Last week, to showcase the bold ideas and hands-on management I will bring to the office of Sheriff, I proposed “greening” the Sheriffs department. Aspen as a community has decided to tackle the critical issue of global warming, and I feel it is important for its public institutions to take action to limit their environmental impact. Sheriff Braudis responded somewhat dismissively in the Aspen Daily News by saying “I’d label public safety more important than light bulbs and wind energy.” Even though I don’t feel there is a tradeoff between making the public safer and addressing climate change, I concurred, promising that my greening initiative would be just the first in a string of initiatives that articulate my platform for Sheriff.

To directly address Sheriff Braudis’s response, my next initiative tackles the greatest threat—statistically—to public safety in Pitkin County: alcohol-related motor-vehicle fatalites.

Since 2001, twenty-one people have died on Pitkin County roads. Eight of those were alcohol related. This fatality rate is nearly three times the state average for alcohol related deaths per 100,000 people, and over three times our close neighbor Garfield County.

Out of the 64 Colorado counties, 48 have lower drunk driving fatality rates than Pitkin.

Is Sheriff Braudis’s office doing all that it can to address this public safety issue? In 2003 Pitkin County deputies arrested 76 drivers for DUI. Over the last three years (extrapolating this year) they are averaging only 27 DUI’s annually: nearly three times’ fewer arrest of intoxicated drivers. Moreover, of the twenty DUI arrests so far this year in Pitkin County, fifteen have come from only two deputies. Three-quarters of DUI’s were handled by only two of the 19 active deputies.

The statistics don’t lie: Pitkin County gets a failing grade with its biggest public safety threat, and arguably deadliest crime.

I strongly think there is a lot more that the Pitkin County Sheriff’s office can do to address this public threat. As Sheriff, I will implement a multi-part strategy to address this issue:

1. I will change the schedule of the deputies so that they are on the road when the bars close. Oddly, the night-shift deputies go off duty at the same time the bars close: 2am. Pitkin is the only local law agency that structures its shifts illogically. That leaves only one graveyard officer to patrol the entire county. I will change the schedule so the night shift works until 3am. This is a simple step and currently in use in the Aspen, Snowmass Village, and Basalt police departments.

2. I will install video cameras in the patrol cars. These are great tools that statistically bolster conviction rates for drunk drivers, and increase the safety of both the citizens and the officers (e.g., by ensuring officers follow standard operating procedures). Once again these are common law enforcement tools, currently in use in Aspen and Basalt.

3. I want to foster a culture where all deputies are encouraged to participate in solving the deadliest crime in Pitkin County. Only having two officers taking such an active role is unacceptable. As such, I will ask the deputies to increase their traffic contacts. This is simply the most effective way for deputies to educate drivers about traffic safety. I trust their judgement and want to get them back on the street where they can do the most good. I want them to be visible and available on the major corridors in Pitkin County.

4. I will improve ridership on Tipsy Taxi by bolstering its marketing and increasing its capacity. I commend the Sheriff’s department on this excellent program. But its marketing practices can be greatly improved, and its capacity needs to be increased. I will market Tipsy Taxi more effectively. Currently it is promoted during the day through channels such as radio when most people are sober and making rational decisions. It should be marketed heavily from midnight to 2am, when it can be most productive. I will provide incentives to local bartenders to actively promote Tipsy Taxi and “designated driver” use, work with the city council on requiring increased signage around town and in the bars, and encourage strong word-of-mouth among bargoers on Tipsy Taxi availability. In addition, I will increase the Tipsy Taxi fleet available during peak drunk-driving hours. Simply, I want the capacity available to prevent any DUI-related death in our county. In 2005, eighteen Colorado counties had no alcohol-related vehicle fatalities. I want to join that list.

In addition, I will be open to all suggestions from my deputies in helping prevent alcohol-related fatalities, and scour the country for “best practices” from other police departments that effectively minimize DUIs while fitting in with our county’s character.

While Sheriff Braudis says public safety is his priority, even a quick look into the statistics and his policies show that when it comes to the greatest safety-threat, he’s not doing all that he can do. My four simple steps are part of my broad platform that will modernize and rejuvenate the Pitkin County Sheriff’s department to enhance public safety. That is the ultimate responsibility of the Sheriff and one that I take seriously.