Sometimes in life, it is good to take a look back at what you’ve been through before you take that next step to move forward. The Durango Police Department saw a lot of reflection in the rearview mirror this year.
We looked back to past incidents where things didn’t go so well and made positive preparations to not repeat mistakes. A good example is Halloween and the Zombie March. This year was another successful year for DPD during Halloween. We had extra officers out to monitor traffic and assist with the little ones who were trick-or-treating, and we planned well for the Zombie March, which went off with very few issues or arrests. We would like to thank Mother Nature for some unexpected assistance with that event also.
We looked back internally at things that were not working and made some changes to help improve our service to you, the residents of Durango. Some of those changes were painful, but they were all needed, and now the department is moving forward in a good direction.
And finally, we looked way back into our past and assembled our department’s history from the beginning. With the bold help of our newly appointed department historian, Sharon Greve, we have assembled the history of the DPD from 1881 to 1949. Sharon, who was a graduate of our Citizens’ Police Academy, worked tirelessly and relentlessly to put this history together; and we are very proud of her accomplishments. She was able to identify each town marshal and give a brief biography of the men who brought law and order to this very lawless western town. Sharon also went through thousands of documents from City Council meetings and municipal court records to assemble a picture of what Durango looked like in the late 1800s and early 1900s. This big book of history is on display in the DPD lobby.
As much as things change, they always seem to stay the same. In 1881, the DPD was dealing with loose dogs, and in 2014, we are still dealing with loose dogs. I’m not sure what it is about some dog owners who think that dogs should run free, but there have been laws on the books since 1881 saying that isn’t good and shouldn’t be allowed. Parking was a problem back then as it is now. There were just horses and wagons parking illegally then, instead of cars and trucks. The alleys off Main Street were in poor condition back then, and not much has changed.
It is fun, interesting, and intriguing to look back at our past; and we invite you to come and share it with us. We are looking forward to 2015 and excited about what the future brings, but we are grateful to our past and humbled by those who were brave enough to tame this lawless town. We hope that we can live up to their expectations, and yours as well.
Lt. Ray Shupe is assistant operations division commander with the Durango Police Department.
