Coombes response to Smith Facebook post

March 10, 2017 I stand by my 13 years of service at the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office, and I stand by my 25year commitment to Fort Collins and the Northern Colorado community. I have always stood up for what is right even if it comes at a price The Facebook post by Sheriff Smith concerning my service to Larimer County as a Tactical Marksman on the SWAT Team is false and untruthful. At the time of my separation from employment at LCSO, I served as the Sniper Team Leader.

In 2007, I was terminated by Sheriff Alderden because of philosophical and political differences.

His final letter to me stated that I was terminated “at the will of the sheriff,” which was policy he swore he would never use against his own staff. Sheriff Alderden put a great emphasis on civil seizures resulting from narcotics investigations. The Larimer County Drug Task Force focused on community impact, contrary to Sheriff Alderden’s emphasis. Ultimately, I did not believe in conducting drug investigations for profit for the Sheriff’s Office. As a result, there were allegations made against me by high-ranking administrators of the Alderden Administration. The Sheriff’s Office Administration violated policies and procedures designed to protect my employee due process. I was not afforded a fair opportunity to refute the allegations and appeal my termination in a timely manner as established in policy. Following my employment at the Sheriff’s Office I served as an investigator in the District Attorney’s office in Boulder. I testified in courts in Boulder, Larimer, and Weld Counties, and my credibility has never been challenged or questioned.

I ask that Sheriff Smith put aside his partisan grandstanding and allow a committed Fort Collins citizen run an honest race against a worthy opponent to represent Fort Collins in District 3.

Unfortunately, we live in an era where a high ranking elected official can espouse false and misleading facts on social media in an effort to sway an election. Sheriff Smith did that on March 8th by posting inaccurate and misleading information on his Sheriff Smith Facebook page. To see this sort of political bullying occur on a local level is troubling and damaging to our democratic process.

Gordon Coombes