Quick questions for new Crested Butte chief marshal Mike Reily

Reily wants to keep the “community” in community policing

By Mark Reaman

With the retirement of Tom Martin as Crested Butte chief marshal, we felt it appropriate to ask a few questions of his successor, new CB chief marshal Mike Reily. 

Congratulations for being promoted to Crested Butte chief marshal. We wanted to ask a few questions to get a feel for how the department might change as you take over the position from Tom Martin, who served as chief for 22 years.

Thanks, Mark.

How many years have you been in the valley and why have you made Crested Butte your home?

I always imagined myself living in Colorado but perhaps someplace like Denver so I could continue my “big-city” police career while heading to the mountains on the weekends. Then, I met Heather who was getting her Ph.D. at Tulane, and that put the move on hold. When she was hired at WSC as a history professor we moved to Gunnison in July of 1996. I left my job with NOPD [New Orleans Police Department] after six years on the street and figured any town that had a college would have a police department—and an opening. As we were packing up to move there was an opening with the Mountain PD, but by the time we crossed Monarch Pass the job was filled by Brad Phelps.

How long have you been with the Crested Butte Marshal’s Department?

While I was waiting for a cop job to open up I obtained an EMT Basic/IV certification and my Colorado POST certification (to work as a police officer) while ice and rock climbing and mountain biking all over. I spent a good bit of my accrued retirement money in that time and started to get a bit panicky when there wasn’t a single opening for a police officer over 11 months. Then, in June of 1997, I learned of an opening at the Marshal’s Office when Tony Maldarella left. I applied for the job and got it, thanks to Kent Laskin, Jack, Ted, Jerry and Tom. Tom told me we would have to live near town, versus living in Gunnison, so we bought some property in Crested Butte South and with the help of 30 friends and family (especially my in-laws), we built a house.

How have the types of cases and issues dealt with by the Marshal’s Department changed in that time?

I have done a good bit of historical research on our Marshal’s Office. The town has always had problems with alcohol and petty crime. There is/was the every-so-often big crime (even murders), but the majority of our crime is/has been alcohol and drug related bad decisions. Unfortunately we have gotten very good at handling such cases as unlawful possession of various substances, DUI/DUID, domestic violence and assaults. The theft, criminal mischief and trespassing cases we work generally have some connection to drinking and drugs, which are mostly crimes of opportunity or bad decision making. We also handle our fair share of mental health and emergency alcohol commitments. The real changes we have seen are related to how many of these cases we handle and not the type. More people generally means more cases.

How has the department itself changed in that time?

In that time, the faces have completely changed but, happily, the department has not changed in its attitude toward how we work with the community. Officers like Joe Dukeman, the new assistant chief, and Pete Daniels have been working for the MO since 2006 and 2004, respectively. Sean Besecker started in 2011, with James Beda (‘13), Dan Batteiger (‘14) and John Chandler (‘16) coming on board more recently. In recent times, the new hires have been to replace long-serving officers when they retired. This is expected and positive turnover. We have been very careful to try to replace those well-accepted officers with locals or someone we know will be a good fit with our town. The high cost of living makes this tough but we have been very lucky.

What is the most important thing relevant to Crested Butte you have learned from your time as a marshal?

I learned I was a crappy cop in New Orleans. I don’t mean that with respect to the police work or investigation aspect of policing. I made thousands of arrests and handled some pretty horrific cases. Everyone in my academy class had either been shot at or shot at someone by the time I left. In all likelihood, the people we were dealing with on a daily basis were not the same people you would ever see out of uniform. The term “community policing” was bantered around often, but I don’t think I had a clue what the term meant.

In getting trained as a mountain bike officer and police bike instructor I had trainers who pointed me in the right community policing direction, but I never truly got the full concept until I started working for the Marshal’s Office. In Crested Butte the only kind of policing we can really do, and be effective, is community policing. I learned you have to be accountable for every contact because you are probably dealing with a friend, neighbor or someone you will see again tomorrow. When they need your services they might be having a bad day and it won’t get better for them if you don’t treat them like you would hope to be treated in the same situation. This probably seemed like a simple concept for a cop in Crested Butte, but it wasn’t until I started working under Tom and the other officers that I really figured it out.

