El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa addressed a slim crowd at the Falcon Professional Development League meeting on July 6. He joked that everything must be going well since there weren’t many people waiting to bombard him with questions or concerns.Maketa talked about overcrowded jails, countywide growth, budget constraints and issues related directly to Falcon. El Paso County is growing faster than the city, he said. To keep up with that type of growth, he will ask the county commissioners for 15 more deputies this year. Plans are still on the back burner regarding a Falcon substation.Traffic violations, vandalism, trespassing and construction burglary top the list of crimes committed in eastern El Paso County, he said. Maketa encouraged everyone to report any type of crime, so the county has a true picture of the activity. His requests for more officers or the need for a substation are somewhat based on crime activity in any given area.Maketa also talked about neighborhood disputes on the eastern plains. Most disagreements come from “conflicts of urbanization,” he said. Residents new to the area may have different expectations than the old timers. He also addressed inconsistencies among deputies. Some deputies are new, and “we are dealing with numerous personalities,” he said. Inconsistencies among deputies arise out of a “degree of interpretation” and “different experience levels.”He talked about Falcon’s efforts to incorporate. The sheriff’s department will still assist with county crime-related issues, depending on each situation. “The ultimate jurisdiction is the county,” he said.The next meeting of the FPDL is Wed., Aug. 3 at 7:30 a.m. at the Falcon Fire Protection District firehouse. Visit the Web site at www.fpdl.org or e-mail FPDL President Tom Cline at thomascline@msn.com for more information.
