Southern Colorado police chief placed on paid leave after alleged off-duty incident

MONTE VISTA, Colo. (KRDO) – A southern Colorado police chief has been placed on paid administrative leave following reports of an alleged "off-duty" incident over the weekend.

According to the Monte Vista City Manager, Gigi Dennis, the city's chief of police, Tyler Harford, was placed on paid leave effective Tuesday after the city received word of an incident that had happened Saturday evening within Saguache city limits.

Court records show Harford is facing two counts of disorderly conduct/fighting in public and one count of third-degree assault out of Saguache County, stemming from an incident on Oct. 25.

Neither the city manager nor the police department provided additional information on the alleged incident, which Dennis said was done to "protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation and the privacy of all individuals involved."

Dennis said the decision to place Harford on leave was made in accordance with city policy and to ensure transparency while an independent investigation is conducted by the Salida Police Department.

"During the investigation, Sergeant Robert Pino will serve as Acting Chief of Police to ensure continued operations within the department," Dennis said in a press release.

Harford has only served as the department's chief of police for just over two months, having been sworn in on Aug. 7 of this year.

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