CRESTONE – On Wednesday, Sept. 18, the Saguache County Sheriff’s Office hosted Donuts with Dan at the Crestone POA Office, 28575 County Road T. The sheriff’s office provided coffee and donuts, and a meeting was held for the community.     

Saguache County Sheriff Dan Warwick and deputies answered questions. The meeting was a meet and greet and gave Crestone residents the opportunity to speak with the Sherriff and his staff personally, and address concerns within Crestone regarding law enforcement and the way things are handled, and to also speak with officers about cases that have been handled through Saguache County. 

Approximately 25 people attended the meeting.   

One of the biggest concerns that was brought up at the meeting was that Crestone does not have a law enforcement office in town. Normally when there is any type of incident in Crestone, Saguache deputies are dispatched out and it may take up to 45 minutes for officers to get to Crestone. 

Members of a group for Crestone called the Peace Patrol were also at the meeting and helped address some of the concerns, alongside Sherriff Warwick. The Peace Patrol is a group of people who work to help keep the peace in Crestone and help to diffuse any criminal or domestic situations that may be taking place in Crestone. If these members can diffuse the situation, then it may be deemed unnecessary to contact the Sheriff’s office in Saguache for further assistance. 

A person asked if Crestone would be getting any type of a police department in town, or if there might be a way for the Saguache County Sheriff’s Office to set up one officer in Crestone to cover the town. 

Sheriff Warwick explained that the office had tried to do that about a year ago, but it had not worked out the way they wanted it to, and they were still looking for ways to always have a deputy in Crestone to help with calls in that area.   

The sheriff’s office reported that in 2023, there were more than 2,000 calls placed to the Saguache County Sheriff’s Office and about 500 of those calls were from the Baca and Crestone areas. It was also explained that some of the calls did not have anything to do with crime as sometimes controlled burns are called in, or other things, not necessarily related to crimes.   

It was reported that Crestone had a low amount of crime last year, and that the current ways in which crime is being handled with the Peace Patrol and Saguache County Sheriff’s Office, was working for the Crestone Area.   

A few people commended the Saguache County Sheriff’s Office for the low crime rate in Crestone and thanked the sheriff’s office for all they are doing.  

Donuts with Dan will be held once a month in different areas of Saguache County. For more information on an upcoming meeting, contact the Saguache County Sheriff's Office.