Clear Creek sheriff details March critical incident, staffing strains and wins LECS grant for license-plate readers and remote ticketing

Sheriff Harris told the Clear Creek County Board of County Commissioners on April 1 that a March 7 critical incident has had a continuing emotional and staffing impact on the sheriff's office, and that the office is pursuing recruitment, evidence audits and technology upgrades to help an undersized patrol force.

The sheriff said five people were placed on administrative leave after the incident and that staff and families have used state-provided emotional-support resources. "CBI is gonna provide an update for us this week, on the status of the investigation," Harris said. He thanked the board and community for support during the period.

Commissioners were briefed on several operational pressures: multiple patrol departures, a soon-to-be-vacant evidence technician role, three vehicles taken out of service for heavy maintenance, and a shortfall in detention staff. Harris said the office returned roughly $500,000 in unexpended FY2024 funds to the county and that his policy implementation work through Lexipol is about 90% complete.

The sheriff asked the board to schedule formal presentations from FPPA and Empower so the board can decide whether to move sworn staff retirement coverage to FPPA; Harris said: "I owe my staff an answer" on retirement options and requested the matter be placed on an agenda.

To address operational limits, the board considered and approved a Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) LECS grant application proposed by the sheriff's office. Grants coordinator Beth and Sergeant Thornton described the package: DigiTicket (disconnected-capable electronic ticketing) for deputies and community enforcement officers, and Flock (license-plate reader) cameras at county entry points.

Beth told the board traffic-stop analysis showed 94% of stops occur on I-70, Highway 40 and Highway 6, and argued the technology would help a small eight-person patrol better focus limited resources. Sergeant Thornton said DigiTicket works in a disconnected mode and would allow officers to write tickets where current electronic-ticketing fails: "With this DigiTicket platform...it is in a disconnected state. So it'd be just like when we log in to CAD...we can automatically start writing tickets." He also described handheld printers for community officers to address parking and byway issues.

Deputy Nick and a communications member added that DigiTicket includes online payment and customer-support features, which staff say would reduce phone calls to court clerks and streamline payments. The sheriff and staff also described recent results from nearby Flock networks: over a recent five-day span Winter Park cameras produced multiple alerts for stolen plates, stolen vehicles and warrants that entered Clear Creek County.

Commissioners asked about costs and privacy concerns. Staff said the first-year equipment and installation costs are higher and then annual licensing (~$30,000) is expected; they contrasted that with the current eForce citation module which costs about $5,000 annually. The county finance lead said an estimated 1,000 citations a year at an average ticket value would generate revenue to offset annual costs, and vendors and peer agencies said the platforms typically cover licensing and support costs.

Commissioner Jody moved to approve the LECS grant application; a second was made and the motion carried. The board recorded the action as approved.