The following is a summary of the Marshal’s Town Hall Meeting that took place July 2, 2019 at Mancos Town Hall. Marshal Justen Goodall and Sgt. Brad Ray were in attendance to answer any questions or concerns that the citizens of Mancos may have had.
The meeting started with Marshal Goodall setting ground rules for the discussion and everyone to be respectful of one another. He also took this time to thank everyone who came out to have a conversation with them. He mentioned as well that no actions will be taken at the meeting and that the meeting was to gain public insight regarding the direction of the Mancos Marshal’s Office.
Marshal Goodall then gave some background history on himself as well as information regarding the proactive policing that the department is taking in regards to patrolling the streets and alleyways. Since they have incorporated this the amount of calls to the Marshal’s office has dropped and there have been fewer break-ins and vehicle thefts. Per Marshal Goodall the town of Mancos has not had a vehicle theft since early May.
Concerns from the town residents about the use of the overhead lights were discussed. Some members of the community felt it was invasive and unnecessary while others were happy and thankful to the officers for their patrolling techniques.
One resident was concerned that the Town was hindering the marijuana stores business by patrolling and parking at the establishments. Marshal Goodall explained the term “looping” and how it was illegal for customers to go to multiple stores in a day and buy more than the one ounce per day. The Marshal also explained that at an establishment’s request they have not actively enforced looping but will continue to indirectly enforce the law.
A lot of discussion was had regarding ICE in town and the involvement of the Mancos Marshals office in working with them. Marshall Goodall explained that the MMO works with ICE to keep the town residents safe. By the time ICE has come to Mancos, ICE already has a detainer in hand for the person of interest, the Marshal’s office does not help ICE with any investigations on a subject.
A few concerned citizens spoke about the fact that they felt targeted by the MMO and wanted to know why. The Marshal’s office explained their take on the situation and made clear that in their opinion they were not targeting these individuals. They would not target people based on race or any affiliation with persons of a different race. Marshal Goodall explained that the MMO has to go through bias training and that to be bias was immoral and wrong and they do not do it.
The evening ended with Marshall Goodall again thanking everyone for attending and providing feedback. He promised to look into what he and the department can do in regards to changing what they can based on concerns with a desire to better strengthen the trust in the MMO and continue to build a strong relationship with the town and local businesses.
