Information released by Boulder County Sheriff and the Town of Nederland
The Sheriff's Office will provide nighttime policing service from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., seven days a week
Nederland, Colo. - At their March 20 meeting, the Nederland Board of Trustees approved the town staff’s request for a Nighttime Police Contract with the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office at a cost of $121,498 annually. This is a yearlong contract with an automatic renewal, and a cancellation clause of 6 months’ notice. As a result, the Sheriff’s Office will assume responsibility for all primary law enforcement operations and call response in the Town of Nederland between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., seven days a week. Monies provided under the contract will be used to hire an additional deputy and acquire an additional patrol vehicle, which will result in an increase of law enforcement coverage not only in Nederland, but to the surrounding mountain communities in the unincorporated county. The contract must still be signed by the Board of County Commissioners, but is anticipated to begin April 1.
The Nederland Police Department (NPD) has had a difficult time attracting and retaining enough police officers to provide 24-hour coverage and currently has two vacant police officer positions. The Sheriff’s Office is able to provide night time policing for less cost than two new officers, in addition to having more resources available for investigative follow-up, when needed. The flat contract pricing includes all ordinary costs for policing services, meaning the town has a set budgeted amount for police service and would not incur additional town staff expenses such as medical coverage, 401k retirement contributions, workers comp insurance, payroll taxes, fuel, vehicle maintenance, overtime, and training, which can be unpredictable. Additionally, NPD will see cost savings in elimination of the fee officers were getting paid to be on call, which totaled $5,200 annually.