Greg Maxwell, candidate for El Paso County Sheriff, was the featured speaker at the Oct. 6 meeting of the Eastern Plains Chamber of Commerce.ìI am very excited about this journey in life,î Maxwell said. ìI love serving people.î He is a fourth generation law enforcement officer, and started at EPSO in 2002 as a chaplain. He later served as a reserve deputy, reserve sergeant, lieutenant and currently serves as reserve lieutenant.Maxwell also founded a construction company and is now director of security for The Broadmoor.ìI actually know how to run a business,î Maxwell said, referring to his 20 years as a general contractor. He advocates hiring people for their character and supporting them. He also advocates education and training for deputies; the current sheriff’s budget does not spend enough on training, he said.He said years ago he started a foundation to purchase canines and equipment for the sheriff’s office.Maxwell said as sheriff he will pledge to spend more time in the community, as opposed to the office. Maxwell also pledged to listen to people.He does not want the support of the establishment. He wants the support of the community. ìI do not want to serve the machine,î Maxwell said. ìI want to serve the community.îI don’t like ëyesí people, I like people who challenge me. ìBeing proactive is part of his goals for the EPSO. Rather than waiting for a call, he said if something happens over and over again, it is necessary to try to prevent the problem.When questioned about staffing, Maxwell mentioned a current substation that cannot be manned due to a lack of personnel. He said quicker response times were also needed.Improving the communityís perception of law enforcement is important to Maxwell.He said he wants to work with small business owners to make them a hard target for thieves.Maxwell pledged to keep protesters safe while warning them they would be arrested if they broke the law.He does not want to reinvent the wheel ó he prefers assessing what is working, he said.