As might be expected, there has been some concern that the “small town feel” of the Crested Butte Marshal’s office might erode as the town and department grow. What is your philosophy of community policing and the relationships between the Crested Butte marshals and the citizens?

I have no control over how town grows or if it maintains the small town feel. For the last 19 years I have learned how to community police under Tom and Ted and Jack and through some regular quality training and interactions with other mountain town officers. First, we hire officers for how well they might fit our Crested Butte policing style. Then, we make sure they get the basic knowledge, skills and abilities to be solid peace officers and investigators. When they get on the street we continually make sure they understand how important our community partnership is through peer interactions and regular training. Our mission statement hangs over the exit to our office as a reminder of our philosophy and commitment to the community. Check it out on the Marshal’s Office website: http://www.crestedbutte-co.gov.

Our officers aren’t just cops, they are community members too. They coach, referee and play on local sports teams. They work with youth to help guide the next generation. They and their families volunteer for a number of local organizations. They are upstanding members of Crested Butte and the Gunnison Valley.

Do you plan to implement any changes as chief marshal?

Short answer, not really. I moved my stuff into Tom’s office and Joe moved his stuff into my old office but those are the only changes we plan to make.

In my years here we have made many changes to the Marshal’s Office. None of the changes have been huge game changers but, in our profession, change is inevitable.

Laws change, court rulings alter the way we police, national trends dictate what we need to prepare for and this is all to be expected. For the past 19 years I have worked with Tom and the other officers to ensure our service to the town fits with the community’s expectations. The changes to our operating procedures, officer safety, vehicles, etc., have been incremental adaptations to the environment and not true “change.” I may be a little biased but I think our agency is really special. The officers work well together, enjoy their jobs and the environment we work in. If it ain’t broke, we don’t plan on fixing it. If you have suggestions on how we can do things better my door is open.

Here is a question I hear a lot: When you see the presence of the Crested Butte marshals, the Mt. Crested Butte police and the Colorado Highway Patrol, are there too many law enforcement officers in the north end of the valley?

We try to create the impression that there are more of us than there really are. We want to be visible to deter crime and we get out and mingle with the community to get the pulse of a particular event. When we have a big event (and there are more and more of those) we try to ensure adequate staffing and invite other agencies to assist with presence patrol. This may give the impression there are more of us, but when we have a big event, there are rarely enough cops ready to deal with several major incidents. On the typical day or night there might only be one or two marshals on and maybe one or two mountain officers to cover the whole north end of the valley from mile 19 to the top of every pass in the valley.

I’ve heard it said that communities don’t pay their police for the day-to-day work they do. They pay them for the times when nobody else can solve the problem that needs to be solved. At 2 a.m. when you pull over an unruly or unpredictable drunk driver and the only other officer in the north end of the valley is at the jail with a prisoner of their own, waiting 20 to 30 minutes for help to arrive is a long time to convince someone to get into a pair of handcuffs by yourself. If there is a Mt. Crested Butte officer, Sheriff’s deputy or trooper nearby, their presence is greatly appreciated from our perspective. Help can be very dispersed in the valley and there are generally not enough officers to quickly cover a hot call. When seconds count, having a friend minutes away is tough. During the slow times (which there seem to be less of now) we can trip over each other’s feet a little but that is a good tradeoff for the times when we need the assistance.

Do you think the department needs a community service position like it had in the past to deal with things like dog issues or parking restrictions on Elk Avenue?

As town gets busier and busier we have been discussing whether a community services officer or an eighth officer might fit the bill better. We are still discussing the options, but it is very hard to find someone willing and able to take on the CSO position. The temperament needed for the position, in a way, makes it harder to hire than a certified peace officer position.

What’s your favorite cop movie?

When I was a kid my favorite television cop shows were Dragnet, Adam-12 and COPS. But, by far, my favorite cop movie is Raising Arizona.

Anything you’d like to add?

My thanks to those who took a chance with me and prepared me for the position of chief marshal. I hope I can do you proud. The staff of the Marshal’s Office is the best around! Take care of each other and don’t hesitate to call us if you need us.