Promising change, Clear Creek County’s new sheriff has rearranged the beleaguered department with fresh leadership and promised transparency, which includes an enhanced social media presence.

Sheriff Matt Harris hopes to usher out the Clear Creek County Sheriff Department’s most recent era, which was defined by the case of an officer shooting and killing a young man who was suffering from a mental health crisis.

Christian Glass, who was shot and killed by a Clear Creek Sheriff’s deputy, had died in his car surrounded by seven law enforcement officers from various agencies. 

In a Facebook post, which emphasized a “New year, new approach,” Harris — who had his first day on duty Tuesday — swore in two top positions from existing staff after deciding not to reappoint existing undersheriff John Stein.

Harris told The Denver Gazette that when he told Stein of his decision not to extend the undersheriff’s contract last month, he promptly resigned from the force.

“We needed to bridge the gap with relationships with staff, community and county officials,” said Harris, who was a federal law enforcement officer for 27 years and taught at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. “Not having a good relationship with county officials and the county management team who holds the purse strings was not acceptable to me.” 

In one of his first moves on his first day as new sheriff, Harris swore in Matt Brown, a 23-year-veteran of the Clear Creek County Sheriffs, to replace Stein. Seth Marquardt, a 17-year-veteran of the force, is now Captain of Special Services and will be heading up the Community Relations Division, a new arm of the Clear Creek force dedicated to “better engage with the community,” Harris said.

The department will renew its account on the social media platform X that has been dormant for the last five years. 

The Clear Creek County Sheriffs have been under intense scrutiny since former Clear Creek County Sheriff Deputy Andy Buen shot and killed Glass on June 11, 2022. 

Video of the hour-long incident, which was recorded on police body worn camera, showed that Buen shot Glass through the window of his car during an intense nighttime standoff on a mountain road near Silver Plume. Glass, 22, had called 911 for help when his car got stuck on rocks.

In November, former Clear Creek County deputy Kyle Gould received two years of probation for pleading guilty to failing to intervene in excessive force by a peace officer.

Gould, 37, was the supervisor who gave an order to “breach” the window of Christian Glass’ car. 

Buen faces several charges, including second-degree murder, reckless endangerment and official misconduct. He pleaded not guilty last month, and his next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 5, 2024. 

Glass never left his car during the hour-long fatal incident, at times showing heart hands through the driver’s side window. The situation escalated out of control. 

Harris’ impression of the incident after watching Glass’ death was that “our deputies weren’t in danger. We ran out of patience. This is a kid who called us for help because he was having a mental crisis.”

Moving forward, Harris believes that his force “should not be defined by one bad critical incident.” He acknowledged that there is angst among his deputies over Glass’ death. He has plans for policy changes, transparency and community involvement to help rectify the situation, he said.  

Part of the fallout from Glass’ death was the resignation of former Clear Creek County Sheriff Rick Albers, who left the force in May after the announcement of a $19 million settlement involving several agencies. Since then, the department had operated under the direction of Stein. He gave up his county-owned vehicle after his resignation and another officer drove him home.