Residents in southeast La Plata County have called a meeting with area law enforcement to discuss what they perceive as rampant crime and slow response times in the rural community.
“We’re concerned citizens. We’re tired of it, and we want to have a discussion with all law enforcement to see what we can come up with,” said Holly Hott, a resident who helped organize a community meeting on Wednesday.
Recent criminal activity has included stolen irrigation pipes, food taken from freezers that sit on porches, and even theft of items from a retired police officer’s house, she said. And she suspects a recent barn fire was the result of a methamphetamine operation.
Allison, Arboles and Tiffany all border the La Plata-Archuleta county line. They also sit just north of the Colorado-New Mexico border. They are far removed from population centers, and it often takes 40 to 60 minutes for sheriff’s deputies to respond, if they come at all, Hott said.
She recalled one incident involving an Allison woman who woke up in the middle of the night as two men were breaking into her shed. The woman activated her car alarm to scare the men away and called 911. It took the Southern Ute Police Department an hour to respond, and sheriff’s deputies never arrived, she said.
Hott said she called 911 a few years ago about a trespasser on her property. It took deputies 40 minutes to arrive, she said.
“A lot can happen in that amount of time,” Hott said.
She added: “We have a lot of crime, and it’s because of where we’re at. Nobody can get out here. They need to up the patrols.”
One subdivision is particularly problematic, she said. Near Allison, the neighborhood sits just south of the Colorado-New Mexico border in San Juan County, New Mexico. Deputies must travel an extended distance through Colorado to respond to incidents.
Those expected to attend Wednesday’s meeting include county commissioners from La Plata and Archuleta counties, sheriff’s representatives from the three-county region, the Colorado State Patrol and the Southern Ute Police Department.
shane@durangoherald.com
If you go
Residents of Allison, Arboles and Tiffany will meet with area law enforcement to discuss crime and slow response times at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office substation at 95 County Road 973.
