Sheriff Candidate: Greg Demo

Email Greg at gregdemo4sheriff@gmail.com

How long, and where have you lived in Gilpin County? I have been a member of the Gilpin County Community since joining the Sheriff’s Office as a Deputy in December of 1996.  After becoming a widower, I moved with my young children to Gilpin County in 2001 where I raised them to adulthood and have remained a resident ever since.  I have lived in mid-county since becoming a resident which has provided me experiences and perspective from the citizens in both the northern and the southern zones of Gilpin County.  I have personal and professional experiences with both Boulder Valley and Gilpin RE-1 school administrations and operations since my children have attended both Gilpin and Nederland school districts.  

What post-secondary schools have you attended? While serving in the military, I started taking college classes in Police Administration and Criminal Justice.  I received college credits from Chicago City Wide Colleges, Central Texas College, and Los Medanos College.  I attended Columbia College, of Columbia MO where I received my Associates Degree while majoring in Criminal Justice.  After completing my military service, I attended the Arapahoe Community College, Littleton, Colorado where I completed the Colorado Peace Officers Standards and Training Academy.   

What specific training or education have you received relevant to the position? My police career began in the Army Military Police Corps.  I graduated Military Police School August 5, 1987.  I served six years performing numerous duties and attending schools and trainings.  I received training and experience for personnel control, security specialized for convoy movements, Patrol Operations, SWAT, Crowd Control and protest management, DUI and Traffic Accident Investigations.  I entered Colorado Law Enforcement after graduating from the police academy with the CU Police and Adams County Sheriff’s Department.  After a short employment of almost three years working in the Denver metro area I came to Gilpin County as a Deputy.  I have served as a Deputy, Sergeant, Division Chief, and now as your Undersheriff.  In recent years I have attended the Elite Academy for Commanders, at The National Institute for Jail Operations Class 2022 – II.  The FBI – LEEDA Supervisor Leadership, Command Leadership, and Executive Leadership earning the FBI LEEDA trilogy award November 7, 2025.  I have numerous hours of training and experience spanning over 39 years of public and military service. 

Briefly describe your current career and home life. My current career position as your Undersheriff consists of supervising approximately 60-66 employees depending upon current job openings within the Sheriff’s Office.  I am the Sheriff’s appointed person to oversee and report activities from all six divisions within the Sheriff’s Office keeping him informed and responsive to our community.  I provide advice and answers to questions from senior members of Gilpin County government and to our partners in Law Enforcement, Fire, and EMS, in the absence of the Sheriff.  I am responsible for working closely with the Office of Emergency Management and in the Directors absence coordinate emergency response such as closing roads for unplanned railroad crossings repairs or major wind events needing shelter operations.  My career life of dedication for service to the Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office has intertwined with my home life.  My family has always supported my sense of duty for the community and I am blessed to have their continued full support and love.  I have a large family who are understanding of the commitment needed to be present, available, and responsive to the citizens and employees of Gilpin County.

List the Peak-to-Peak boards and civic or volunteer activities in which you have been involved and the dates of service. I currently am a new member of Peak-to-Peak Rotary.  I have over the years with my children and as a member of the Sheriff’s Office volunteered for different organizations and groups.  A few include Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Little League, Soccer, 4H, Gilpin School, Nederland School, Saint Mary’s Catholic Church.  Recently, I became a member of the Central City American Legion and attend the Gilpin County VFW meetings as a guest.  I was selected in 2023 to be on the twenty-person Colorado Jail Commission for the State of Colorado, which developed and wrote the jail standards enacted into law July 1, 2026.  In February, 2026 I was appointed by the Governors Office to sit as a member on the five-person Gaming Control Committee.   

Have you attended BoCC and/or local government meetings? I have been a regular at the BoCC meetings since my promotion to Division Chief at the Sheriff’s Office in 2021.  In the last few years, I have been attending high level meetings both in City, County and at the State level for different presentations, recommendations and requests that have impact on Gilpin County.  I regularly attend the Central City council meetings because of the Sheriff’s Office commitment to provide law enforcement services to the citizens of Central City and its visitors.

How would you enhance the experience of Gilpin County staff? My almost thirty years of Gilpin employment has seen many ups and downs, and life challenges both professionally and personally.  Those memories have only enhanced my personality with those life lessons and experiences.  I think I can provide both professional and personal guidance, that with not only help the employees of the Sheriff’s Office but other departments as well.   

