New Police Chief Announced
New Police Chief Announced
City Manager Ron LeBlanc has announced his selection for Chief of Police. Jim Spratlen, currently Captain of the Operations Division with the Durango Police department and interim chief of police, has accepted the position.
As directed by the City Charter, the next step in the process is confirmation by the City Council. City Council will consider the confirmation on Tuesday, June 7th, at the regular City Council meeting. Once confirmed, Captain Spratlen will assume the duties of chief of police on June 8th. The Police Chief position was vacated when David Felice retired on June 1st, after a 31-year career in law enforcement and 3 years as chief with the Durango Police department.
Spratlen began his law enforcement career in 1987 as a deputy sheriff for the La Plata County Sheriff’s department. In 1995, he joined the City of Durango as a dispatcher for the Emergency Communications Center and less than six months later became a Durango police officer. During his tenure with the City, he has worked his way through the ranks and was promoted to captain in July of 2006.
“The chief of police is a critically important position in the organization,” commented City Manager Ron LeBlanc. “The decision to promote from within the department was made after meeting with both the sworn and administrative staff at the police department. Jim has earned the respect of the rank and file, and it was obvious to me that he has the experience necessary to be successful in this position.”
Spratlen was an instructor for the Law Enforcement Academy in Durango and serves on many multi-jurisdictional boards and committees such as: Hazardous Material Voluntary Certification Governor’s Board, Western Slope Joint Terrorism Task Force, Law Enforcement Torch Run Committee, Southwest Regional All Hazards Council, and the International Outlaw Motorcycle Gang Investigator Association. In addition, he serves as Chair for the Southwest Regional Communications Committee and is a State-certified Type III Incident Commander, serving as the Incident Commander for the Southwest Incident Management Team. His annual starting salary will be $105,062 – the same as Felice’s.
“Jim Spratlen did a remarkable job bringing together fire, law enforcement and EMS agencies to agree on the 800 mHz radio system. Not an easy task,” stated Chief Daniel Noonan, Durango Fire and Rescue Authority. “Throughout the many years I have worked with Capt. Spratlen, he has demonstrated a willingness to show respect to the fire service and work effectively as partners with us.”
Spratlen’s promotion to chief will open up a captain’s position. A second captain’s position was opened after Micki Browning’s departure on June 3rd. An internal selection process will be conducted by an outside consultant company, The Morrison Group LLC, to ensure impartiality and fairness. Those promotions will likely open other promotional opportunities within the department.
