Bulletin for May 8, 2025
Featured Speaker: El Paso County Sheriff Joe Roybal
Law Enforcement Operations, Legislative Updates, and Community Engagement in El Paso County
OPENING
With Kevin out of town, Paula ran the meeting. Benny led the prayer and John led the Pledge.
CLUB BUSINESS
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Club Roster: Will be updated and printed copies made available.
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Member Biographies: The club loved reading bios from newer members and wants submissions from all members.
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Board Meeting: May 27th at 5:00 PM at Waypoint Bank.
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Federal Reserve: The Fed met May 7; some expected a quarter-percent rate change.
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Karman Line Annexation: City residents will vote on annexing rural land nearly 4 miles outside city limits for mixed-use development (6,500 units). Paula is part of the opposition group, Citizens to Stop Illogical Growth — estimated taxpayer cost: $89–$134M. Ballots coming; vote deadline June 17, 2025.
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Kelly Loving Bill: Legislation named after a Club Q victim; penalizes teachers and parents for misgendering. Original provisions included custody implications, which were later removed.
KEYNOTE: SHERIFF JOE ROYBAL — EL PASO COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Sheriff Roybal began his law enforcement career in 1995. He was promoted to sergeant in 2010 and lieutenant in 2014, serving in detention, internal affairs, narcotics, and legislative liaison roles. A graduate of Palmer High School and the FBI National Academy (278th session), he has been married 22 years with five children and five grandchildren.
Community Outreach and Culture
Sheriff Roybal established a community affairs team led by Cassandra Sebastian to improve public communication. He believes the sheriff must be visible year-round, not just during campaigns. Code 4 Counseling now provides 16–17 counselors offering mental health, marriage, juvenile, and financial support — a major improvement from when a single counselor served the entire agency.
Staffing and Operations
When the previous sheriff took office, there were 40 vacancies out of 542 positions. The office is now fully hired and is even over-hired by 5 across nearly 900 employees. At a national conference, El Paso County was the only one of 210 attendees that could claim full staffing. A new Falcon (Northeast) substation breaks ground June 6 — cutting travel times from 35+ minutes. A new ‘Falcon Stetson’ booking process returns deputies to service in ~30 minutes.
Immigration Legislation
Colorado law severely restricts local law enforcement from cooperating with ICE. Violations carry a $50,000 per-incident fine. As of May 2, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Denver and Colorado officials challenging these restrictions. ICE is the only federal agency restricted by state law; cooperation with FBI, ATF, and DEA is unrestricted.
Gun Legislation — Senate Bill 3
SB3 requires Colorado residents to obtain a sheriff’s card and complete a safety course before purchasing a firearm. El Paso County has over 55,000 concealed carry holders — the most in the state by tens of thousands. The sheriff’s office is expanding staff to accommodate the new requirements. The concealed handgun program launches July 1.
Legislative Wins
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House Bill 1062: Theft of a firearm is now a Class 6 felony regardless of value
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Juvenile detention bed cap increased from 215 to 254 (and to 125% of daily average in 2026)
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A bill reducing penalties for extreme indifference offenses was postponed indefinitely
Emergency Communications
A new state-of-the-art dispatch center and E911 system is being implemented at $800,000 (with partnering authorities covering ~$1.6M total). Sign up for Peak Alerts and follow the sheriff on Facebook for emergency updates. Contact Cassandra to be added to the email list.
“Bravery is not the absence of fear but action in the face of fear.”
— Unknown