Routt County Sheriff Garrett Wiggins has announced he will run for a fourth term for Routt County Sheriff.
Wiggins has been the Routt County Sheriff for 11 years of his 33 years in law enforcement. He says he has had a lot of conversations about running for re-election.
Two others have announced they are running for Routt County Sheriff. One is current Undersheriff Doug Sherar, and also Jeff Steck, who are both running as democrats. Sheriff Wiggins is running as a Republican.
Here is the press release, released Saturday, Feb. 19.
Re-elect Garrett Wiggins for Routt County Sheriff
After several months of deliberation and many encouraging conversations with family, friends, and constituents, I have decided to run for a fourth term as Routt County Sheriff. The past 11 years serving as your sheriff have truly been the highlight of my thirty-three-year career in law enforcement. To further my commitment to you as your sheriff, I took on other responsibilities serving the County Sheriffs of Colorado (CSOC) where I represented Routt County on a statewide level. My peer Colorado sheriffs elected me 9 times to represent CSOC on the board of directors and in 2020, I was elected President of CSOC.
My decision to run is based on my deeply rooted desire to continue serving our community as your sheriff. My 30 plus years of law enforcement and management experience along with a proven record of successful leadership, makes me a viable candidate. Over the past 11 years, under my leadership as sheriff, the RCSO has developed and implemented many successful programs to enhance public safety. Unless someone is involved in the criminal justice system, these programs usually are not common knowledge to the general public. In keeping our citizens informed and engaged as to what their elected officials are doing, operational changes and programs that affect quality of life are worthy of highlight.
Below, is an abbreviated list of just a few programs developed under my leadership that contributed to keeping Routt County a wonderful place to live, work and play.
1. Diversity- Current staffing indicates that diversity within the RCSO is near an all-time high. Our female staffing is at 30% and has been as high as 41% with 50% of our supervisors being female. Our employees also consists of many diverse heritages, backgrounds and origins and is much higher than the national average or some suggested initiatives.
2. Implementation of the Police Assisted Addiction Recovery Initiative (PAARI) program- Beginning in 2016/2017 the RCSO was one of the first agencies in Colorado to initiate the National PAARI program. PAARI was developed to assist people suffering from substance abuse, particularly opioids. This program provides addicted individuals wanting help the opportunity to use the sheriff’s office to get professional assistance without fear of arrested or being criminally charged.
3. Law enforcement training- Due to the necessity of our training demands, starting in 2017, the RCSO began construction of a state-of-the-art training facility at the Routt County Justice Center. Prior to this new facility, there was no such venue to provide safe and adequate training. Our training covers all areas including crisis intervention (CIT), anti-bias, mental awareness, use of force/arrest control, firearms and many other topics. We
now provide training opportunities for all our local agencies as well as host district wide P.O.S.T classes for NW Colorado.
4. K-9 program- In late 2014, a professional K-9 program was developed by a passionate RCSO deputy. The first K-9 team was so successful that we added a second team a year later. Our K-9 program developed into one of the most respected teams in the state.
5. Jail based mental health and educational programs – Jail is where individuals involved in criminal activity often end up spending a lot of time. Oftentimes, many of those incarcerated suffer from mental illness or substance abuse. To help reduce recidivism and give individuals a new start to becoming law abiding citizens, we initiated numerous programs within the jail such as mental counseling, medical assisted treatment (MAT), GED, AA, DA, Bible study, and more.
6. Mental health and peer support for law enforcement personnel- Law enforcement is ranked one of the most dangerous and stressful careers known to man. Although peace officers want to serve and make their community safe and happy places, they constantly deal in negative, harmful and depressing situations, which over time, takes a toll on the human body and mind. Thus, suicide, divorce, alcohol abuse and other unhealthy behaviors can result. In the past several years, the RCSO has teamed up with local mental health professionals to develop programs to assist our staff in coping with the mental and physical stresses of the job. This program is a huge success.
7. Skill Level Performance Plan (SLPP)- The SLPP is a motivating and rewarding pay program developed by the current administration. It was initiated in 2020 and designed to provide staff a clear path to boost their knowledge, skills and abilities while simultaneously increasing their pay.
8. Combined Law Enforcement Facility (CLEF)- As sheriff, I was involved from the onset of the initial idea to the development, planning and building of the CLEF. The CLEF houses the Routt County Sheriff’s Office, Steamboat Springs Police Department and the Routt County Communications Department in one building. The team concept while working with the community and many county and city officials throughout this endeavor has resulted in a huge success as well as cost saving to our taxpayers.
These programs are just a sampling of the progress and accomplishments achieved under my leadership and guidance as sheriff. The success of these initiatives is the result of professional and visionary leadership, but equally as important, the product of the dedicated, hardworking and professional staff of the Routt County Sheriff’s Office.
Presently, I am very concerned with state and national legislative efforts to minimize criminal behavior while turning violent criminals back out onto the streets to reoffend. This movement has resulted in an unprecedented rise in violent crime across our nation. These decriminalization efforts give priority to criminals while minimizing victims’ rights. This is unacceptable! My promise to you as sheriff is that I will oppose any such effort while doing everything possible to bolster the safety of Routt County.
If re-elected, I will continue to team with our partners and community in our efforts to keep Routt County the safe place we all call home. I greatly appreciate the encouragement I received while serving as your sheriff and I humbly ask for your continued support.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND YOUR VOTE
sheriffgarrett2023@gmail.com