Oak Creek shaping police department's future
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Oak Creek — Again without any law enforcement officers, Oak Creek town officials are considering hiring part-time officers and advertising for a new police chief. In the meantime, they hope to rely on the Routt County Sheriff's Office to respond to local emergencies.
During an Oak Creek Town Board meeting Thursday, board members and residents overwhelmingly agreed the town needs its own police department, but they differed on what form the department should take.
Oak Creek resident and business owner Janine Pierce said she thinks it's imperative the town act quickly to replace former police Chief Linda Koile.
"We need a police force in this town," she said. "It's been a sweet, lovely ranch town for years. I wish it was going to stay that way, but it's not. We have business owners, private residents, young families that need to be protected, and we're going to want someone with the talent, knowledge and expertise to say what's OK and what isn't."
Town Board members Dave Fisher and Chuck Wisecup, who also are the town's police commissioners, presented an option to hire two part-time officers - former Routt County Sheriff's Office deputy Brian Rogers and former Oak Creek police officer Eileen Rossi.
"As police commissioners, we felt it was our obligation to put together a plan in the interim," Wisecup said.
Wisecup said if the part-time officers are hired, they would work a combination of on-duty and on-call hours and would be paid between $20 and $25 an hour.
As part of Thursday's police discussion, Routt County Undersheriff David Bustos made a brief presentation to the town explaining how the Sheriff's Office can help until the town rebuilds the police department.
"I'm here to give you a warm fuzzy feeling that you'll be taken care of," Bustos said. "We want you to be convinced that all your emergency calls will be answered. You'll be taken care of."
Bustos said the Sheriff's Office might not immediately respond to non-emergency calls such as code enforcement issues if there are not enough available deputies or if the deputies are in other parts of the county.
"However, there are several Sheriff's Office deputies that live in Oak Creek and Stagecoach that could be roused if they were needed," he said. "They do take their vehicles home. We're on 24/7. We never sleep."
Board member John Crawford questioned whether the town could afford a police department, given its financial status.
"Based on what the undersheriff said tonight, I don't even think we need these other people," he said. "I'd rather rely on the Sheriff's Office. The town can't afford a police department the way it's set."
But board members agreed Oak Creek can't rely on outside help forever.
"I'd like the community to know that Chuck and I have been very proactive with this," Fisher said. "We're not going to drop the ball. We've been exploring all possible options. We'll make sure there's peace and quiet."
Koile began working for the town in September 2002 and resigned from the police department to move to Southern Colorado.
After being thanked by the board and applauded by the audience for her work, Koile turned over her keys and walked home.
"Ciao, everybody," she said. "It's been real."
Comments
Scrapiron 5 years, 11 months ago
Right ON, Scott!
Slapper, Your myopic, one way thinkin astounds me. You take the term 'Redneck' to a new level!
Scott Wedel 5 years, 11 months ago
Linda will be missed. Longest serving Oak Creek police chief since Reggie Mayes. I think her service to the Town should be remembered as an inspirational story of starting at the bottom, taking classes, getting POST certified and serving as head of the police dept for over two years without a significant law enforcement controversy.
And yet there remained a handful of bitter nasty OC residents that never granted Linda the respect she had earned and instead relentlessly referred to her as "dogcatcher". If the good people of OC want a police dept then they need to be more supportive of their police officers day in and day out.
So if the police dept is going to consist of two reserve officers then who is head of the police dept? That was an issue when Guy left and Linda became Town Marshall because at that time she lacked the experience to be a Police Chief.
Slapper 5 years, 11 months ago
would your opinion be different if she had enforced the codes you contiue to violate? let's see- junk truck,fridge,barrels and assorted other items that only belong in a landfill not behind an apartment you operate or within the town. looks like hell!
bluntman 5 years, 11 months ago
QUOTE:
"However, there are several Sheriff's Office deputies that live in Oak Creek and Stagecoach that could be roused if they were needed," he said. "They do take their vehicles home. We're on 24/7. We never sleep."
futhermore, he went on to say: "but sometimes we might be in Utah"
; - )
p.s. redirect there slappy, redirect. you're always picking on poor ol' Scotty boy.
