Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith retires with legacy of overcoming natural disasters as a community
After more than 30 years with the Larimer County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Justin Smith will be retiring on Monday night. Smith, the county's sheriff of 12 years, will hand off his badge to John Feyen due to term limits.
In his final interview as sheriff, Smith told CBS News Colorado he feels the agency is in a better place than it was when he took over leadership.
"This is my whole adult life. I came directly from a college final to start this job in 1991," Smith said,
But when Smith took over the office more than a decade ago, there was no way he could have known his legacy as sheriff would be more closely associated with handling natural disasters than it was handling responses to major crimes.
"I came in thinking law enforcement issues, crime and jail issues [would be my main focus]. I would say my tenure as sheriff was defined by the natural disasters that occurred with fires and floods," Smith said. "I had to be prepared to lead the organization and hopefully be a good voice for the community throughout that."
During Smith's time leading the sheriff's office, he oversaw the response to some of Colorado's most historic natural disasters. In 2012 the High Park Fire charred its way through Larimer County burning many homes and killing one.
The next year, historic flooding plagued many Colorado communities, with a majority of those impacted being in Larimer County. Military helicopters were used to evacuate people and one of the county's most iconic canyons was closed to the public for many years while rebuilding was completed.
Then, in 2020, Colorado's largest fire on record burned more than 200,000 acres of Larimer County. The Cameron Peak Fire charred hundreds of properties and burned for months.
Colorado is one of only three states where local sheriffs are the highest-ranking fire official in their region, meaning Smith oversaw the response to many aspects of the wildfires in Larimer County since he took office.
"The scale and scope that we had over the last 12 years was truly unprecedented," Smith said.
Smith said he was proud of how his employees served their communities through the crises, adding they were able to show how committed they were to doing more than just policing.
"It was really a chance for us to show our community what our heart and spirit was," Smith said. "We are not a law enforcement agency, we truly are guardians of the community."
Smith, an outspoken advocate for law enforcement officers through his social media platforms, also navigated his agency through social unrest when it came to policing following the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police.
Colorado lawmakers were quick to make changes to Colorado policing laws following Floyd's murder in Minnesota. Smith was outspoken on his disagreements with many of the initial proposals for law reform and publicly advocated for reasonable changes that could increase public trust while also not jeopardizing the safety or retention of officers.
Smith said part of leading during a time of public distrust in the profession came with supporting his staff publicly when they deserved it.
Smith compared running the agency to participating in a relay race. He said his predecessor did his best during his leg of the race and handed off the baton. Now Smith said he feels he did his best to hand off the agency in an even better place to Feyen.
In recent weeks, Smith has been clearing out his office in preparation for his final day. He said he was ready to retire from the agency and looks forward to what comes next.
