“Game Changer” Partnership Announced Between Teller and El Paso County Sheriff Agencies

Trevor Phipps

The days of dangerous felons or criminals attempting to escape capture by crossing county lines could be screeching to a halt.

Under a new partnership, law officers in Teller and El Paso counties will no longer get hampered by bureaucratic delays in pursuing suspects due to jurisdictional restrictions. The pact is being regarded as a historic agreement and one-of-a kind for law enforcement in Colorado.

The timing is ideal for the partnership pact, recently announced at a local press conference.

As crime increases across southern Colorado, law enforcement agencies have been scrambling to come up with new ways to better battle criminals. Local law enforcement agencies have worked closely with their neighboring departments, along with state and federal officials, during certain highly publicized incidents for several years. But a surge has occurred in more serious cases, some of which have put local residents at risk.

According to law enforcement officials, what has been lacking was an official agreement between law enforcement agencies surrounding how to handle criminals that cross county lines. Those days are now ending.

Law enforcement leaders from El Paso and Teller counties have announced a special partnership between their respective agencies that experts have declared as unprecedented.

El Paso County Sheriff Joe Roybal and Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell recently held a joint press conference to highlight details of this agreement. The two sheriffs, along with scores of deputies from each agency, met at the El Paso-Teller County border off Hwy. 24 to announce a new collaboration between the law agencies.

The ceremony started with the two sheriffs making comments, and then swore in a number of deputies, as part of a symbolic move.

Restrictions Released Against Pursuing Suspects Who Cross County Lines

Now, all Teller Counties deputies have the authority to investigate crimes and make arrests when criminals cross county lines and vice versa. In the past, they sometimes encountered restrictions due to jurisdictional boundaries, and had to transfer cases from one agency to another. Meanwhile, a dangerous and armed felon, remained on the run or on the prowl, a scenario that could pose serious risks for residents who lived near the borders of Teller and El Paso counties.

According to Sheriff Roybal, the agreement has been in the works for around a year to serve as a “force multiplier” to help law enforcement agents keep both of the counties safe. The move removes hurdles created when law enforcement agencies have to figure out which county crimes were committed in.

“We have been having discussions about how to better serve our community,” Roybal said. “Something we have been running into is when someone commits a crime in El Paso County the crime spree spreads into Teller County or vice versa. So, what we are going to do today is swear in our sheriff deputies. They will have joint commissions. This will help solve those crimes and break down those barriers whether it is on Rampart Range or Old Stage Road.”

Since both counties are within the state’s Fourth Judicial District under the reign of District Attorney Michael Allen, it made sense for deputies from both counties to be allowed to conduct investigations and make arrests in both jurisdictions.

Roybal said that the motivation for the partnership didn’t come about due to either agency being short-staffed. In fact, both sheriff’s departments are currently fully staffed.

“When you have crimes particularly on Old Stage and Rampart, trying to figure out which jurisdiction whether it is in El Paso or Teller County, slows down the investigation,” Roybal explained. “Rather than waiting to determine what jurisdiction the crime was committed in, we are able to focus on the investigation and focus on the criminal and then determine which jurisdiction later. It will expedite those investigations rather than having to slow down and determine jurisdictions and boundaries.”

The sheriffs both agreed that the new partnership will benefit taxpayers. The two departments can now collaborate during various investigations when needed.

Both sheriffs agreed that the partnership, involving all of the deputies getting sworn in by more than one county, was unique. Neither of them knew of any other counties making a similar agreement.

“I am giving a lot of faith to Sheriff Roybal’s troops, and he is giving a lot of faith to my troops,” Sheriff Mikesell said at the press conference. “One of the reasons is because we train together quite often. This year, I’ve graduated 28 new recruits into POST certification and that is largely because of the relationship and the academy Sheriff Roybal is running and the inclusion of all the different agencies. A big part of us being fully staffed now is having that relationship to do so.”

The big message from the two sheriffs was that the agreement is a “big game changer” for criminals who try to flee law enforcement by crossing county lines. “Just look behind us,” Sheriff Mikesell said. “It’s going to be hard to run from that many deputies all the time. So, we have always had good information going back and forth. This just enhances that and it says our relationship is strong enough and this is what we are doing.”