What do you see as the major issues facing Gilpin County? How would you begin to address them? The major issue I see facing Gilpin County and the Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office is financial revenue, and sustainability for the future to continue current level of service.  As a Division Chief and now the Undersheriff I have looked at and continue to evaluate alternate methods, practices, and ideologies to maintain our current operations.  One example is the maintenance subscriptions for one of the detentions kitchen appliances.  This concept allowed for continuous operation without the liability being placed on the county for repairs and replacement.  I will continue to expand our partnerships and volunteer recruitment to help with staffing at the Sheriff’s Office and emergency response.  I will focus on making state legislators aware of the impacts of unfunded mandates and new laws on rural counties such as Gilpin.  I will continue to seek grants that provide necessary funding for emergency services.

As an elected official, what would be your top three goals for the county in the next year? My goals for the Sheriff’s Office will be to continue building our partnerships with neighboring law enforcement organizations along with our Fire Departments, and Emergency Medical Services.  It’s only by working together can we provide adequate services to the residents and visitors of Gilpin County while being prepared for a large-scale critical incident such as wildland fire.

Building of a robust wellness program for the Sheriff’s Office staff through grants and donations to help our employees deal with the struggles facing todays policing and emergency services.  By improving employee wellness and work place culture, I believe Sheriff’s Office retention of experienced staff will improve for the future of the organization.

Start looking at the next generation of technology for traffic enforcement and traffic safety.  Our state highways in Gilpin have become a playground for high end sports cars and motorcycles making traveling unsafe for residents and visitors alike.   

How would you collaborate with other Gilpin County departments and organizations? As the Undersheriff I quickly realized the need for the Sheriff’s Office to work closely with all the county departments for the citizens of Gilpin County.  I have worked with road and bridge (R&B) to discuss road signs for public awareness and public safety.  I have provided opinion on R&B resolutions for county ordinances involving the Gilpin County roadways.   I have worked with Community Development, Public Health, Gilpin Human Resources and Gilpin Human Services on more than one occasion to accomplish programs and both state and federal required obligations.  I have planned Sheriff’s Office participation to be present at events and functions scheduled by the Parks and Recreation Department.  I have tried to assist Facilities employees with their workloads by making their access to the justice center more responsive and accommodating by shifting operations for their needs to complete projects on time.  My presence in monthly meetings with other departments in my opinion, has improved efficiencies with the other departments in the past few years.  

Why do you want to hold the office for which you are running? Have you run for/held political office before? If so, where and when? I want to hold the office of Gilpin County Sheriff because I believe I possess the most experience and knowledge to take the office into its next chapter.  I have never held or ran for political office before this election. The position of Sheriff is not just a job, it’s an oath sworn to protect all citizens in accordance to the law that governs our County, the State of Colorado, and the United States of America.  I have a history of bringing solutions or finding solutions to problems facing Gilpin County and the Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office.  I want to be a Sheriff that is present, available, informed and responsive.  I have no special interests or family obligations distracting or pulling me away from my commitments for the office, Gilpin County, and its citizens.   I would be honored and humbled to be able to spend the remainder of my law enforcement career serving the community that has given me and my family so much for the past three decades. 

Will you be able to meet the time requirements of the office?  Do you, or will you, have another job as well as the position you are running for? In my current position as Undersheriff I believe I am required to be available day and night every day of the week unless I have made special arrangements with the Sheriff or other command staff.  My only job commitment is to the Sheriff’s Office and Gilpin County.  I do not see myself changing my position of availability if elected as Sheriff.  Since becoming a Gilpin deputy almost 30 years ago I have learned many things and have been taught lots of lessons from some very gifted individuals. One such lesson was from a previous Sheriff and Undersheriff team; they believed a person could be “good” at numerous jobs but could only be “great” if a person’s focus was specifically on one job.  I never forgot that lesson.

How have you, and/or how will you, operate with transparency and honesty in your role? Colorado House Bill 19-1119 requires Colorado Law Enforcement agencies to make completed internal fairs investigations public upon request in certain specific circumstances.  Integrity is the one of the most significant characteristics to gain public trust and fulfill the requirements set forth in the Six Pillars of modern Policing.  The Colorado Senate Bill 20-217 is also a major contributor to the requirements of transparency with in the Sheriff’s Office operation.  This requires the use of body worn cameras for law enforcement in the course of their duties.  I believe keeping the workforce within the Sheriff’s Office informed of difficult decisions and providing explanations for those unpopular decisions may help provide insight and vision from a leadership position.  The public deserves fair and open dialog with its elected officials; this means to me that elected officials should listen to the community and give them an opportunity to be heard when building trust and transparency.  

