GREELEY, Colo. — Weld County residents will soon see immediate reductions and suspensions in some services offered by the sheriff’s office due to a years-long staffing shortage at the jail.
Weld County Sheriff Steve Reams announced the service cutbacks on Monday, saying the service reductions were mainly caused by a critical staffing shortage at the jail, but other factors, including “changes in state laws pertaining to law enforcement and the overall national narrative against law enforcement,” played a role.
The Weld County Sheriff’s Office said it will reduce responses from deputies to certain calls, which will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and dependent upon available staffing.
“The primary factor the sheriff’s office will consider in responding to certain calls for service is the severity of the crime that is being reported. The WCSO will respond accordingly based on the resources available,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
Additionally, the sheriff’s office has suspended animal control services.
The service reductions are necessary because there will be fewer deputies on patrol. Reams is relocating some patrol deputies to the Weld County Jail to fill staffing holes that his office has been struggling to fill for two years.
Reams said it was a difficult decision, but it's his “primary responsibility to keep the Weld County jail operational.”
“The Weld County Sheriff’s Office has been struggling with staffing for over two years. We have finally reached a point where a shift is required to give employees at the jail relief. I am disappointed we find ourselves here,” Reams said in the news release.
Reams said staff reallocation will still be necessary for the foreseeable future after failing to secure additional funds from the Board of Weld County Commissioners.
