{"id":15229,"date":"2025-12-11T20:06:50","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T03:06:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/how-a-sheriffs-office-audit-helped-launch-election-campaigns-in-montezuma-county\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T21:46:39","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T03:46:39","slug":"how-a-sheriffs-office-audit-helped-launch-election-campaigns-in-montezuma-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/how-a-sheriffs-office-audit-helped-launch-election-campaigns-in-montezuma-county\/","title":{"rendered":"How a Sheriff\u2019s Office audit helped launch election campaigns in Montezuma County"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Montezuma
Montezuma County Sheriff Steve Nowlin listens to Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser speak in October 2022 during an opioid workshop at the Fort Lewis College Innovation Center in Durango. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

A Sheriff\u2019s Office audit has been a focal point as four candidates compete for one seat on the Montezuma County Board of County Commissioners and a longtime officer hopes to replace Sheriff Steve Nowlin.<\/p>\n

Safety, dysfunction and staffing in the Sheriff\u2019s Office have emerged as rallying issues for the five candidates, each now in early campaign stages for the two seats open in November 2026.<\/p>\n

Commissioner Jim Candelaria and Sheriff Steve Nowlin will leave office when their term limits expire next year. Both men have clashed over how the Sheriff\u2019s Office should be managed and funded.<\/p>\n

An independent audit released in March \u2013 often called \u201cthe KRW report\u201d after the consulting firm<\/a> hired by the BOCC \u2013 gives a detailed analysis of staffing and funding challenges and years of strained talks between the Sheriff and commissioners.<\/p>\n

Eyeing such pressing issues for the county, the last few weeks brought a wave of candidate announcements. Possible commissioners now include Republicans Bonnie Anderson, Diane Fox-Spratlen, Brett Likes and Gerald \u201cJerry\u201d Whited.<\/p>\n

Undersheriff Tyson Cox announced his bid to run for sheriff last week. Saying \u201cthere\u2019s work yet to do,\u201d Cox said he would first seek to restore relations.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the big pieces in that (KRW) report is communication,\u201d Cox said. \u201cHonestly, if you don\u2019t have communication, especially between the sheriff and the BOCC, I think you\u2019re missing the boat a little bit there.\u201d<\/p>\n

All five candidates say similar problems rank at the top of their priorities.<\/p>\n

\"Candidates
Candidates announced as of Dec. 10 for two open seats in November 2026: the Montezuma County Sheriff and a Montezuma County Commissioner seat for District 1.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
The KRW report, at a glance<\/div>\n

The 28-page audit reveals significant challenges within the Sheriff\u2019s Office, citing staffing shortages, high turnover and heavy overtime demands on deputies, along with administrative delays and morale concerns.<\/p>\n

It also notes gaps in training, evidence storage procedures and jail safety standards, as well as stalled agreements for law enforcement services in Dolores, at the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe\u2019s casino and for narcotics enforcement partnerships with Cortez.<\/p>\n

But beyond operational issues, the audit identifies strained relations between county leaders as \u201cclearly the central issue to be resolved.\u201d It states: \u201cMeaningful communication between Commissioners and the Sheriff is non-existent,\u201d describing the tension as \u201can undercurrent of hostility.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nowlin said his office endured deep budget cuts and struggled to retain staff, while Candelaria argued he underspent and operated outside statutory limits. Commissioners have favored a conservative spending approach, citing concerns that Kinder Morgan\u2019s eventual exit could significantly reduce property tax revenue.<\/p>\n