Bayard Police Chief Hector Carrillo asked Grant County commissioners on Feb. 13 to reject proposals to reduce funding for his department, saying data on call volume does not support cuts and that reducing local resources would jeopardize public safety.

Chief Carrillo provided a month-by-month breakdown for 2024 showing 157 calls total for the city between January and December 2024 and said Bayard answers more than 50 calls per month in aggregate when measured across agencies. “Using this limited data as a basis to try and take funds from our department is not only unreasonable but it also jeopardizes public safety,” Carrillo said, urging the commission to “reject any efforts to strip essential funding from our local law enforcement.”

In the elected-officials portion of the meeting, the county sheriff reported that the Grant County Sheriff’s Office began full operations on a new Central Square computer-aided dispatch and records management system on Jan. 6. The sheriff said the system will let deputies better track offenders, vehicles and case details and should reduce time spent on reports once the new workflows are finalized.

The sheriff offered a summary of activity captured in the new system from Jan. 6 through the end of that month: 1,737 total calls (dispatch and self‑initiated combined), 42 alarm calls, 41 domestic‑disturbance calls, 31 noninjury accidents and 8 injury accidents, seven criminal-damage complaints, 10 unattended deaths and 313 traffic stops initiated by deputies. The sheriff said some reporting categories are still being refined as the office adjusts to the new system.

The sheriff also listed upcoming and recent training courses for deputies — including pipeline response, crimes‑against‑children coursework, verbal de‑escalation and homicide investigation training — and said that training investment strengthens field performance: “The better more training I give my staff, the better officers we have out there,” he said.

Operation Stone Garden, a federal grant coordinating local enforcement and U.S. Border Patrol, began Jan. 1 and the sheriff said deputies are working overtime shifts to assist border patrol; local municipal police departments are also participating.

The sheriff cautioned the board that a long‑time donor who had provided about $30,000 annually to support the D.A.R.E. program is leaving the county and will not continue the contribution; the sheriff asked commissioners and the public to consider funding or fundraising options to sustain the youth program.

Commissioner Medina thanked local law‑enforcement leadership for their efforts and praised visible deputies in the field. No formal funding changes were taken during the meeting; Carrillo’s request was recorded as public comment.