Press Release
11-26-25
Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant William Plackner was awarded the “Hit of the Month” for September 2025 by Stop Stick. This is an award that is presented to a single officer in the country each month for successfully utilizing a Stop Stick product (tire deflation device) to end a vehicle pursuit. By receiving the award Sgt. Plackner is automatically entered into the running for the “Hit of the Year” that will be awarded in early 2026.
On September 25th, 2025, Sgt. Plackner used stop sticks to end a pursuit relating to an AMBER alert that had been broadcast in Colorado. The suspect in the case, Phillip Lee Torres age 46 from Thorton, CO, was spotted in Salida, CO (Chaffee County) in his vehicle and led the Salida Police Department and the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office in a pursuit that ended on Highway 285 in Chaffee County just South of the Highway 285 and Highway 291 intersection.
A child in the vehicle was safely rescued, and Torres was arrested on multiple serious criminal charges. A video of the stop stick deployment by Sgt. Plackner can be seen on the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page. The original press release concerning the pursuit in September can also be found on the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page (September 26th posting).
“We are extremely proud of Sgt. Plackner, the Salida Police Officers and our deputies for successfully terminating this dangerous pursuit while preserving all lives affected. Utilizing stop sticks to end a pursuit takes special precision and technique, and when it is needed the application must be flawless. That is what happened in this case. Sgt. Plackner was successful because of his vast experience in law enforcement and his commitment to training with the rest of our team to prepare for these moments.” -Sheriff Andy Rohrich
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