EPCSO needs better communication, trust, leadership, report says
A survey of more than 200 employees within the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office reveals concern and criticism about the office’s direction during the first year under Sheriff Bill Elder.
The survey resulted in a report released this week by KRW Associates, a consulting firm based in Colorado Springs.
The report said Elder and the office have made progress since January, when Elder replaced outgoing Sheriff Terry Maketa, but more progress is needed, specifically in improving communication, trust and effective leadership.
The report made 40 recommendations to the Sheriff’s Office.
“I place (blame) squarely on the last administration,” Elder said Tuesday. “If we could have developed a transition plan, we could have attacked some of this stuff earlier. But we weren’t given that opportunity.”
Elder said he will work hard to improve morale, management and efficiency in his office.
“They (employees) are still in a wait-and-see attitude, so our goal as a staff is to win them over, one at a time,” he said.
Maketa was accused of wrongdoing while in office, including a county investigation that found he’d had inappropriate relationships with three female subordinates and promoted them over more qualified employees.
Other accusations include favoritism, discrimination, mishandling of internal affairs files, creating a hostile work environment and eliminating most oversight of his office’s budget.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation has been in charge of a probe of Maketa and the office since July 2014. The CBI will determine if he should face criminal charges in state court.
The situation puts the county in an uncomfortable position, said County Commissioner Amy Lathen, because the county legally must pay to defend Maketa if he’s charged with a crime while a county employee.
“We don’t want the taxpayers to pay for this,” she said. “We also must protect our staff and resolve employment claims made against Maketa. Ending this case is going to take some time. I could see the investigation lasting another year.”
The internal survey and report cost around $55,000 and was paid for out of the Sheriff’s Office budget, Elder said.
To see the report, visit: http://mail.npgco.com/service/home/~/?auth=co&loc=en_US&id=127776&part=3.
