About Me

I am Steve Spodyak, and I am running for Sheriff in Park County in 2026. I am a Colorado Native and have been a part of the Park County community for most of my life. I am running for Sheriff because Park County deserves a Sheriff who is competent, experienced and dedicated to Park County; a Sheriff who understands the needs and the lifestyles of the residents of Park County, as well as differences in its separate communities. No other candidate knows Park County like I do, has worked and volunteered in Park County like I have, nor has the level of Law Enforcement and Public Safety training and experience I do. These things alone make be the best candidate to be your Sheriff.

My wife Katie and I have been married for nearly twenty years. We have two sons who attend Platte Canyon Schools in Bailey and are both involved in many activities. Katie is also a graduate of Platte Canyon High School and the University of Northern Colorado and has lived in Bailey most of her life. We have both been involved in the community in multiple volunteer and service roles for many years and truly care about working to keep things going and making things better.

My Law Enforcement Journey:

I grew up in the Conifer and Bailey areas and graduated from Platte Canyon High School. I then attended Adams State College and earned Bachelor’s degrees in History and Sociology. As part of my degree in Sociology, emphasizing in Criminology, I interned with the Colorado State Patrol Troop in Alamosa. I worked in the grocery business through high school and college, prior to getting in to public safety. This, along with scholarships, grants, loans and a little help from my mother, helped me pay for college. It also taught me the importance of customer service. I began my Law Enforcement career in January of 2005 as a Detention Technician with the Alamosa County Sheriff’s Office. I had to remain working part-time at the grocery store to be able to pay my bills because the Sheriff’s Office paid so little, but I knew Law Enforcement was what I wanted to do.

From Alamosa, I came home and began working in the Park County Jail as a Detention Deputy. While working full-time in the Jail, I put myself through the Highlands Ranch Public Safety Training Institute (HRPSTI) and received my Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Certification in early 2006. These were some of the longest days I have experienced as I worked graveyard shift in the jail and attended evening and weekend academy classes for nearly six months. My classmates in the academy elected me one of the two Team Leaders for our class. When I graduated from HRPSTI, I was awarded Top Performer in Firearms, Top Performer in Driving as well as second overall in my class in Academics and in Arrest Control. 

Also, that year I went to work as a Patrol Officer for the Montrose Police Department on the western slope of Colorado. While there I received many initial Law Enforcement certifications and was awarded a Meritorious Service Medal for heroic actions in my role in responding to a small plane crash, subsequent fire and neighborhood evacuation. Katie and I got married this year and we moved back to Park County. I went back to work for the Park County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) just prior to the unthinkable tragedy at Platte Canyon High School and the senseless murder of Emily Keys. This year was also when I first registered as a Republican in Park County and have been registered ever since. 

The next few years I spent working for the PCSO in several different capacities. I was a Detention Deputy, Patrol Deputy, School Resource Officer (SRO) at Platte Canyon, became a member of the SWAT Team and a Certified SWAT Operator, Driver’s Education Instructor and Program Coordinator, as well as gained several other certifications, attended trainings and was a member of several other teams.

In 2009 I left the PCSO to pursue a career as a railroad police Special Agent stationed out of Denver, CO. As a Union Pacific Railroad Police Special Agent, I learned much about working in the private sector, received my first of many trainings in leadership, and was selected to work on several special details focused on Executive Protection. In 2011 I was promoted to Senior Special Agent, bringing with it the responsibility of supervising Union Pacific Security Officers, as well as supervising contract security. 

In 2012 I left Union Pacific Railroad and became a Special Agent for the BNSF Police stationed out of Denver, CO.  In 2013 I was selected as a K9 Handler with the BNSF Police K9 Team. That same year I was also selected for the BNSF Police Executive Protection Team and was promoted to Senior Special Agent. I earned Patrol K9 Handler certifications and re-certifications, as well as Explosive Detection K9 Handler Certifications and re-certifications. I also earned an Executive Protection Certification and was selected to work at numerous special events all over the country until I left railroad policing to return home to the PCSO in 2016.

When I returned to the PCSO, I was a Patrol Deputy for a short time, then promoted to Detective Corporal. I was voted back as a SWAT Team member and in 2017 was elected Team Leader for the SWAT Team. During my time as a Detective, I investigated scores of criminal cases of all types and received hundreds of hours of investigative and tactical training. In addition, I completed the International Association of Chiefs of Police – Leadership in Police Organizations Course. I ran for Sheriff in 2018, and though I finished second and was not elected, Sheriff McGraw appointed me as his Undersheriff when he took office in 2019.

Undersheriff is a statutory-mandated position within Sheriff’s Offices in Colorado. It provides for an Undersheriff to act as Sheriff when the elected Sheriff is not available. Within the structure of the Park County Sheriff’s Office under Sheriff McGraw, I have been responsible for the operations of all the divisions within the Sheriff’s Office. I have been responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Park County Sheriff’s Office for about the past seven years. During that time, I have had hundreds of hours of Leadership training; from completing the FBI’s Rocky Mountain Command College in 2020 to earning the FBI LEEDA’s Trilogy Award in 2022 for Completing their Supervisory, Command and Executive Leadership Institutes to graduating from arguably the top Law Enforcement Leadership Training in the world, the FBI National Academy Session 293 in 2025.

