Barbara Lawlor, Nederland.    At the beginning of the summer Paul Carrill was happily retired from Kansas City Law enforcement, had his own business, and was enjoying volunteering at the Nederland Mining Museum. A month ago, he became the new interim Nederland Police Chief.

Carrill takes over the position left by Jim Matheney, who resigned as town marshal on August 8 due to health issues at high altitude. Matheney had been the marshal for six months. Carrill spent a week shadowing Matheney and doing transition training, learning the steps that Matheney had taken to organize the department to make it more efficient.

While Matheney was Marshal, the police department underwent some major remodels to the physical interior. While some people felt that new wall with a window facing the entrance was less than friendly, Carrill says there are many reasons for the transformation.

"I apologize for the  community feeling that the department has become colder, unfriendly. There is much sensitive material stored in the office on reports, on the computers, and in the files. It is required by law to secure these doors which have to be locked between the office and the public."

He says that the NPD has not been following regulation regarding security and respect for the victims of crime or suspects, both of whom should not be in public view during interviews. A new organized case management system has been put in place in which reports are routed and approved by the officer, the administrator, and the chief, who has the final say. Now all paperwork dealing with a case will located in one place.

Carrill said Matheney accomplished all of this in six months and left the rest for the new chief. "Nothing has surprised me," says Chief Carrill. "I worked for 25 years in the Kansas City Sheriff's Department and we partnered with the smaller community police departments."

When Carrill was in college, he thought he would go into photojournalism and travel. In that time, he came to know the police officers in the community and found their work was more interesting than his. In 1987 he ran a photo lab for the department and then was hired as the jail deputy. He moved on up through the ranks, including being trained by the FBI in drug enforcement.

There were 17 municipalities in Platte County, where he worked. Marijuana was not legal in Missouri, a decision voted on by the people. Carrill says Nederland residents chose a different set of laws and those are the laws he and his officers will enforce. He says all of them will go through specific marijuana ordinance training.

When asked how he will handle situations like the recent NedFest where some people were smoking pot in public, Carrill responded, "The police department has discretion at the street level. The officer must take in the totality of the circumstances. That was a large venue event with a large crowd. When there are a few people violating ordinances, the consequence of taking action on a misdemeanor may not equal the offense. It is similar to pulling over a speeder and giving out a warning for educational purposes."

He goes on to explain that people may know what is taking place around them, but the officer has to witness the violation to arrest them. Carrill says that in the instance of juveniles and drug use at the school, the NPD, the BC Sheriff's Office and Nederland Middle Senior High School are working together for an enforcement plan. The school already has a number of policies and rules to deal with juvenile offenders before going through the legal system.

If found with marijuana, a juvenile will be detained, the marijuana seized, and then the offender will go through the juvenile court or the restorative justice program; or a parent will be called in to deal with the situation. It depends on the individual case. Also, law enforcement has to be able to prove any accusations.

Carrill says he would ask citizens to share what they see, to help build a knowledge bank about those who are not going by the rules, but officers can't always arrest someone based on that information.

In the next six months, the interim chief plans to give many presentations to community groups, coffee talks, and open forums to  hear the concerns of the residents. He will also do an inventory of the police department, which is a common business practice, determining what people have invested in the department.

The NPD now employs two full time officers, Chuck Geiger and Tom Manzione; three part-time officers, Jake Smith, Jessica Steele, and Joshua Follette. Carrill says he doesn't have enough information to determine if more officers are needed. That would depend on the base population, the swell population and Ned's unique law enforcement calls for service.

When Carrill first came to town over a year ago, nothing struck him as being an urgent crime problem. He says it is now clear that there is reason for concern about hard drugs in the area—not marijuana, but coke, meth, crack, and heroin. He has heard the drugs are being used and sold in the area and plans to investigate the claim vigorously.

"Every community has crime," he says. "We can forecast crime based on history and that plays a part in the strategic plan and transparency. We can also forecast spikes and dips, the standard deviation crime that has once been identified with historical data."

Domestic violence is predominant in the monthly police reports. Carrill says DV is complicated and aggravated by the circumstances. It happens in very community. Boulder County provides many services to victims in time of need. Nederland follows the law that the clear primary aggressor goes to jail.

Before Carrill could take over his duties he provided background information, and went through all of the basic tests including a polygraph test, a psychological evaluation, and a verification of his résumé. He also had to pass a physical examination. He said he is no different than any offer or chief going through the hiring process. "Not everyone can become a police officer," he says.

One of the problems he inherited is the lack of numbers to staff the office even eight hours a day. He apologizes for the fact that often people can't reach an officer but get an answering machine. He suggested if the reason for calling is not an emergency, but necessary, to call 303-441-4444 and dispatch will contact a Ned officer.

When seeking a report, residents as well as the media are able to acquire reports as long as the information given isn't part of an ongoing investigation. Once an individual is charged and booked, the information is available. Information is not available on victims of crime or juveniles.

Carrill is married to Amy and has a son in college. He is an active volunteer, working at the mining museum and helping hobby clubs clean up trails. He is also a prospect to join the Rocky Mountain Rescue team which is so necessary to our mountain emergency calls.

At the end of his six month stint as chief, Carrill will be considered to continue in the office. In the meantime, he says he will do everything he can to build a police department the community wants. He also says he will work to ensure the officers will demonstrate professionalism, ethics, empathy, and courage.