Chaffee County Sheriff John Spezze has announced his retirement, effective September 10 2024, following a 44 year-long career in the law enforcement sector.
Sheriff Spezze has served as Chaffee County Sheriff for the past decade, first elected in 2014. Spezze joined Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office in January 2011 when he was hired as Undersheriff.
“Having grown up in Salida and raised my family here, I know and love this community very deeply. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve Chaffee County as Sheriff for the past 13 years. This has been a tremendously difficult decision to retire, but due to recent health concerns, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s time,” shared Sheriff Spezze.
Sheriff Spezze’s career in law enforcement began in 1981 when he was hired as a patrolman with the Salida Police Department where he served for three years. He then took a patrol position with the Denver Police Department (DPD) in 1984, ultimately moving up to detective role in 1989, followed by promotion to sergeant in 1993, where he was responsible for major criminal investigations and undercover street operations in northwest Denver. Spezze then moved into the Office of the Chief of Investigations, before taking an assignment with the Federal Bureau of Investigations running joint corruption investigations. The final phase of his 27-year tenure with Denver Police Department was spent supervising the Neighborhood Police Program and narcotics detectives and undercover operations. Spezze retired from DPD in 2010.
“I pride myself on having built capacity and elevated our capabilities within the department during my years as Sheriff. I am confident this positive direction will continue forward through the strong and dedicated law enforcement and first responder teams we have in Chaffee County,” expressed Spezze.
“I am leaving this position with incredible gratitude for the Chaffee County community and its support of me and our department. Thank you for entrusting me to serve you as your Sheriff these many years.”
Following Spezze’s announcement at the regular meeting of the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) on September 10th, the Commissioners named Undersheriff Andy Rohrich as Interim Sheriff, effective at midnight September 10th. Rohrich has served with the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office since 2002 and has been Undersheriff for 4 years, leading the daily operations for the Sheriff’s Office, patrol, communications, detentions and records departments. The Commissioners will consider nomination for Sheriff successor at a special meeting of the Board of County Commissioners scheduled for Thursday, September 12th at 9:00 a.m.
Shared BOCC Chair, Commissioner P.T. Wood, “We are incredibly grateful to John for the many years of dedication to the people of Chaffee County and for the many ways he has supported the evolving needs of the community over his three-term tenure. He’s spent his career taking care of others and now it’s time for him to take care of himself. We wish him all the best in his well-deserved retirement.”
