La Junta Police Named Colorado Parks Partner of the Year
The La Junta Police Department is the winner of the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Southeast Region Partners in the Outdoors Award for 2017.
The award was announced May 11 at the annual Partners in the Outdoors conference held in Breckenridge.
The La Junta Police Department was nominated by CPW’s Steven Keefer, who serves as district wildlife manager in the La Junta area.
“The team has taken its duties very seriously and has provided an excellent program,” Keefer said in his nomination “They have also made this a public-outreach program,” Keefer said. “The police department has received a supplemental budget from the city to help with the program. They provide program giveaways and purchase supplemental teaching materials. The department also allows officers to teach when on duty.”
The department built a classroom at its outdoor shooting range where officers train, and they’ve made it available for hunter education and other training and meetings.
And Quick has purchased a membership at the nearby La Junta Rifle Club so hunter ed students can shoot at indoors when the weather is poor. Several of the hunter safety instructors also have memberships at the La Junta Rifle Club, so students can shoot at the indoor range in bad weather.
The range and classroom have also been made available for use by Area 12 wildlife officers for firearms training and meetings.
“Both as an organization and individually, the La Junta Police Department has set an example of what it means to partner with our agency and others,” Keefer said.
Photo: La Junta Police Department's dispatch supervisor, Kim Roach, right, accepted the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Southeast Region Partners in the Outdoors Award at festivities May 11 in Breckenridge. The agency was nominated by CPW's Steven Keefer, left. Courtesy Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
