The Sheriff's Office will provide nighttime policing service from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., seven days a week

Nederland, Colo. - At
their March 20 meeting, the Nederland Board of Trustees approved the town
staff’s request for a Nighttime Police Contract with the Boulder County
Sheriff’s Office at a cost of $121,498 annually. This is a yearlong contract
with an automatic renewal, and a cancellation clause of 6 months’ notice. As a
result, the Sheriff’s Office will assume responsibility for all primary law
enforcement operations and call response in the Town of Nederland between the
hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., seven days a week. Monies provided under the
contract will be used to hire an additional deputy and acquire an additional
patrol vehicle, which will result in an increase of law enforcement coverage
not only in Nederland, but to the surrounding mountain communities in the
unincorporated county. The contract must still be signed by the Board of County
Commissioners, but is anticipated to begin April 1.

The
Nederland Police Department (NPD) has had a difficult time attracting and retaining enough police officers to provide 24-hour coverage and currently has
two vacant police officer positions. The Sheriff’s Office is able to provide
night time policing for less cost than two new officers, in addition to having
more resources available for investigative follow-up, when needed. The flat
contract pricing includes all ordinary costs for policing services, meaning the
town has a set budgeted amount for police service and would not incur
additional town staff expenses such as medical coverage, 401k retirement
contributions, workers comp insurance, payroll taxes, fuel, vehicle
maintenance, overtime, and training, which can be unpredictable. Additionally,
NPD will see cost savings in elimination of the fee officers were getting paid
to be on call, which totaled $5,200 annually.

# # #

/s/
Sheriff Joe Pelle
Town Administrator Karen Gerrity
Nederland Marshal Larry Johns