MESA COUNTY, Colo - The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office recognized and thanked the efforts of its many dedicated volunteers during a volunteer appreciation lunch this weekend.
The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office works with several volunteer groups that are integral to helping the agency provide services to Mesa County.
“Thank you for the amazing work you do for us every day. We cannot possibly provide the high level of service to our community that we do without the critical efforts of each and every one of our volunteers,” said Sheriff Matt Lewis.
This year, five individuals were awarded Volunteer of the Year for their contributions to the Sheriff’s Office and respective volunteer organization.
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Dave Morlan VAP Volunteer of the Year |
Dave Morlan, a volunteer for the Victim Advocate Program, was recognized by this fellow volunteers for his dedication to helping victims of crime. In 2017, Victim Advocates spent 552 hours assisting victims of crime and their families as well as assist the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office with the staging and welfare of victims of large fires or other large critical incidents.
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Bryan Wright COP Volunteer of the Year |
Bryan Wright was recognized as Volunteer of the Year for the Citizens on Patrol program. Wright has also headed up MCSO’s internship program. In 2017, Citizen on Patrol volunteers responded to 2425 calls for service. Those calls include performing VIN Inspections, Red Tags of vehicles, serve Civil Papers, vacation home checks, providing scene security and assisting in special events. Their work helps allow patrol deputies to focus and respond to more 911 calls.
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Dick Lange Records Volunteer of the Year |
Dick Lange, a volunteer of the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office since 2013, was recognized as Volunteer of the Year for the Records department of the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office in 2013. Lange helps with fingerprinting citizens, scanning documents, and assisting on archived records, by organizing, scanning and categorizing them. In 2017, Lange along with 5 other volunteers, contributed about 45 hours a week to helping our Records department run smoothly.
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Todd Holmes SARC Volunteer of the Year |
Mesa County Search and Rescue’s Ground Team President Todd Holmes, was awarded Volunteer of the Year. Holmes is a 10 year member of the non-profit organization. He serves on the Heli and Ground teams, Operations, Gear Driver and is a Boat Operator for the Swiftwater Team as well. In 2017, Mesa County Search and Rescue volunteers were called out 86 times for lost or injured citizens, evidence recovery, and river rescues.
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Harlen Larsen accepting Jail Volunteer of the Year for his wife Francis |
Francis Larsen, a religious volunteer for the Mesa County Detention Facility, was awarded the Volunteer of the Year award. Larsen is credited for being a bright spot to everyone's day when she comes into the jail. The volunteers that work in the MCSO Detentions include representatives from Mind Springs, the Jail Ministry, numerous other religious volunteers, and various other educational groups. The total hours for 2017 for all of these various groups totaled 1395 hours.
If you would like to become a volunteer for the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office, you can learn how on our
website.