A new sheriff in town: Feyen will walk through November election to Larimer County post

It's practically official: John Feyen will be Larimer County's next sheriff.

Feyen will be the only candidate for sheriff on November's election after defeating GOP opponent Jeff Fisher in the Republican primary in June. There are no Democratic candidates running, and no one has filed to run against Feyen in the general election as a write-in or unaffiliated candidate, Larimer County Clerk Angela Myers confirmed.

Feyen has been an assistant chief with Fort Collins Police Services since 2018 and before that spent nearly 20 years with the Larimer County Sheriff's Office.

Current Sheriff Justin Smith is term-limited and running for Larimer County District 1 commissioner against incumbent Democrat John Kefalas.

Feyen said — while acknowledging it sounds cliché — it's bittersweet to leave Fort Collins police and go back to an agency where he's spent so much of his career. His four years at Fort Collins Police Services has shown him a different way of policing and helped him make many connections in the community he says will help him as sheriff.

“I’ve got to talk to a lot of great community organizations that I necessarily wouldn’t have had that opportunity to if I hadn’t made the move (to Fort Collins police), some that have stretched my thought processes and some that have given me different perspectives on things,” Feyen said. “I love those kinds of conversations, and I hope to continue those at the sheriff’s office.”

Feyen said having conversations with the community — from city and county leaders to residents — is one of the main things he will focus on before officially becoming the sheriff-elect after the November election.

"Community engagement starts from the top down," Feyen said. To him, that means going to city council and town board meetings to introduce himself and meeting residents at neighborhood and homeowner association meetings to hear about their specific concerns and expectations of the sheriff's offices.

“Everybody wants to feel safe … and deserves to feel safe,” Feyen said. “But every community has nuanced concerns and approaches to that.”

Feyen said he hopes to work closely with the towns the sheriff's office contracts services with, including Wellington and Berthoud, to hear what they expect from the sheriff's office.

“While we have different nuances in the ways of approaching it, the goals are the same, and that’s to keep people safe,” Feyen said. “So how do we compliment each other instead of compete with each other?”

Feyen said he is starting to have conversations with sheriff's office leadership to begin understanding the challenges the county and agency are facing and how to tackle them.

One of the first things Feyen hopes to do after he takes office in January is establish a cybercrime unit "that proactively interdicts people who are exploiting children and who are victimizing children on an ongoing basis."

Some things will come later, he said, like working through any challenges that may come with the completion of the Larimer County Jail expansion project, which is set to be nearly done when Feyen takes office.

"There's so much there to figure out, but it's exciting as well," Feyen said of serving as sheriff.

The general election will be held Nov. 8, and ballots will be mailed the week of Oct. 17.

Who is running for office in Larimer County's November election?

• Assessor: David Eisenbraun (R) and Bob Overbeck (D, incumbent)

• Clerk and Recorder: Toni Baker (D) and Angela Myers (R, incumbent)

• Commissioner District 1: John Kefalas (D, incumbent) and Justin Smith (R)

• Coroner: Matthew Canaga (R) and Stephen Hanks (D)

• Sheriff: John Feyen (R)

• Surveyor: Tom Donnelly (R)

• Treasurer: Irene Josey (R, incumbent)

• County Court Judge: Katharine Ellison and Thomas Lynch

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Larimer County's next sheriff, John Feyen, will walk through election