Frequently Asked Questions

Staffing, and the budget that pays for it. We don't have enough deputies to provide adequate coverage everywhere in the county. When salaries fall below market, turnover rises, especially among experienced deputies, and in the long run that costs us more in training and overtime. Some deputies can't afford to live in the county they serve.

Public safety is not something we can afford to skimp on. See the 100-day plan for specifics.

No. Law enforcement must be viewed as nonpartisan, and it must serve everyone equally. Party labels are on the ballot because Colorado law puts them there, but once elected, Mark will be the Sheriff for every resident of Park County, whatever their politics.

Closely and respectfully. Public safety in a county this large is hard, and it's harder still with limited funding. Mark's goal is to advise and support the Commissioners in finding adequate, sustainable funding for the public safety mission, and to be fully transparent about how that money is spent.

Absolutely. Many of the deputies Mark worked with were women, and they could definitely hold their own. The U.S. military has opened all combat roles to women. Mark has no concerns at all about women's ability to excel in law enforcement.

Mark is a longtime firearm owner and a former NRA-certified firearm instructor and hunter education instructor. He respects the rights of law-abiding gun owners and will process concealed-carry permits promptly and fairly, as the law requires.

The Sheriff's Office will follow Colorado and federal law, fully and consistently. Local deputies' first job is keeping Park County safe, and anyone who commits a crime here will be held accountable.

Carefully and in the open. Mark has spent more than a decade applying analytics to investigations, and he knows both what these tools can do and where the risks are. Any surveillance technology will have written, public policies on what is collected, how long it's kept, and who can access it. There will be no mass surveillance of law-abiding residents. See Technology & privacy.