The responsibility of the Detective Division is to coordinate and conduct follow-up investigations of reported felony and misdemeanor offenses that occur within the unincorporated areas of Archuleta County.

Detectives are tasked with timely and thorough criminal investigations that are conducted in an unbiased and objective manner. They gather facts that conclude if in fact a crime has occurred, and in some cases if a crime has not occurred.

Detectives work closely with the Town of Pagosa springs Police Department, Department of Human Services, Child Protective Services, Probation, Parole, the District Attorney's Office, federal Agencies, the US Attorney, and the District and County Courts.

There are currently two Detectives that work for the Sheriff's office.

	Detective Sergeant Rich Valdez Detective Valdez supervises the day to day operations of the division including the Evidence and Crime Scene personnel. He is also responsible for investigating cases.
	Detective Geroge Barter Detecvtive Barter is the newest addition to the division. His primary responsibility is the investigation of welfare and fraud cases. His position is jointly funded by the Department of Human Services and the Sheriff's office. Detective Barter also investigates other crimes involving children such as child abuse and child sexual assault cases.

Evidence
Norm Frazier is in charge of all evidence that comes into the department for safekeeping until needed for court. He is also responsible for processing serious crime scenes, and all evidence collected.

Narcotics
In partnership with the Town of Pagosa Springs Police Department, we staff an additional detective whose sole responsibility is that of enforcing narcotics related crimes within the county and town. This detective will work closely with each agency, as well as that of other surrounding agencies including Federal Narcotics enforcement officers.

Sheriff Gonzalez is committed to making this county a safer place to live. He believes that the people he was elected to protect and serve will greatly benefit from the service provided by the Detective Division.

The Detective Division investigates all felony crimes including:

• Homicide
• Sexual Assaults
• Child Abuse
• Burglary
• Arson
• Unattended death
• Theft

The Detective Division deals with the following areas of responsibility:

• Domestic Violence
• Narcotics
• Physical Assault
• Sexual Assault
• Property Crimes
• Fraud/Hi-Tech/Internet
• Property/Evidence maintenance
• Forensics/Crime Scenes