Slapper 5 years, 11 months ago
that's funny scrap for brains-you don't have a clue monkey
kingsride 5 years, 11 months ago
Oak Creek can't afford a real live police dept. No town of her size can and is the reason most small towns contract with the county. Reason it didnt happen in the past is the oc powers that be didnt want to give up the control. When you contract you all of a sudden cant dictate what gets enforced and against whom. And all of this talk about police departments and police chiefs? Isnt oc a statutory town with the authority only to have a town marshall and not an actual police department?
whyquestion 5 years, 11 months ago
kingsride- you appear to be informed on the this issue. to bad the oc so-called SLUMLORD isn'nt. by the way he's or his parents< by a corporate name >have bought another property on 1st street, so maybe the mess on NANCY CRAWFORD BLVD will be moved there???????? the chief/dogcatcher may have been a wonderfull person to the people she let slide with constant warning tickets or NO ACTION TAKEN but she sure lied alot to some people didn't she?when GUY left he left some of his papers on the dogcatcher with citizens didin't he? wasn't that the year so many young adults were committing suicide? to bad the Xmayor and board hindered him from doing his job?wasn't at least one person being consuled by the dog catcher?????
Slapper 5 years, 11 months ago
"But the SO was here pretty fast last night for the domestic in progress"
and that's appreciated and understood too that it will not always be the case. that is why the board must be on this. council meeting shows they are and have been after this although this article creates a different impression.
Slapper 5 years, 11 months ago
"Oak Creek town officials are considering hiring part-time officers and advertising for a new police chief."
does this newspaper give reporters a coprehension test as part of the hiring process? it was made ever so clear the board was doing this and not considering. there is a major difference between the two. this is very poor reporting.
Scrapiron 5 years, 11 months ago
Well, Slap happy, you aren't exactly a plethora of knowledge yourself! And, thanks for the compliment in reference to my species. Wanna compare notes?
Camo181 5 years, 11 months ago
"John Crawford questioned whether the Town could afford a police department given it's current financial status." John, weren't you on the Board during the former mayor's reign? Weren't you at least one of the Board members who kept increasing her grant writing salary? Weren't you, and the other then-Board members charged with some sort of fidiciary duty obligations to the citizens of Oak Creek? You seem to keep pointing to the issue that we need no police department (like the former mayor). Why don't you want the majority of citizens of Oak Creek to have at least a minute sense of security (unlike the vocal minority) by having a police department?
Has Bustos given you a "warm and fuzzy" feeling that the Sheriff's Office will protect the Town?
Scott Wedel 5 years, 11 months ago
Slapper, you should read the nuisance codes. Linda did not give me a nuisance violation ticket because the barrels, truck and other items do not violate any section of the nuisance code. The fridge is going to the dump, it is such a pain to get it red-tagged so that the dump will accept it.
Yes, I have purchased the old preschool building. And I've thrown away old tires and other trash that were there for years. As well as fixing faucets and toilets that leaked for years. I will be spending a bunch more on remodeling it once I get Town approval.
And later this week I will be purchasing the Oak Creek car wash. I have a lot of respect for Charlie Norris, but keeping everything working had become too much for him. So hopefully from now on, using the Oak Creek Car Wash will reliably be a positive experience.
And Slapper, other than your cadre of fellow hate mongers, whom in Oak Creek do you think is doing a good job? I think of all the people that own have invested in Oak Creek by either running businesses or purchasing and then improving property and you have ripped into everyone at one time or another.
Slapper 5 years, 11 months ago
got it scotty-i'll be sure and look at the flowers next time i go by
candylane 5 years, 11 months ago
I hope the board does better with deciding the police coverage than they did with the trash day. You wait two hours to unload and then they stop before 12, of course by who's watch! Would it matter? If citizens were trying to clean up, it meant that the effort was put forward. How much overtime was paid for the supervising of one vehicle being off loaded at a time? How many tickets will be given for the trash that was not off loaded? I will give John Crawford credit, he was out trying to take in trash, which was more pro-active than just standing around watching it get unloaded! Cargo did make sure that the people that took the time to load up got unloaded. Her days were more successful that she got credit for!
JQPUBLIC 5 years, 11 months ago
"have invested in Oak Creek"... exactly, let's buy up OC and wait for the values to go up. There is a big difference between investing in OC and LIVING in OC. The investors care about making money, no matter how, the residents care about their town. On another post someone said OC will never become another Avon, Edwards, etc.... how wrong they were, it's already started. The "investors" are buying up OC, something the residents can't afford to do.. so the cycle starts. I don't understand Wedel, why do you want WORKING police officers in Stmbt, where you LIVE, but not in OC where you INVEST?
