Busy summer makes for busy law enforcement officers in the valley

No crime wave in the valley but calls for service are way up

By Alissa Johnson

Despite the general buzz about a busy summer and the overrun of the backcountry, the summer’s increased activity does not appear to have led to a corresponding increase in crime. The Gunnison Valley’s law enforcement departments have all been busy—and in some cases stretched thin with bigger tourism numbers—but crime levels appear to be right in line with expectations.

Crested Butte’s chief marshal, Tom Martin, said call volume was up this summer, but marshals weren’t dealing with anything out of the ordinary. And even the increase in call volume can be misleading.

“What constitutes a call could be a barking dog, a loud noise, or an assortment of things,” Martin said.

When it comes to crimes like break-ins, burglaries or shoplifting, Martin didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. It was simply a busy summer with a lot of people in town, and still within the marshals’ ability to respond to calls.

Martin’s observations align with those of the Mt. Crested Butte Police Department. According to spokesperson Marjorie Trautman, the number of case reports opened by the Mt. Crested Butte police department during 2015 is expected to be about the same as or only slightly higher than 2014, with 68 percent of cases classified as criminal. Criminal cases range from misdemeanors such as dogs at large and driving under the influence to felony assault.

“This is fairly consistent over the 2011 to 2015 year-to-date period,” Trautman explained. “The department has experienced small annual increases in calls for service. This increase is not surprising, given the recognizable growth of summer and winter visitors, with a seemingly extended autumn tourist season and the growth of our community as a whole.”

Looking at the types of cases that Mt. Crested Butte officers deal with most frequently, Trautman identified some trends. She said it appears that lost or stolen property is slightly down, whereas underage consumption and possession of alcohol and controlled substances appears to be trending slightly upward.

“The number of assaults, harassment and menacing charges remains constant, as does driving under the influence. Overall, criminal activity in this jurisdiction has not significantly changed over the five-year period,” Trautman said.

In the city of Gunnison, statistics also appear to be staying relatively constant. After analyzing data for the last five years, Gunnison Police Department records technician Sonja Parmeter said, “I’m not seeing increases at all.”

A quick look at the numbers of DUI arrests as well as cases of theft, vandalism and assault—all statistics the department provides to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation for tracking—shows, if anything, a decline in some areas and others staying roughly the same. For example, there were 153 cases of theft in 2014 compared to 226 in 2012 and 103 during the first seven months of the year.

The Gunnison County Sheriff’s Office isn’t seeing an increase in crime either. Undersheriff Randy Barnes said it’s the call volume that’s up, and it is stretching resources. From his perspective, having more people visit the valley translates to more potential for conflict.

“I hate to say it, but people are not as friendly as they used to be, and some bring their problems from bigger cities to our wonderful county,” Barnes said.

In particular, Barnes said, officers are getting called farther into the backcountry, whether it’s to participate in search and rescue or responding to hunters getting harassed while they’re scoping animals.

“Our search and rescue stats have gone through the roof this year,” Barnes said. He’s still in the process of analyzing the full data but pointed out that his department received four pages in three days to help the Western Mountain Rescue Team and responded to more than 22 calls in a single month to help somebody who was lost or hurt in the backcountry. That pulls officers away from the populated areas, and it’s a trend that Barnes doesn’t see going away.

“It’s something that we are projecting is going to stay,” Barnes said, pointing to promotions of Gunnison County as a travel destination and the paving of Cottonwood Pass as just two examples of measures that will continue to increase the number of people in the valley. He also pointed out that it’s getting harder to find volunteers to support search and rescue efforts as well as the many events and races in the valley. Officers end up filling that void.

Barnes said the department is keeping an eye on demands and doing its best to plan for more resources and hiring. Barnes said they’re also trying to make sure that county officials understand the demands.

“When you have an officer going to a domestic in the middle of the forest, that includes liabilities to the officers and the agency so we’re seeing the impacts,” Barnes said, “and we’re trying to relay that to the county commissioners.”

That strain doesn’t appear to have reached the north end of the valley at the moment. As Mt. Crested Butte chief of police Nate Stepanek pointed out, partnership with other agencies plays a big roll in meeting the needs of the community.

“We are comfortable with our current staff size and officer coverage… Our jurisdiction is large, encompassing not only the town of Mt. Crested Butte, but an additional 600 square miles of the county at the north end of the valley,” Stepanek said.

“When situations arise which may strain our resources—for example simultaneous emergencies at both ends of our jurisdiction—we work closely with other local law enforcement officers, including sheriff’s deputies and Crested Butte marshals, search and rescue teams and state patrol to ensure appropriate coverage and the safety of the community,” Stepanek continued.

So while crime overall seems to be fairly consistent with expectations, it seems safe to assume that if the Gunnison Valley is busy, local law enforcement officers are, too.