The La Plata County Sheriff’s Office will permanently reduce its front-facing office hours in response to the increased number of open records requests, as well as recent changes that add stricter requirements to a number of state statutes.
Beginning Dec. 15, the front office will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Until then, the hours will remain 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The change is meant to provide staff with more uninterrupted work time, according to the resolution approved Tuesday by La Plata County commissioners.
Over the past three years, open records requests have increased from 415 in 2022 to 677 in 2024. The number of requests for 2025 are projected to be 819. Many of them require several pages, or several hours of video to be redacted, according to the written background provided by county staff.
Recent changes to Colorado Revised Statutes have imposed stricter timelines and requirements for discovery submissions in criminal cases, adding to the staff’s workload. A backlog of evidence intake and destruction, along with an uptick in face-to-face transactions with the public, has also contributed to the deluge of work.
Colorado has also instituted a new set of firearm laws in a sweeping piece of legislation set to take effect August 2026. Under the bill, sheriff’s offices are required to run additional background checks, issue permits for people to enroll in gun safety courses and vet gun safety instructors.
LPCSO already processes about 500 new and renewal concealed carry weapon permits per year. The new bill is predicted to double that workload.
Most of the statute changes do not include any additional funding, meaning local agencies would be responsible for the increased costs. With no money to hire additional staff, the extra work will fall to existing employees, county staff members said.
The Sheriff’s Office told commissioners the changes will have a limited impact on the public.
Sheriff Sean Smith did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
jbowman@durangoherald.com
