To Whom it May Concern,
As the population in Chaffee County continues to grow, so do some of the trends we see regarding law enforcement calls for service. Who is moving here, staffing levels, large local events, tourism, etc. all play a part in those trends. The accuracy of some of the statistical trends changes as we start throwing in the above described. For example, hypothetically, if we are down three deputies from our allotted amount the statistical numbers may be different than the year before when we were fully staffed simply because we have less staff now being proactive on the street and sharing the demanded workload.
For us law enforcement officers that have worked in this valley for a long time, we clearly remember the trend that the “winter season” was dramatically slower than the summer season which sees an increase in call volume because of tourism. That now has the feeling of being something of the past. Our trends have evened out throughout the year, and we stay busy even in those winter months.
Over the last three years the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office has seen a significant increase in calls for service but a lot of that increase we attribute to deputy-initiated activity. The Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office is responsible for the enforcement of law in all unincorporated Chaffee County and Poncha Springs. Simply put, our deputies are finding things to do to be proactive when they are not handling calls for service.
In 2023 the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office handled 13,625 calls for service (average of 1,135 per month). In 2024 that number rose to 15,264 calls for service (average of 1,272 per month) and so far, this year (through September 2025) we are at 15,421 calls for service (average of 1,713 per month). That number appears to be an alarming increase considering we have been understaffed for a lot of 2025 due in part to resignations, etc.
In January 2023 we had 23 allotted positions for the patrol division which includes investigators and administration (sheriff, Undersheriff, etc.). In January 2025 we had 25 allotted positions. With the increased call load described in the paragraph above we do feel understaffed by the times, however with federal funding cuts to the state of Colorado affecting our local county funds, it is extremely difficult for the county to increase our staffing levels. Our commissioners have been extremely supportive providing our agency with the tools we need to do our job considering the lack of funds available to them. It is clear that our county administration prioritizes public safety in many facets but there is a need for other revenue streams to the county with the decrease in federal funding to keep it priority.
Some of the call volume increases among all law enforcement (including Salida Police and Buena Vista Police) between 2023 and 2025 are as follows: animal complaints (3 calls per month increase), child abuse (up from 1.9 to 3.5 calls per month), fights (up almost 3 calls per month) and noise complaints (up almost 8 calls per month). Some call types that have seen a decrease since 2023 are auto theft (down from 5.1 calls per month to 2.5 calls per month), burglary (down from 6 calls a month to 2 calls a month), theft (down nearly 20 calls per month) and trespass (down a little over 8 calls per month). Most other call types have remained fairly flat.
One of the call types that is up from 2023 to 2025 is non-criminal mental health calls for service (nearly a 50% increase). This is one of the main reasons we developed a co-response program within the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office that pairs a mental health clinician with a deputy to go on these calls together for all of Chaffee County including the municipalities. Our hope is to curb criminal charges for those suffering a mental crisis and stop recidivism in our jail.
One of the things I have stressed with my patrol staff is proactivity. I have asked my staff to aggressively combat drug distribution and driving under the influence, to name a few. Because of this we have seen a dramatic increase in deputy initiated calls for service that does account for some of the rise in calls for service. In 2024 the Sheriff’s Office averaged about 4 DUIs a month. In 2025 we are averaging over 9 DUIs a month. This is a number I am proud of (getting impaired drivers off the road for the safety of our citizens) but it is a disturbing increase.
When I speak of deputy-initiated calls, I am referring to activities such as traffic stops, drug interdiction, etc. These are calls handled by deputies being proactive that were not necessarily called into our dispatch center by our community. In 2023 the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office averaged about 281 proactive calls a month. In 2024 the average proactive calls per month jumped to 403 and in 2025 the proactive average calls per month is up to 710. That is a dramatic increase and clearly shows how hard the deputies are working for the citizens of Chaffee County.
In my opinion the proactivity regarding drug distribution and use has also contributed to the decrease in property crimes described above since 2023. Statistics have shown over the years that with drug addiction comes an increase in property crime. Eradicating the source of the poison limits the availability thus giving addicts a chance to get clean. We will continue to aggressively combat drug distribution and being a proactive organization for the safety of our community. I am very proud of my team. -Chaffee County Sheriff Andy Rohrich
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