Sheriff’s race heats up. Pete Palmer throws his hat in the ring.

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We received this press release, and a visit from Mr. Palmer. He was a clear, focused and a calm listener. We appreciate the press release.

Buena Vista resident Pete Palmer today announced his candidacy for Chaffee County Sheriff in 2010. With over twenty-five years of management experience in local and international law enforcement, Palmer said he is uniquely qualified to lead the sheriff’s office in the twenty-first century.

Palmer’s campaign will focus on three principal themes: (1) extensive experience in professional law enforcement management; (2) a commitment to transparency and community interaction to ensure public confidence in the integrity of all department members; and (3) independence of judgment and action, free of any obligations to special

interests. After retiring from the Lakewood Police Department as a detective lieutenant, Palmer participated in six international police training missions with the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and the US Departments of State and Defense. He held command positions in four of these, including commander of the American contingent of 605 police officers with the UN Civilian Police in Kosovo. He is currently employed by an international firm as a law enforcement subject matter expert evaluating civilian police operations overseas.

Since returning from Iraq and moving to Chaffee County in 2005, Palmer has participated in local civic activities as a Buena Vista planning and zoning commissioner, a primary and general election judge, a member of the League of Women Voters, and chair of the Chaffee County Democratic Party. He was a deputy sheriff for two years, resigning in 2007.

Palmer is an active member of the FBI National Academy Associates, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the Civilian Police International Alumni Association. He holds a BA degree in Sociology from the University of Colorado. “I’ll be offering voters specific proposals for improving law enforcement within the county and describe my vision of what a quality agency should look like,” Palmer said.

Palmer has established a website that he said will be updated frequently during the campaign. The site is Palmer For Sheriff. He can be contacted via email at Pete@PalmerForSheriff.com or by telephone at his residence, 395-5609.