MONTE VISTA - On Monday, July 21, the public met with three Monte Vista Chief of Police finalists at Nino’s Restaurant in Monte Vista. 

The final three - Interim Chief Tyler Harford, Greg Tulizewski, and Hank Weber - had been whittled down from a pool of 17 applicants, according to the City of Monte Vista. 

All three men have served in law enforcement for several years. Weber was a Chief of Police in another county for 24 years, Tulizewski was Chief of Police in a smaller town for 11 years, and Harford has been the Interim Chief in Monte Vista. 

Each candidate spoke about themselves and answered questions from the public during the meet and greet. 

Harford stated that he has had been involved in law enforcement and worked for Saguache County for 8 years, before he began working in Monte Vista in 2018. When former Police Chief Sean McDonagh resigned his position in February, Harford was named Interim.  

In an interview with this reporter, Harford spoke about some of the things he is currently working on in the department and hopes to continue if he is chosen to be the new chief. 

“We all know that Monte Vista is a small city, but it does have some big problems. We know there is drug abuse, drug dealers; you know that’s our primary focus right now. We have partnered with federal agencies. One of the problems we see over and over again though, is someone is charged for dealing drugs, or possession, then they get sent it to the county courts, and then they are out doing the same thing the next day. We are all frustrated because we put all of this work into it and they are right back out doing the same thing. That’s why we have ATF and DEA coming to help us. There has been two this year that have been sentenced on federal charges, one got 10 years I think and the other got 15, so we definitely feel good and confident about that.”  

Harford said they are also trying to get on the same page with judges and city attorneys to crack down and shut down houses deemed drug nuisances. He hopes to crack down and really work on all of this more so that he can help make Monte Vista a much safer place to live.  

Hank Weber said he has been in law enforcement for 35 years. He is currently the Town Manager of South Fork. Weber is family oriented and believes that being a police chief has everything to do with the community and family and drawing both together. 

“It’s really easy for me to say this is what I want to do for Monte Vista, but what I am really here for is to listen to the community and ask them what they need for themselves, and for their families. A lot of people listen, but do not hear. If I am chosen, I will do both. If I am not chosen, that’s OK too, it’s God’s will. If I am chosen, I will tell you I am probably the most approachable police chief you would ever talk to. I don’t get excited or upset easily. I pride myself on listening to people. I am going to listen to people with a calm demeanor. I am here to help. I don’t like to yell; I like to be a voice of reason.” 

Weber said he has four children and nine grandchildren and is big on family and that’s how he likes to treat his department. 

“We become a family, we are a family, sometimes we have to work through things, and sometimes it’s uncomfortable, but we will get through it. I have to listen to everyone before I can form a vision, and then we can form a vision together.”  

Tulizewski said he has about 34 years of experience in law enforcement. He holds many degrees and has worked in many different career paths of law enforcement. Tulizewski stated that he feels he brings knowledge to the department, because he’s bringing a bit of smaller city ideas, to a smaller town to utilize them.  Tulizewski stated that he doesn’t yet have a vision for the police department because that will take community feedback. “Crimes happen everywhere; it’s how often these crimes happen that you have to address. I come from a smaller place, the population over there is about 3,000, and this city has about 4,000. The smaller the town, the more resourceful you have to be, and you have to be more engaging with your community. I want people to know that they can talk to us, they can communicate with us. We are not going to treat you bad. We have to have that community service in place for our people. There are three of us here tonight, all excellent candidates and I know that whoever is chosen, all 3 of us will do the best job that we can do for this community.” 

Final interviews are set to be held at City Hall. MV City Manager GiGi Dennis spoke at the meet and greet and stated, “I am very pleased to have had some causal time with these three candidates and see them interact with the community. I am very proud of this process, and I look forward to making the right selection here.”