The Mesa County Sheriff’s Department is slowly edging its way out of the concert security business, a reasonable move given the many other demands on the department.
We only wish, along with Mesa County Commissioner Craig Meis, that the security-service responsibilities would go away entirely, and sooner rather than later.
Unfortunately, law enforcement will probably always have a role at large concerts such as Country Jam and Rock Jam, where crimes such as assaults and driving under the influence too often occur.
But the Sheriff’s Department deputies shouldn’t be in the position of acting like schoolyard monitors — resolving minor disputes, providing crowd control or directing traffic. Private security forces should handle those functions.
The issue has come up now because the county this week approved a contract to provide security services at Rock Jam, which begins Friday near Mack. The Sheriff’s Department also provides contract security services for Country Jam each June.
Concert promoters reimburse the department for those services — $55,000 for Rock Jam this year, and $100,000 for Country Jam. And Sheriff Stan Hilkey said his department has been working with the promoters to transition to private security firms. It had 40 deputies on site at Country Jam this year, a spokeswoman for the department said, about half of the number on site 10 years ago.
But one Sheriff’s Department official called the transition “a slow and agonizing process.”
Agonizing it may be, but it shouldn’t be extremely slow.
As Meis pointed out, of the many special events held in Mesa County each year, none but these two concerts have contracts requiring a large detail of county personnel.
We see no reason why 40 sheriff’s deputies should be engaged for a weekend of concert security activities, even if the county is reimbursed for those services. Either they are needed to serve other citizens throughout the county, or the Sheriff’s Department has far more employees than is necessary. We doubt it’s the latter.
We’re pleased to learn that Sheriff Hilkey’s department, working closely with the concert promoters, is moving to extricate itself from concert security detail and turn those duties over to private contractors.
But, as Meis said, the county needs a clear exit strategy, one that includes a firm date when it will stop providing concert security.
Comments
By John Edwards
Sep 10, 2009 11:19 AM | Link to this
Well, Sheriff Hilkey, if you haven't been told thanks for the service provided along with the CO Hwy. Patrol, THANKS!
Other security firms maybe considered by concert goers as just glorified Bouncers. These Concert goersý maybe harder to deal with then if the Sheriffýs presents wasn't seen at all. I know that these parities are a rowdy bunch regardless, but the overhead costs of Private vs. current Law Enforcement would be less with the status quo.
I can't get my head around why 80 Officers would be needed at Country Jam 10 years ago, hard pressed as well to think of 40 needed just this year, but a team of Officers may work well combining GJPD and MCSO together for these two weekends out of the year. The Colorado Hwy. Patrol takes jurisdiction from the exists or from the pavement North to Hwy 50 and South I - 70. With this plausible team effort, the amount of one Department taking care of it all could be cut in half if not more.
Personally, I would rather see an Officer then a Bouncer at these local events.
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