by Marissa Lorenz
The Kremmling Police Department (KPD) filled it’s employee roll a little more on Monday with the start of Kremmling resident Karla Hassler as the Department’s new Police Technician.
Karla first came to Kremmling in 1981 with husband Alan Hassler, a graduate of West Grand High School. They would eventually move to Grand Junction, not to return until 2015 when Alan accepted a job as Grand County Attorney.
Karla immediately became re-integrated into the community, helping to organize the 100th Middle Park Fair and Rodeo celebration in 2016. She has remained involved with various fair and rodeo committees since that time, getting to know and understand the area’s traditional ranchers and ranching lifestyle.
“I look forward to getting to know more about the rest of the town and community that I haven’t yet had an opportunity to know,” Karla says. “It will be a really great way to do that.”
Karla has spent the last two years as a motor vehicle specialist in the Grand County Clerk and Recorder’s Office, but her professional career has been mostly in the legal field. She has decades of experience as a legal secretary and certified paralegal.
She became interested in the law enforcement aspect of legal work when she was supporting Alan’s work in defending various law enforcement agencies. “I was so excited when this opportunity came up,” she exclaims. “It will allow me to better utilize my skill set in serving the community.
“Law enforcement is about protection, safety, and security for our community. This is a wonderful way to be a part of that.”
Karla will be responsible for helping to manage workflow and property and evidence collection, according to Kremmling Police Chief Hiram Rivera. She will
“ensure that information coming in is properly managed, organized, & disseminated, according to law.”
“Karla will be an integral part of our operations,” explains Chief Rivera. “She brings a wealth of experience in the workforce and a local knowledge that gives us a ‘force multiplier’ with her knowledge of area history and culture, especially in a new workforce, at least half of which is coming from out of the region.
“It is important to have employees from the area who are rooted and grounded in the community to ensure that what we are doing is appropriate, acceptable, and necessary in meeting community needs and helping it thrive,” says Rivera.
“Having her perspective as a professional and a citizen will help guide our policing and enforcement activities.”
The Town of Kremmling has extended a job offer to Jesse Lisenby of Fort Worth, Texas, a recent finalist for the position of chief of police. If those negotiations are successful, the KPD will have filled three of its four budgeted officer positions.
Chief Rivera indicates that he will likely wait until 2021 to advertise for the final position.
“At the moment, I would like to get some processes and procedures in place as well as some experience and training for everyone on the very new staff,” he explains. “Once we’re all up to speed, we do some rebranding and re-establishing our image for the Kremmling Police Department, then we’ll be prepared to introduce another officer to the mix. We’ll have something to advertise and will be able to fill the final vacancy in the near future.”
 filled it’s employee roll a little more on Monday with the start of Kremmling resident Karla Hassler as the Department’s new Police Technician.){kind=link}