ALAMOSA — Courtroom A in Alamosa’s Justice Building was packed to standing room only last week when District Attorney Anne Kelly held a public forum for Costilla County residents, specifically invited to air grievances about their experiences with the Costilla County Sheriff’s Office.   

The audience was diverse; some people attended whose families in the county went back generations while there were others who had only recently moved to the area, often from places outside of the San Luis Valley.  

But there was a common theme among all who attended, as residents described years of encounters with CCSO deputies that were dismissive, disrespectful and, not infrequently, led to no official action from law enforcement. 

The forum had been announced weeks in advance, but it became much more relevant when, the previous week, the DA’s office announced the indictment of Sheriff Danny Sanchez, Undersheriff Cruz Sota, Sergeant Caleb Sanchez, Deputy Keith Schultz and former Deputy Roland Riley, leaving only two deputies on staff. Sheriff Sanchez subsequently resigned from office. One of the remaining deputies resigned over the weekend, leaving only Deputy Joe Smith on duty. 

The following Monday, commissioners immediately took steps to rebuild the department and involved the community in the process by asking for feedback on the appointment of Deputy Joe Smith as interim sheriff until January 2027 when a newly elected sheriff will be sworn in. According to reports out of the commissioners’ office, the public response was very favorable. 

Kelly started off the forum Thursday night by introducing Smith to the audience. Smith comes across as a down to earth, unassuming man but also one who has a clear idea of what must be done to begin to rebuild a sheriff’s office that has not only become non-functional but caused a deep loss of trust in the community. 

Smith said he’s been working closely with the DA’s office, including swearing in as deputies three of the DA’s investigators, who are also certified police officers. Smith reports that the three deputies have been “on the ground” in Costilla for the past week.  

He also swore in two Adams County deputies who will be “working the for the time being”. Other agencies, including the Colorado State Patrol, have communicated their willingness to provide “manpower until we rebuild this office.”  

One of the most standout comments in what Smith told the group was his plan to bring in deputies from other places, stating, “I want eyes, basically, from outside the Valley.” 

Smith also wants to work on hiring full-time, local deputies, citing difficulties of maintaining a staff due to limited funds and low salaries. Costilla County has historically been without competitive pay for its law enforcement.  

Through this process, Smith said he wants to work closer with the CBI to conduct more thorough background checks for potential deputies. He will also be working with the Colorado Attorney General’s office, which maintains POST (Police Officer Standards and Training) records for all of Colorado’ law enforcement officers, to be more thorough in that part of the hiring process. POST records have to be clean. “If you have issues with your POST, you won’t be hired,” he said. 

This vigorous vetting process hasn’t been in place before.  

Colorado Bureau of Investigation Director Armando Saldate also attended in person, telling the group that the three CBI agents stationed in Alamosa are on 24-hour standby, and Stan Hilkey, Colorado Director of Public Safety, has agreed to tell state’s sheriffs to be on call, as well.  

CBI has opened a tipline in light of this news. He encouraged anyone who submits tips to the line to be as concise and descriptive as possible. (Information is below.) 

Following the opening comments by Smith and Saldate, Kelly opened up the floor to comments from the audience, and there was no shortage of grievances. Numerous specific instances were cited of harassment by specific deputies, lackadaisical or no response to calls asking for service and a general attitude of being unavailable and uninterested in pursuing those who had committed crimes. There were also some complaints expressed against the DA’s office, which Kelly listened to as closely as she did all else that was shared. 

The forum was scheduled to last 90 minutes, which was only enforced when a staff member with the DA’s office interrupted comments and told the group the forum was over as they were only allowed a certain amount of time in the judicial building.  

Kelly was then asked if she would go to other places – in Costilla County, not Alamosa – to continue the conversation. She made the commitment to do so. 

After the forum ended, the Valley Courier asked the DA for her response to the event.  

Kelly thought for a moment and said, “They were asking for actions that aren’t in my power to take, and I hope I explained to them why that was so. But my primary purpose was to show them that I’m here, that I care and that I’m accessible. I think that  was accomplished.” She then added, “I guess we’ll see. There’s a lot of work to be done.” 

TIP LINE: 

An email address and phone line have been dedicated by CBI to tips so Costilla County community members can share any information about possible misconduct by CCSO.  

These lines were “opened in light of the ongoing investigation by the 12th Judicial District Attorney’s Office”, CBI said.  

The public is encouraged to use the following dedicated resources: 

• Tip Email: cbi_CostillaCountySOComplaints@state.co.us 

• Tip Line: (719) 631-8550 

For the phone number, callers should leave a message with their name, contact information, and the complaint. CBI personnel will monitor both the email and phone lines. 

You can also submit information to the Colorado Attorney General’s Office Patterns and Practices by going to File a Complaint - Colorado Attorney General | Colorado Attorney General.