking, auto thefts, and robberies, among other major crimes. They also collaborate with state and federal agencies like the FBI, DEA and Homeland Security Investigations on certain cases.
Colorado state law forbids local law enforcement officers from arresting people solely on civil immigration violations. But community concerns over how the task force was working with federal immigration agents swelled after a June 2025 incident in Glenwood Springs. Deputies with the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office helped HSI by driving someone to DeBeque, and at least one SPEAR officer was involved in the transport.
Carbondale Town Manager Ryan Hyland said those concerns poured in through emails, letters to the editor, and public comments at town meetings. Residents also reached out to town trustees directly, many of whom worried about the lack of clarity over SPEAR’s governance rules and how it shares information.
Hyland told trustees on Tuesday that participating in SPEAR has value, helping local police solve more complex crimes. But he added, “there's also value in making sure that our community is always comfortable, whether it's walking in the door here to get services, calling 911, or calling dispatch.”
In a Carbondale town meeting on April 28, Police Chief Kirk Wilson acknowledged those concerns and requested town trustees grant him time to work with SPEAR’s board to update its memorandum of understanding and clarify its role in immigration enforcement.
“Colorado law makes clear that immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility, not a local one, and our practices are required to reflect that," he said. "I do not believe local law enforcement should be involved in immigration enforcement. Period."
Wilson also emphasized that the police department relies on community trust to do its job effectively, and officers can’t protect people who are afraid to interact with them, so he promised to attend SPEAR board meetings and advocate for these additions to the task force’s MOU.
But when the agreement was updated and finalized this summer, Wilson did not believe it met the town's requirements. He said SPEAR and Carbondale disagreed on the level of detail appropriate for an MOU, but he emphasized that he has not seen any evidence that SPEAR is breaking state laws. In a memo to town staff earlier this week, he said the MOU requires SPEAR to adhere to state and federal laws, but doesn’t specifically address civil immigration enforcement.
“That difference does not mean SPEAR is operating unlawfully,” Wilson said. “I have not seen evidence that SPEAR is engaged in civil immigration enforcement or unlawfully sharing information for that purpose.”
The town of Carbondale’s Board of Trustees followed Wilson’s direction and voted unanimously to withdraw from SPEAR on Tuesday. The city of Glenwood Springs also withdrew its partnership from SPEAR in April over similar concerns.
Carbondale Trustee Chris Hassig was grateful for Wilson’s attempts to add more details to the MOU in recent months.
“I think it was a good exercise to try to see if we could affect change within the structure of it, and also protect the relationships that you built,” Hassig said.
According to an email from Wilson on Wednesday, leaving SPEAR comes with several consequences. In addition to losing access to SPEAR’s assistance, he said they also lose capacity for complex investigations and their seat at the table to help shape the task force.
“Those were real benefits for our department and a big part of why I wanted the opportunity to stay involved and see if we could work through our concerns,” Wilson said.
Despite those losses, Wilson said Carbondale maintains its relationships with neighboring law enforcement agencies, and leaving SPEAR doesn’t change the town's ability to lend or receive support.
On Tuesday, Carbondale’s town trustees said, despite current differences, they want to leave the door open for future collaborations with SPEAR.
A spokesperson for the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office, a leading partner of SPEAR, did not directly address Carbondale’s concerns about the MOU, but said the town is not required to participate in the task force.
Garfield County Sheriff Lou Vallario helps oversee the task force and has previously denied allegations that SPEAR has broken state immigration laws.