In addition to world-class leadership training, I have successfully led the PCSO through some very challenging times since 2019. In 2019, the PCSO was at only about 50% staffing when Sheriff McGraw took office. While staffing has continued to be challenging from time to time, average staffing for the PCSO has stabilized to averaging between 80-95% of positions filled.

2020 was a very challenging year. Early 2020 brought on the COVID-19 pandemic. Navigating this as a government agency was very complex and something that had not been dealt with in recent times. We were able to navigate the pandemic, continuing full-service law enforcement while changing our operations to protect our staff, detainees and our communities. Later in 2020, the Colorado State Legislature passed Senate Bill 20-217, for police accountability. This continues to be some of the most challenging legislation law enforcement in Colorado has ever seen. It included unfunded mandates, mandatory Body Worn Cameras, the loss of Qualified Immunity and really felt like an attack on Law Enforcement across the state. 

We navigated this legislation, implemented a Body Worn Camera program, worked with county government to fund this and other unfunded mandates that followed in 2021. House Bill 21-1250 was another piece of legislation that attacked Law Enforcement in Colorado. Agencies in Colorado began to experience an exodus from the profession and staffing challenges became a statewide issue. Lawmakers in Colorado have continued to pass multiple laws per year that have been unfriendly to Law Enforcement; the PCSO has been able to manage the changes and keep providing services across Park County. 

We navigated an officer involved shooting in 2022 where two of our deputies acted heroically in incapacitating an armed and dangerous fugitive before he could harm anyone in our community or the deputies. In addition to these uncommon challenges, the PCSO has also navigated multiple wildfires, a huge increase in visitors to the county for leaf peeping in recent years, specifically on Guanella Pass, and added specialized positions to the agency to increase successful prosecutions. 

I have often been asked what the best thing about being Undersheriff is. My answer to this question is simple: as Undersheriff, I have the ability to help those who work for the Sheriff’s Office. As Sheriff, I will be able to continue making things better for the staff of the Sheriff’s Office, and in turn, help our community as a whole.

In 2019 when Sheriff McGraw took office, Park County had three unsolved homicide cases. By supporting our investigators and working alongside them, two of those cases have been solved and successfully prosecuted. I had the good fortune to play a critical role in gathering new evidence that led directly to the arrest and successful prosecution in the 1982 double homicide case we closed. The third, the murder of Maggie Long, is still being investigated by the PCSO and several other agencies as part of a task force. I believe that one day soon, we will have a resolution in this tragedy. 

In 2024 the PCSO added two K9 Teams to the office, making it the first time in over a decade police service dogs were available a majority of the time in Park County. We were able to add this program to the Sheriff’s Office with only a small increase in the operating budget. The start-up cost of this program was primarily paid for with unspent funds allocated for personnel and donations. Having previous handler experience, I was charged with starting up the program and supervising it as the K9 Coordinator. The program has become well respected in our region and around the state of Colorado.

In late 2025, potentially severe maintenance and heath issues were brought to the Sheriff from county maintenance. We made the swift and difficult decision to temporarily close the Sheriff’s Office and Jail. This decision was not made lightly, but in the interest of health and wellbeing for staff and inmates. Because of great working relationships with local partners, we were able to arrange for the housing of Park County inmates in the Chaffee County Jail until a resolution could be reached. We continue to work diligently with county government to resolve the issues stemming from years of a lack of preventative maintenance on the facility. Along with our staff, we are currently in the process of moving the Park County Jail toward compliance with Colorado’s new Jail Standards as we move the PCSO into the future. 

I am confident that if you asked any of the outstanding men or women who serve in the PCSO who their choice for Sheriff in 2027 would be, they would tell you, Steve Spodyak.

Outside of Law Enforcement:

My wife Katie and I married in 2006, and we became parents for the first time in 2009. My greatest accomplishments in life are being a devoted husband and raising two outstanding young men. With our love for Park County, we have chosen to raise our family here. In addition to being your Undersheriff and a husband and father, I am also a son, brother, friend, neighbor, coach, volunteer, mentor and in all of this, a Christian. Katie and I have been involved in many community functions. Some directly because of our sons, some to better our community and some for both reasons. 

I volunteered with Platte Canyon Little League for about ten years. I was the President for four of those years and served as Vice President, Umpire Coordinator and volunteer Umpire and volunteer Coach. I have coached middle school girls’ basketball as an assistant coach and am the head coach for middle school boys’ basketball. In addition, I volunteer my time to drive activity buses for middle school sports, umpire baseball games, and coordinate and work the chains for middle and high school football at Platte Canyon. I have also volunteered with cub scouts as a den leader in Bailey and help with 4-H as well. I have been a member of Platte Canyon Community Church for many years. 

I really enjoy sports and the lessons they can teach. I think that is why I enjoy coaching so much. I have found coaching is one of the best ways to give back to the community and have a positive impact on young people. I spend much of my free time with my family; working with my kids and making sure that I am there to support them in their endeavors. I also enjoy livestock and caring for animals. 

If you have taken the time to read all this, thank you. It’s a lot. 

All of this should make it abundantly clear that I am the choice for Park County Sheriff.