Sheriff Lou Vallario began his law enforcement career with
the Glenwood Springs Police Department in 1987 after
re-locating to Garfield County from the Denver Metro area.
He served as a Patrol Officer for four years until being
assigned to the DEA Western Colorado Drug Task Force in
1992. After two years as a Task Force Officer, he was
promoted to Patrol Sergeant and returned to the Patrol
Division. He served as a Patrol Sergeant
for two years and was promoted to Assistant Chief of Police.
He remained Assistant Chief for over seven years until
running for Sheriff in 2002. On January 13th, 2003, Lou
Vallario was sworn in as the Sheriff of Garfield County, the
position he currently holds. Sheriff Vallario’s credentials
include:
EDUCATION:
Lakewood High School Lakewood Colorado 1978
University of Texas at Austin, BBA Studies Austin, Texas
1978-1981
FBI National Academy Quantico, Virginia 1999
National Sheriff’s Institute Longmont, Colorado 2006
BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS:
Peace Officer Standards and Training Board (POST)
2003-Present
POST Training Sub-committee 2003-Present
Homeland Security Grant Review Committee, Chairperson
2004-Present
County Sheriff’s Of Colorado (CSOC) Legislative Committee
2003-Present
Two Rivers Drug Enforcement Team (TRIDENT) Chairperson
2005-Present
Garfield County All Hazards Response Team (AHRT) Chairperson
2005-Present
PERSONAL AND INTERESTS:
Married with 2 daughters
Enjoys SCUBA diving, hunting, fishing, camping and horseback
riding
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE OFFICE OF SHERIFF:
The Office of Sheriff has a wide variety of
responsibilities, most of which are required by state
statutes. Listed below are most of the responsibilities of
the office, although the list is not exhaustive:
Preserve the Peace: Statutes gives the Sheriff
traditional law enforcement responsibilities. In most
jurisdictions this means providing patrol and investigative
services.
Issue Concealed Weapons Permits: Sheriffs are the only
authority in the county allowed to issue concealed weapons
permits, and this function is a major responsibility, which
requires a background check, fingerprinting and processing.
Make Arrests: The Sheriff and his/her deputies are
sworn, commissioned Peace Officers. With this responsibility
comes a myriad of special training and certification
requirements on an annual basis.
Enforce County Ordinances: The Sheriff is the
chief law enforcement officer for the county and must
enforce county ordinances and resolutions.
Maintain the County Jail: The Sheriff has charge
and custody of the prisoners in the county jail, and is
responsible for the manner in which the county jail is kept.
Taking care of a jail includes facility management, feeding
prisoners, transportation of prisoners, taking care of their
medical and mental health needs, protecting the rights of
people in custody, and maintaining special release and
prisoner work programs.
Game and Fish Law Enforcement: The Sheriff assists
District Wildlife Managers in the enforcement of game and
fish laws.
Subpoenas, Writs, and Protective Orders: The
Sheriff must serve subpoenas, writs and protective orders
issued by courts of record and enforce them. Subpoenas must
be served it in time to permit witness appearance. Serving
civil papers is a major undertaking and often requires the
assistance of several full-time and dedicated deputies and
clerks. Evictions can be particularly troublesome and time
consuming.
Pursue Persons Guilty of Crime, Extradition of Wanted
Persons: Sheriffs are responsible for returning
prisoners to the county jurisdiction from other counties in
Colorado and from other states and territories where they
have fled.
Fire Warden: The Sheriff acts as the fire warden
of the county for forest and prairie fires. The Sheriff
assumes command, orders resources, and assists other
governmental authorities to control and extinguish fires.
Search and Rescue, Disaster Response: The Sheriff
is responsible for search and rescue, and disaster response
in the county. This includes coordinating scenes and
commanding resources. Most Sheriffs coordinate the response
of multiple volunteer groups to accomplish this function.
Hazardous Materials: The Sheriff is responsible
for the response to and handling of hazardous materials
spills and contamination, except on state highways. This
responsibility has seen serious increases with the arrival
of the Meth lab problem in Colorado.
Quarantine Enforcement: At the request of the
State Agricultural Commission, the Sheriff must assist in
the enforcement of any agricultural quarantine.
Sheriff’s Sales: The Sheriff is charged with a
number of duties in connection with the tax sale of land and
chattels, or with sales to satisfy debts or liens.
Registration of Sex Offenders: The Sheriff must
register certain sex offenders living within his/her
jurisdiction, and make the information available to the
public as required.
Special Events: The Sheriff provides services for special
events, including bike and foot races, rallies, sporting
events, etc. Each event poses special challenges for
security, movement of traffic and law enforcement.
Court Security: The Sheriff is an officer of the
court, and must provide security for the facility,
courtrooms, and movement of prisoners. In major trials, or
high profile cases, this responsibility poses special
challenges.
Animal Control: The Sheriff is responsible for the
enforcement of state laws and county resolutions regarding
control and licensing of animals, and the welfare of
animals.
Victim Services: A significant level of victim
support and information is now required by statutes. The
Sheriff is required to provide these services to victims of
crime, but also provides for the coordination of disaster
services.
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