Thirty Seven Deputies Sworn In, One Assigned To Las Animas County

On November 20, a class graduation at the Regional Training Academy culminated in the swearing in of 37 POST certified deputies, a ceremony that signals renewed staffing and inter county cooperation across Colorado law enforcement agencies. El Paso County Sheriff’s Office officials reported that 30 of the new deputies will continue their service with EPSO, while the remaining recruits were allocated to neighboring counties and local agencies, including one to the Las Animas County Sheriff’s Office.

The ceremony also included the swearing in of two county security personnel whose focus will be visitor safety at county facilities. According to EPSO distribution details, four deputies will go to the Teller County Sheriff’s Office, one to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, one to the Costilla County Sheriff’s Office, and one to Las Animas County. The event was framed by a call to public service from Sheriff Joseph Roybal, who told graduates, “Today, each of you accepted the weight of the badge. It is more than a symbol—it is a promise. A promise to defend the constitutional rights of every person you encounter, to stand firm in moments of uncertainty, and to respond with calm, courage, and compassion when others need help. You now carry a responsibility that extends far beyond a uniform. You carry the expectations of a community and the legacy of every peace officer who has come before you.”

For Las Animas County, the addition of a single deputy from this graduating class is meaningful in the context of rural public safety. Smaller counties often operate with limited personnel, and even a single reassignment can alter patrol patterns, shift scheduling, and the capacity for community outreach. The new deputy will join existing teams that handle a wide range of duties from traffic enforcement to search and rescue coordination in remote areas. Residents may see modest improvements in coverage on certain shifts, and the appointment underscores the continuing importance of recruitment and training pipelines that move officers across county lines.

The graduation also highlights a broader regional dynamic where centralized training academies supply personnel to multiple jurisdictions, helping to standardize practices and legal training across agency boundaries. This can improve interoperability for multiagency responses and investigations, and it reinforces statewide standards for constitutional policing and procedural safeguards.

Local officials and community leaders in Las Animas County may use the transition as an opportunity to reaffirm priorities for public safety and community engagement, and to monitor how the new assignment affects response times and service delivery. The November 20 graduation represents not only new personnel, but also an investment in shared standards and regional cooperation that will shape policing in rural and urban counties across southern Colorado.