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Steamboat police welcome 2 new officers

Frances Hohl
Steamboat Today
Steamboat’s newest police officers, Rebecca Buttermore, left, and Lisa Wilson, were training Tuesday at the range.
Matt Stensland

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — City Council greeted Steamboat Springs’ newest police officers last week, both eager to get out in the community and talk to citizens. The new officers bring other experiences to the job … along with a sense of humor.

“I’m excited for my first moose call,” said Officer Rebecca Buttermore, who had obviously been browsing through Steamboat’s police blotter, which is known for its small-town idiosyncrasies.

Buttermore and Lisa Wilson may be fresh out of the police academy but not fresh to law enforcement.

Wilson served as a detention officer for Routt County, living in Steamboat Springs for the last four years.

“I will tell you some of the best police officers I have ever worked with have come out of detention centers,” said Police Chief Cory Christensen. “They learn a lot of people skills in that function, so I look forward to working with Wilson.”

Buttermore worked with the Colorado State Patrol in Fort Collins as a port of entry officer before coming to Steamboat.

“She (Buttermore) was pretty highly certified, which showed us her willingness to work hard and her ability to take on complex tasks,” Christensen said.

Buttermore and Wilson rose to the top in a field of 30 applicants who wanted to join the Steamboat police force, which now has 14 patrol officers.

It soon became obvious that the city’s hiring committee made the right choice, paying for Wilson and Buttermore to attend Colorado Law Enforcement Training in Glenwood Springs. Wilson was chosen to be one of two squad leaders at the academy.

“Halfway through, they always vote on new squad leaders,” Wilson said. “We were the first class to not switch leaders because everything gelled.”

“We all took care of each other,” said Buttermore, who praised Wilson for her leadership role at the academy.

But Christensen said even more than the professionalism exhibited by both women, it was their desire to be “community cops” that prompted their hiring.

“What makes Steamboat is the people,” said Officer Wilson, who was born and raised outside of Detroit.

She found her way to Steamboat after working in Cheyenne, Wyoming. It took her only a few days to figure out where she wanted to be.

“I asked people why they were here,” Wilson said. “Everyone said they stayed for the community, people and atmosphere.”

Buttermore, herself a Colorado native, has much the same story. It didn’t take much to convince her husband either. He was able to transfer his State Patrol job to Craig so she can police in Steamboat.

“This is hometown America,” Buttermore said.

She and Wilson have more intense training ahead with the Steamboat Police Department before taking on solo patrols. But in the meantime, they’ll be attending public gatherings and events like the Special Olympics Summer Games to support local athletes.

It’s their way of giving back to the town that had the faith to back their candidacies.

“We’re really grateful for the city to give us this opportunity. Not many police departments take care of their cadets the way they do,” Wilson said with Buttermore nodding in agreement.


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