A life of service rooted in small-town Rye and how the “Sheriff” is doing now

(COLORADO) — Born and raised in Colorado, and local to the small town of Rye, a familiar face, “Sheriff,” as they still call him these days, isn’t quite ready to hang up his hat just yet.

“I am blessed and will be forever grateful for the opportunity to work with so many fine men and women here at the Sheriff’s Office, it’s been an honor and a privilege,” said former Pueblo County Sheriff Kirk Taylor.

It was on Oct. 14, 2022, when Taylor made his final 10-42 call for the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office—another key moment in his life of service, which began in 1983 with the U.S. Navy.

“I did three years active service and I did three years reserve,” he said. “And so I was honorably discharged in 1989, and while I was in the reserves, I got my first police job, which was in the city of Alamosa, Alamosa Police Department.”

From there, Taylor served as an investigator with the 10th Judicial District Attorney’s Office for 11 years while attending law school. He eventually became a prosecutor before running for sheriff.

“I was elected in 2006,” Taylor recalled. “I took office in January 2007 and I was blessed to be able to do four terms there.”

Reflecting on some of the biggest accomplishments during his time as Sheriff:

“I was able to get an emergency operation center built for the City and County of Pueblo that ended up being designated as the backup emergency operations center for the state by the governor’s office,” he explained.

The other moment was in his final year as Sheriff, when he was able to obtain funding for the new jail, which he said was desperately needed in the community. “That jail is going up right now, which I’m extremely proud about and happy for the citizens of Pueblo County and the City.”

These days, Taylor leads a new team as the United States Marshal (USM) for the District of Colorado.

“The deputy marshals are just incredible and they’re so bright; on weekends they go run marathons for fun,” laughed Taylor. “And, so to be able to have the honor of being in charge of that, has just really been very rewarding for me personally.”

Established in 1789, the U.S. Marshals Service is the oldest law enforcement agency in the United States. “We don’t investigate crimes as the Marshals Service,” he explained. “We arrest fugitives, so unless there’s a warrant for an individual, we don’t do an investigation on them.”

While capturing fugitives is one of the many responsibilities of the Marshals Service , they also specialize in judicial security, asset forfeiture, and also operate the federal Witness Security Program, just to name a few.

“They really are here to help and enhance local law enforcement because of the limited jurisdiction that local law enforcement has,” Taylor said about the Marshals Service. “So, something happens in the Colorado Springs area and they leave the Colorado Springs area, we can go get them; they leave the state, we can get them; they leave the country, we can go get them.”

An initiative Taylor said he brought to the Marshals Service is what’s known as ‘Operation Colorado Cleanup;’ the mission is to track down sex offenders who fail to register in Colorado.

“That’s the biggest initiative I brought in when I became Marshal,” he said. “And, it really took us out of Denver. I told them when I got there, ‘I’m from Rye, I’m not the Marshal of Denver.'”

Taylor said while working in Denver has its perks, his heart remains in Southern Colorado.

“I love the fact that I still live in my hometown of Rye, population 200,” Taylor said. “Everybody says, ‘Hey, Sheriff, how are you?’ I’m still Sheriff, right? Even though I’m the Marshal, I’m still Sheriff.”

Taylor credits his wife’s support for helping him adjust to his new role.

“So we are in our 40th year,” Taylor smiled. “And so my beautiful wife has lived in the country her whole life with me, but she originally comes from a city, so the ability to move to Denver was a culture shock for me, but she loves it. And so, she’s having a great time and to watch her blossom and just renew everything, it’s just been fun.”

Always remembering where he came from, those he’s served with, and the ones he’s lost.

On June 16, 2012, during Taylor’s tenure as Sheriff, the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office lost Inspector Warren Watts. Just two months later, the Sheriff’s Office would endure another tragedy.

“The 31st of August was Leide DeFusco and John Barger’s anniversary date, 12 years since the year they all passed,” he said somberly.

“So, those are the things that you don’t ever get over and you live with the rest of your life.”

With the understanding that while things may be a little different now, Taylor’s passion for law enforcement and protecting his community remains the same.

“I’ve always said you can take a country kid and put him in the city and he’ll be fine. If you take a city kid and put them in a country, it’s 50/50,” he laughed.

As he reflected on his first two years of service as U.S. Marshal, Taylor said he has another goal before his term ends: “My hope and dream is, that I can get to 100% staffing and be able to get out to more of these rural areas and help more local law enforcement in their apprehensions.”

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