Camo181 5 years, 11 months ago
I thought OC's trash day was better organized than ever before (noted the absence of "friends" from Stagecoach, P-burg, etc. dumping their trash this year)--we only waited for about 20 minutes to unload so, Candylane, how come you had to wait for 2 hours? There were 5-6 vehicles unloading at any given time. From what we've been told, you didn't show up until about 12:20--newsletter stated they were accepting trash from 9:00-12:00 Further, Candylane, people from Olde West Sanitation plus citizen volunteers were not getting paid. Perhaps getting there during the times advertised might have prevented your dilemma!
candylane 5 years, 11 months ago
The first time my son arrived at 10:00, and got home at 11:40 and got back to unload at 11:58 (cell phone time). He took the boy home that was helping him, came home and I was back up there at 12:08 (again by the cell phone). Some one needs to go back to school and learn how to tell time. Even digiital cell phones can't be to hard to read! I know other people that were in line at 7 and did not get home until 10 and were not able to get a second load loaded and delivered in time! That would be 3 hours of sitting time. I was not there at 12:20, just another instance of powers that be not getting their facts right!
katrinkakelly 5 years, 11 months ago
Talkin trash today? What about the cop thing at the top of the article? I got it, code enforcement. WHAaaaa on the garbage!
JQPUBLIC 5 years, 11 months ago
candy... You are right "someone needs to go back to school and learn how to tell time"... 12:08 is still after 12:00 (shut down time), how many exceptions should they make, until 1:00, 2:00 or just until you get done? Maybe you should clean up your place more than once a year! Yes, Cargo "got r done", at the taxpayers expense... she gave you warm fuzzies doing piddly s**t while she raped the town's coffers, why don't you give her another million to squander so you can dump all your trash?
katrinkakelly 5 years, 11 months ago
We are acting like we have never had the sheriff's for law enforcement before? Sounds better than hiring a married police officer that has an affair with a teenage girl in town or training the local dog catcher.
I miss the old days when DALE MCNUTT would come over the hill once a day and we could call his house anytime we needed him.
aristocat 5 years, 11 months ago
JQ...her son was up there before 12, the second time, or doesn't that count? If they were getting the work done, why shouldn't Oak Creek want it taken care of? Did it cost millions for the trash to be dumped the other day? Camo said it was volunteer. When have you done volunteer work and you got out at the time you signed up for? Starting to sound like whyquestion now, aren't I? Where did the days of helping out your neighbor gone? Holding the door open for someone with their arms full? Saying something nice to someone because you heard they had been sick? Keeping the store /resturant open because some one drove up at closing time? Oak Creek does need a change, but that will only come when Oak Creek changes! Right now this town is so full of back biters, kick you in the teeth when you are down, nay sayers. Why don't you let yesterday go and focus on tomorrow? You learn from the past, but you don't hang onto it. Does it make you or whoever may read you post fell better to say mean things? I think not! The whole purpose of trash day was to make Oak Creek a better town. There were a lot of people that did not make the effort, and the ones that did, lets just talk bad about them...ok?
whyquestion 5 years, 11 months ago
where does SCott Wedel get the money to invest in OC????what the name of his parents corp.?????
Slapper 5 years, 11 months ago
hey kinda lame-your bs is more than kinda it's really lame. seen you in action on more than one occasion-yikes! scary stuff. you had to meet one simple obligation to recieve a very nice amenity you failed that. know that for a fact so of course blame others and spout off untrue statements proving you know diddely. one simple piece of work you are. have a couple bananas and chill out.
candylane 5 years, 11 months ago
I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you are so unhappy with your job and your town that everyone is inferior to you. I'm sorry that you have such a cross to bare living in a town that everyone is either liars or monkeys. I'm sorry that if some does not agree with you or fall into your way of thinking you fall to name calling. I agree with aristocat about change. But probally the only change you want is what is left in your pocket. I will pray for you.
Slapper 5 years, 11 months ago
don't bother the invisible cloud being is a delusion http://whywontgodhealamputees.com/
candylane 5 years, 11 months ago
Again I will apolize to you because you must have had something happen in your life to feel that way. I do believe in God and I do pray for my actions that make me angry and the people I hurt. My son sent me an email that I truely believe in and it is "It is better to live believing there is a God and die to find out there is not one than to live believing there is not a God and die and find out there is one". I will add you to the church's prayer list because you are indeed in more pain than even I thought. Peace and God be with you.
Requires free registration
Posting comments requires a free account and verification.
Or login with:
OpenID