Basalt enters into agreement with Pitkin County to fill policing gaps

The Basalt Police Department has been facing personnel shortages and is hoping that a new agreement with Pitkin County will help to alleviate some of the pressure from overstretched enforcement. 

“There have been staffing shortage issues at the police department,” Pam Schilling, town clerk at the town of Basalt, said on Tuesday night. “The county and the town came to this agreement to have supplemental law enforcement services provided by the sheriff’s office … This effectively gives Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office jurisdiction in the town limits of Basalt. They’re like an arm of our police department.”

The personnel shortage has created a crunch in Basalt law enforcement that, until now, has been addressed by decreasing the time that the Basalt School Resource Officer spends in Basalt High School. Typically, the SRO would be at the high school full time. Through this agreement, the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office will be able to provide patrol services, emergency response, criminal response, and traffic enforcement. 

According to town manager Gloria Kaasch-Buerger, Basalt’s personnel shortage has been the result of a number of constraints, among them the high cost of living around town. Kaasch-Buerger confirmed many officers are already living too far away from Basalt to manage that cost.

Basalt has had two job postings for police officers since March. The advertised pay range on those listings are between $65,000 and $90,000 per year or $90,000 and $105,000 per year, depending on whether applying for the Police Officer I or Police Officer II position. 

Carbondale has job openings for the same two levels of police officer at similar advertised pay ranges, between $76,000 and $100,000 for Police Officer I, and between $89,000 and $104,000 for Police Officer II. 

Glenwood Springs also has an open entry-level policing job, with salaries advertised between $61,000 and $76,000, depending on whether applicants have finished police academy and whether they have prior experience in law enforcement. 

The high cost of living is not the only constraint contributing to the personnel shortage. According to Kaasch-Buerger, space constraints at the Basalt Police Department make it difficult to fit in additional personnel, as well. Kaasch-Buerger also noted there has been a statewide and national decrease in interest in law enforcement jobs that has seen police departments across the state struggle to hire, straining the demand amongst them for strong applicants.

Town council passed the resolution on Tuesday evening unanimously.