How will you handle conflict resolution within your office, if elected? The Sheriff’s Office has 66 authorized full-time employees (FTE) when its completely staffed.  This is a diverse and complicated mixture of professions and professionals.  There are deputies and officers which are a majority who have been trained to operate under a para-military style of leadership and then we have our professional support staff who come from varies job experiences and positions who are required to function in the para-military environment.  The Sheriff’s Office has established policies and procedures for complaints, grievances and employee discipline.  These policies were reviewed and updated by the S.O. administration in accordance to the latest employment law and best practice in the last year.  I believe holding staff accountable for their actions and using the least amount of employee discipline to correct poor work place behavior.  The mission is to perform service to our community by our staff at the standards they expect.  You accomplish conflict resolution by listening, evaluating, researching, compromising, and following the law and best practices.

Please disclose any current personal and/or professional relationships with the City of Black Hawk, City of Central, or Gilpin County. Over the passage of almost 30 years as a county employee in the Sheriff’s Office and 25 years as a resident I have developed many personal and professional relationships within the cities of Black Hawk, Central and Gilpin County.  These relationships have been necessary to coordinate multi department operations, emergency responses and Sheriff’s Office planning and development.  Almost a year ago, my wife Tera became an employee of the Sheriff’s Office after a change in the employment law, which was confirmed and researched by Sheriff Armstrong and the Gilpin County Human Resources Department for approval.  An outside independent, robust testing and hiring process directed by Sheriff Armstrong while monitored by Gilpin County Human Resources, where members of the Sheriff’s Office did not participate, was conducted with many applicants.  Upon conclusion, Tera was identified with her 26 years of Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office service in various positions, as the first choice with the most experience and qualifications to enhance the Sheriff’s Office Administration for Sheriff Armstrong. 

If you could ask one other candidate one question, what would it be? Decline  

What is your position on sexually oriented businesses in Central City? The Sheriff of Gilpin County should promote any person’s business in Gilpin County to be successful if it contributes to economic growth, employment opportunities, and operates within the established local, state, and federal law.  The Sheriff takes an oath to perform his or her duties in accordance to the laws equally and justly for all Gilpin County Citizens without prejudice.  As Sheriff, I will assist the City of Central to ensure any final court decisions regarding sexually oriented businesses (SOB) in Central City needed to be executed by their Community Development Department is completed while Sheriff’s Office personnel are present to maintain peace and order for public safety.  

What experience do you have with government or nonprofit budgets? I have as a Gilpin employee for many years been involved with managing spending of the Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office budget.  This would be the yearly management of costs for the daily operations of the Sheriff’s Office and expenditure’s management on multi - agency responses to incidents while staying within budget limitations.  I have also been involved for numerous years in grant management bringing in revenue for the Sheriff’s Office and the general fund.  My hands on experience with developing and requesting specific amounts to Sheriff’s Office line items from the Gilpin County budget started in 2021 as a Division Chief.  As Undersheriff, I have been in the process of approving, prioritizing, and overseeing the recommendations by division leaders and the approved yearly budgets for Patrol, Detentions, Victim Services, Office of Emergency Management, and Dispatch.  As Commissioner for the Gaming Control Commission, one of my primary duties is to monitor the financials for a billion-dollar industry, and vote on the approval of the yearly Department of Revenue Gaming operation budget and expenditures payouts. 

What kind of growth do you want to see in Gilpin County? This is a complicated question from a public safety standpoint.  I want to promote steady, reasonable, and responsible growth; however, I know this comes at a price for services needed to ensure Gilpin County can adjust to the changes.  More growth will require more need for Law Enforcement, Fire, and EMS.  This does not include the unfunded mandates placed on our Human Services Departments, and Department of Health which also needs funding, or the other County Government Departments such as Road and Bridge, and Community Development.   This is a financial burden that could be placed onto an already limited county general fund.   As an employee and resident, I am very concerned with water availability for the future of Gilpin County and its industry along with residential properties.  The bottom line is together we have to act responsible and methodical to our community needs.

Are there any federal issues with homelessness, elections, or ICE you anticipate having to handle? How would you handle them? Specific Colorado laws restrict the Sheriff’s Office from unlimited and complete cooperation with Federal ICE Law Enforcement Actions.  This is really prevalent to the Jail detention holds and release criteria for alleged persons who are in violation of the federal immigration laws.  As a Sergeant, Division Chief, and now Undersheriff, I have stayed on top of the law and expectations with regards to judicial reviewed and authorized warrants and holds for persons in our custody for federal authorities.  Our position has to be that we assist our federal and state law enforcement partners to maintain peace and order for our community public safety and the safety of their operations and personnel.  This is performed under the policies and procedures of the Sheriff’s Office and the laws governing Gilpin County, Colorado, and the United States of America.  Specific to elections the Sheriff’s Office will provide support if needed to the Clerk and Recorders Office to ensure secure, fair and safe Gilpin County elections.