Gilcrest – The rapid growth spreading through Weld County has bypassed tiny Gilcrest, leaving the dusty town free of sprawl but entangled in tumultuous local politics that have drained the police department of all but one officer.
Four police chiefs and at least a dozen officers have left the community of 1,700 people over the past 18 months.
And Mayor Menda Warne – whom some blame for many of the defections – faces a recall attempt launched by the former mayor and the ex-mayor’s son.
But residents still have officer James Neily. He has a badge, a gun, a pager and dogged loyalty.
His chief and sergeant walked off the job weeks ago, leaving Neily as the only lawman in a town with strong ties to farming about 40 miles north of Denver along U.S. 85.
Warne’s acerbic style and tight-fisted policies have driven many good cops out of town, said critic Zach Kauffman, whose mother – former Mayor Karyn Kauffman – is leading the recall effort.
“She’s bad-mouthed employees to the point where no one is going to stick around,” Zach Kauffman said of Warne.
Neily, he said, “is the town’s savior.”
Warne admits she has been too blunt in her dealings with employees and residents.
“I could benefit from charm school,” Warne said. “Sometimes I engage my mouth before my brain.”
She doesn’t apologize, however, for keeping a close watch on spending, including bigger salaries for police officers. The heavy growth that has enriched other towns and cities in Weld County has bypassed Gilcrest, Warne said.
So Neily – who became a full-time officer in July – must deal with big-city problems such as domestic violence, vandalism and theft by himself.
“People here have been pretty good about it,” said Neily, 32. “But I know one day I’ll have to apologize to a victim because I couldn’t get there to help them in time.”
Warne said she is reluctant to talk about why the other officers left, saying there are personnel issues.
But former Police Chief Scott Smith said he was frustrated over policies blocking him from making purchases over $150 without town board approval.
Bonuses also were promised by the board but never delivered, Smith said in his resignation letter to town trustees: “I was given the position of police chief, however, I was not able to accomplish this task effectively due to the town’s inconsistencies, policies and beliefs.”
Warne said she has adhered to town policies on spending that she will enforce, given the lack of growth in Gilcrest.
“Weld County is a wonderful, growing community, but small communities like ours are not reaping the benefits,” she said.
An aging sewer system can accommodate only about 125 more homes, and there isn’t enough revenue to pave streets and make other improvements to entice developers, she said.
“One hundred twenty-five new rooftops will not bring the revenue for this town to survive,” Warne said.
Neily spent 15 years in the military and worked as a police reserve officer in Ault before landing the job in Gilcrest.
Two months later, he went with the Colorado National Guard to New Orleans to help search-and-rescue efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
He returned in October, and a few weeks later, Sgt. Dean Sackos and Smith resigned.
Neily then made a decision.
“I could leave or just sit here at my desk and not do anything,” Neily said. “But I thought the town would suffer. And it would be more of an injustice if I left here.”
So Neily began a patrol schedule of five days a week, 10 hours a day, staying on call the rest of the time. He does all the administrative work, including making sure criminal cases are filed properly.
Some residents are nervous that one cop may not be enough to protect the town all the time.
“It’s a quiet place,” said 24-year resident Patsy Hernandez, “but there are always some gangs coming in here from the outside causing trouble. Who knows when they’ll break into someone’s home because there is no officer around?”
Neily can ask for help from other nearby police departments on the most serious crimes.
The lone officer, who makes $30,000 a year, doesn’t collect overtime.
“I don’t get a lot of sleep, maybe four hours at the most,” Neily said.
But, he added, “it’s not the residents’ fault that most of the police department left.”
Staff writer Monte Whaley can be reached at 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com.
