Citing big savings in the long run, officials with the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Department want to break away from their record-keeping contract with the city of Cortez and operate their own system.

"We’re ready to control our own records, separate from the city’s, and I am confident we can do so professionally and at a better savings to the taxpayer," Sheriff Joey Chavez told the county commission Monday.

Currently the sheriff and city share those administrative costs, splitting them 50-50. The price tag for the sheriff’s portion has shot up by 36 percent since 1997, going from $127,000 to $172,000 in 1999. Chavez said that after initial start-up costs, his department would pay $100,000 per year for record-keeping, which includes $71,000 annually needed to cover four full-time employees to run the operation. That provides for the equivalent of three new full-time positions.

Start-up costs for the new computer equipment, phones, office equipment and training for a records department comes to $74,000. Of that, $17,000 would go towards computer software.

By 2001, the sheriff’s department hopes to have its own in-house system that will allow staff to access records more efficiently without losing the record-sharing agreements between city and county law enforcement.

Chavez said that there are no hard feelings between the city police and the sheriff’s department regarding the proposal, and that running their own systems independently makes more sense.

"Although we do feel that the city does a good job, we believe we are not a priority with their system," Chavez said. "This is expected, as its record system is primarily designed to serve them."

According to a report issued by the sheriff’s department, access to records stored at the Cortez police department is limited, because it is stored in a separate building.

While that was effective when the two departments shared a common building, it would be better to have two separate record divisions with a new county jail and sheriff’s office.

"We can better insure accountability to the public if we are self-sufficient," Chavez said.

"(The current system) causes some problems when the sheriff or other employees are trying to track down information."

The report says that new software will also allow a better link between the city police, jail, dispatch and the sheriff’s department to share pertinent information on criminals.