One Colorado town's police try to keep up with growth as officials say fire, public works also need funding

CBS News

5 days ago

When responding to an emergency, every moment counts, especially as Colorado's communities grow.
According to the latest census report, Erie is the 15th fastest-growing town in the country, and now its emergency services are trying to keep up.
Erie Police Chief Lee Mathis has worked at the department for decades. He's watched the town and department grow, but one is certainly outpacing the other.
"We need more officers, obviously, and we need a bigger building -- more space to do our job. Our evidence room is nearly full. We need more parking spaces for more police cars. We need more lockers for more police officers," Mathis said.
So he's asking town council not just for a bigger building, but also for a bigger team.
"We are below the national average for officers per population," Mathis said. "(Erie) has grown rapidly over the last five years. I think that that's caught us a little bit by surprise."
Mathis says his department is working under long-term planning goals, but there's certainly been a spike in people moving to the town. According to Census data, the population grew 9.2% between 2023 and 2024.
In that same time frame, Erie police say calls for service have gone up about 20%, as two officers were added to the previous 46 on the force. All of the officers now serve close to 40,000 people, and it has impacted response times.
"We've gone from a minute for a priority 1 call to three (minutes), just because of the call volume," Mathis said. "Two minutes sounds like a short period of time, but I know it's a long period of time when it's a life safety issue."
Mathis explained that during the Fourth Of July holiday, officers were spread so thin that they were unable to respond to all firework calls.
But Erie police aren't the only ones asking for the town council's help to keep up with growing demand.
"You can't double a town and not continue to invest in our facilities," Erie Mayor Andrew Moore said. "But that's also true for public works. You think about the next snowstorm that rolls in; it's not like we can just staff the police, but forget about public works, right?"
Moore explained the town is also working to assess needs for recreation and entertainment centers and other facilities that have a higher demand as population grows. And while the growth rate may change, Moore says he wants to prepare as he expects the town to keep growing for years to come.
But as thousands move in and funds are limited, Erie's mayor is giving residents their own say in what council should prioritize in next year's budget.
"We've got a survey that's going to every single home," Moore said. "I'm hopeful that we'll get a large participation rate to really help guide myself and council on, 'what are the priorities?'"
Meanwhile, Erie police hope they're one of those priorities.
"If you don't have the revenues coming in to fulfill those long-term staffing goals, sometimes you have to put those things off," Mathis said. "We have a low crime rate, and we want to keep it that way."
Town leaders are expected to look at the budget next week. Some possible funding sources could include current taxes, the town's revenue fund, or possibly asking the voters if they'd like to increase the town's sales tax in the future.