Questioned last month about the disproportionate number of minorities incarcerated locally, both candidates for Montezuma County sheriff indicated that there was no inequality.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have not observed a disproportionate number of minorities being incarcerated,\u201d said Steve Nowlin, the Republican front-runner, who is seeking his first term as sheriff.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe belief that there is a disproportionate number of minorities is not entirely correct,\u201d said Sheriff Dennis Spruell, who is running for a second term in office.<\/p>\n
Spruell and Nowlin answered a Cortez Journal questionnaire on March 24 and 26, respectively.<\/p>\n
By the numbers<\/p>\n
The facts, however, show that Native Americans and Hispanics represented half the jail population in 2013, while representing less than 25 percent of the county population.<\/p>\n
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the total population of Montezuma County was estimated at 25,642 last year. At 74 percent, whites made up the local majority, followed by 12.3 percent who identified themselves as Native American and 11.9 percent as Hispanic.<\/p>\n
According to a 2013 Montezuma County Sheriff\u2019s Office report, 46.8 percent of the county jail population was white, nearly equal to the 42.3 percent identified as Native American. Hispanics made up an additional 8.3 percent of all inmates in 2013, meaning the total minority population at the jail was more than half.<\/p>\n
Presented with the statistics last week, Nowlin said he\u2019d like to further examine the charges that were filed against minority inmates before making any further comment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe figures are kind of alarming,\u201d Nowlin said.<\/p>\n
Offered the same opportunity to reply to the data last week, Spruell confirmed the numbers were correct. Spruell said he thought that the majority of Native Americans housed at the jail originated from arrest made by the Cortez Police Department.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe house inmates arrested by the City of Cortez,\u201d Spruell said. \u201cI don\u2019t dictate who they arrest.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately, I\u2019m not surprised by the disproportionate number of minorities that are incarcerated in Montezuma County,\u201d said Nicole Mosher, executive director of Compa\u00f1eros: Four Corners Immigrant Resource Center, a non-profit Latino advocacy organization in Southwest Colorado.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think there is a disproportionate number across the country, and the local stats are just a reflection of what\u2019s happening on a national level,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Reaching out<\/p>\n
Mosher said she has received reports from the Montezuma County Latino community that they have felt intimidated by law enforcement, saying that officials from the Cortez Police Department, Montezuma County Sheriff\u2019s Office, U.S. Marshals Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have all responded to single incidents. That show of force, she said, has resulted in fear and distrust of law enforcement from minorities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fear is not unwarranted,\u201d Mosher said.<\/p>\n
Although Mosher said that her Durango-based office hasn\u2019t received complaints of unjust enforcement or racial profiling, she said that the top two concerns she receives are about what to do when a family member is detained or arrested.<\/p>\n
Mosher said she has a good relationship with the Cortez Police Department but that the Montezuma County Sheriff\u2019s Office hasn\u2019t reached out to her organization. Such an effort may build trust in the Latino community, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it would behoove the sheriff\u2019s office to reach out to agencies like Compa\u00f1eros, which means \u2018friends,'\u201d Mosher said.<\/p>\n
Ernest House, Jr., who heads the Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs, echoed the sentiment, stating that partnering with law enforcement and other local governmental agencies for cultural awareness could alleviate future disparities, not only in public safety, but in education and health care.<\/p>\n
House said he hasn\u2019t received official complaints regarding inequality at the Montezuma County jail. The numbers were difficult for him to dismiss.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s obvious a disparity exists,\u201d said House, a member of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe who grew up in Montezuma County.<\/p>\n
Cultural differences<\/p>\n
Tribal laws differ from laws off the reservation, and House said the differences often create confusion for tribal members.<\/p>\n
Southwest Intertribal Voice, based in Cortez, was formed in 2006 to address education, health care and public safety disparities in towns that border reservations. Art Heskahi, who leads the nonprofit organization, could not be reached for comment.<\/p>\n
When asked about what efforts each would take to ease minority concerns, Nowlin noted in his questionnaire response that laws prohibit racial profiling, and he\u2019d provide arrest data for public inspection.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny and all concerns or problems could be addressed by developing good working relationships with groups and entities, and having regular or continued contact, along with providing annual training for deputies,\u201d Nowlin said.<\/p>\n
Asked to expand on his original comments last week, Nowlin said he would like to meet with established minority groups to hear their ideas on improving relations and services.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to have a good open relationship, and try to understand where they problems may lie,\u201d Nowlin said. \u201cWe have to work together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Spruell, in office since 2011, replied in his questionnaire that his administration has continually reached out to the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur officers are trained in cultural awareness,\u201d Spruell said. \u201cThe sheriff\u2019s office works with tribal members to address problems that affect all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last week, Spruell declined an opportunity to provide additional details on his department\u2019s outreach efforts.<\/p>\n
Multiple telephone messages left for Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Chairman Manuel Heart went unanswered.<\/p>\n