NEDERLAND, Colo. (KDVR) — A community in the foothills will see its last serving police officer leave the department in a little over a month.
The last peace officer for the Town of Nederland’s police department has submitted her resignation effective Sept. 30. If no officer is recruited by the end of September, there will not be a single person serving in the Nederland Police Department.
The town has plans to keep some form of law enforcement present.
“Oh boy, it’s a very unique town. It’s very quirky, most people, myself included, everyone’s a little bit weird,” Ryan Blackwell, owner of Boogie Records in Nederland, said.
There’s a different sort of tune when going to Nederland. You get a sample of it at Blackwell’s record shop.
“Nederland, like some towns, does have some crime and some issues but it’s relatively infrequent,” Blackwell said.
The police presence there has been part of the steady beat of this mountain town.
“That’s one thing that I’ve always liked about the police department is their lack of presence, but complete absence is a different story,” Blackwell said.
Recently, the department has seen its record stop. The last serving police officer for the Nederland Police Department submitted her resignation.
“Now that that’s gone, my first thought was, ‘Oh boy, my business is now potentially in jeopardy. Word is out that there’s no police force in Nederland,'” Blackwell said.
There’s no doubt about safety in town, according to Blackwell.
“I wouldn’t hesitate to walk the streets of Nederland anytime, day or night, without any concern.”
Going without some police presence, however, isn’t the track most people want to take.
“Most people are in support of a local police department and obviously if that means raising the taxes to support it and pay for it, so far the consensus across the board is that people are willing to pay the extra taxes to have local protection,” Blackwell said.
The town’s website said it plans to bring in an interim marshal as soon as possible. Meanwhile, in that same statement, a town spokesperson said they will work with the Boulder Sheriff’s Office to provide extra coverage.