Grand County Coordinating Council reports early success with new pretrial services, seeks continued funding

Grand County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council members said March 20 that a newly launched pretrial services program using GPS ankle monitors and a case tracker has shown early success but relies on one‑time grant funding that must be renewed for the county not to assume the cost.

"It's appearing to have worked really well. Got some compliance from folks," said Steven Stocks, Grand County attorney, during the council's March 20 meeting. Council members said equipment training for the ankle monitors is scheduled for the coming week and that staff have placed people on monitored pretrial release.

The program is about one month old. A pretrial services tracker reported having "currently seven participants" and described the work as in‑person contact, phone checks when available and efforts to move cases through the court system faster. The tracker said the role is "basically just there to supervise them until their court is done" and that timely court processing and steady contact reduce failures to appear and repeated arrests.

The tracker gave a case example in which outreach led an unsheltered participant to enter detox and then residential treatment. "I got him to go to the hospital... they put him with Moab Recovery overnight... I talked him into going to detox," the tracker said, adding that without the intervention the person likely would not have engaged with treatment.

Members described the pretrial program as filling a gap between arrest and adjudication by providing supervision and a point of contact that can coordinate treatment, housing or other services. Council members discussed linking the pretrial tracker work with domestic violence services and drug court supervision so providers could share treatment updates and avoid duplicating efforts.

Council participants said the pretrial funding came from a one‑time grant that covered a tracker salary, some equipment purchases and a patrol vehicle. "That grant was a one time grant, provided salary for an additional person to be there," said a council speaker. Members said they will seek additional grant opportunities before the end of the year; one member noted that if funding lapses, the county would need to assume the cost.

Sanction procedures for parole‑style violations remain under development. Council members said they are working with Kurt Blair and others to finalize sanction paperwork and to determine whether judges want to sign off on sanctions before incarceration or after a sanction is imposed. The council referenced Justice Court judges as part of that decision process.

Councillors said equipment availability is limited. Members reported roughly 10 GPS units on hand and said capacity and staff resources will limit program growth until additional funding or equipment is secured.

The council also noted a related organizational update: Koi Cook is the new program director of the 4 Corners Community Behavioral Health Clinic in Moab, and clinic staff described expanded detox capacity. "We just opened and expanded that detox unit because there was such a big need, to seven beds," said Koi Cook, who discussed the clinic's social detox unit and how law enforcement can transport people for assessment and short stays before referral to residential treatment.

The council said Grand County was selected for an ICCR cohort, an external cohort program members said will involve coordination among jurisdictions; Detective Robert Steri was credited with spearheading that effort. Council members said the ICCR selection and the pretrial rollout are complementary initiatives.

The council set its next meeting for June 19 at the same time and said staff will continue to seek grants to sustain the tracker position and related operations.

There were no formal votes recorded at the March 20 meeting; members treated the session as an operational update and planning discussion.