RANGELY | Following the recent resignations of two Rangely Police Department officers the department is considering bringing in supplemental officers from outside organizations to help fill the void while seeking new employees.
Earlier this summer Officer Max Backer left the department to join the Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office. Officer Jonathan Mazzella resigned his position earlier this month, leaving the department with three full time officers.
While the department did not want to go into specific details about how they were handling the officer shortage, Police Chief Vince Wilczek did say, “We will be looking to supplement our schedule as needed, with additional officers working for other local agencies.”
In the meantime Wilczek says they are actively working to recruit new officers to fill the vacant positions. “We are contacting academies in Colorado, placing advertisements online and in several publications. It’s a combination of active and passive recruiting. I anticipate that the recruitment process could take several months and after making a selection another three months is required for field training in Rangely before an officer can solo,” he said.
By JEN HILL | [email protected]
