Keystone Cops

[jsenft]

COPS: Summit County Style
Just as the reality emerges that rescued BC skiers carry pistols, the other foot drops: Cops on the ski hill. Indeed, yesterday I watched in sadness while a mustachioed, Oakley-wearing fuzz stood arms folded, glowering at skiers. This was at the base of the Gondola, in the late morning -- and it was no good way to start the day.
I have no idea why he was there, but it sure wasn't an emergency. Looked more like 'presence'. Scary. I have Q'd the management, but expect to hear no real response.
If anyone knows about this, do tell. Call me a hippie, but I just can not see the justification behind this.
Also, please hold any silly comments on why I would be riding at Keystone. Sometimes -- because my friends have kids -- I find myself in this unfortunate position. I apologize prefusely in advance.

[jsenft]

Nope. This police officer was standing arms folded next to the entrance of the Gondola, watching skiers enter the lift house. There was no visable emergency at hand. More specifically, why was there a Summit County police officer standing at the front of the Gondola at roughly 10:30am yesterday, Sunday February 11?
--Jon

From: "Keystone Resort" <keystoneinfo@vailresorts.com>
To: jsenft@hotmail.com
Subject: Why is there is police officer posted at the base of the Gondola?... [Incident: 060212-000028]
Date: Sun, 12 Feb 2006 17:22:26 -0700 (MST)
>
>Subject
>---------------------------------------------------------------
>Why is there is police officer posted at the base of the Gondola?...
>
>Response (Sean) - 02/12/2006 05:22 PM
>Typically there won't be any police at the base area, but some times they are called out on the more serious emergencies. We have local Emergency Service's who respond to most emergencies but on the mountain Ski Patrol are the closest thing to the police.

>Thank You!
>Keystone Guest Services
>www.keystoneresort.com

[valdezhucker]

i agree, i was gonna bust your balls for skiing keystone not at night and not stoned (i dont actually know if you were stoned or not) but we pay taxes for police to keep us safe, not bully us a a ski resort.

[JCKeck1]

Sounds like he was there looking for someone reported stealing a snow board or looking for someone matching the description to a skier/skier collision (hit and run). Educated guess, as you're right that cops generally don't chill there.

[bill]

at the snowy range sometimes the sheriff watches the ski racks in front of the lodge. stops ski from being stolen

[WhiteLightning]

I came accross this one when looking for something else... Granted it is from 2001, but it is about ski cops patrolling the slopes at Vail:

http://archives.cnn.com/2001/CAREER/.../01/24/skicop/

Vail PD actually has a little mini police station hut at the base of the Vista Bahn in the snow too.

They've never bothered me much. They come out in uniform on closing day for the festivities, but they let the open container partying go on, mostly just look for people brawling.

[jsenft]

Great article whitelightning. You have to love: "The ski cops are equipped to handle a variety of situations that might arise on the mountainside. They carry everything a road sheriff traditionally has on his or her belt -- a firearm, pepper spray, handcuffs, ticket book, flashlight."
This article later explains that cops ability to ski is never qualified and that their level is accepted at the cops' own word. Nobody sees any new lethal safety issues here?
And pepper spray? What is that about?
A few posts here seem to argue that if this step can be justified for 'safety' reasons, then all is good.
There is is no proof that something like this increases safety. The more these resorts pull safety away from skiers' own responsibility -- and into the hands of others like cops -- the more statistically dangerous slopes have become.
One may reason that Keystone can do what it wants. Never ski there right? Remember that Keystone's ability to keep the yeahoos at their resort directly equates to fewer yeahoos in your BC... especially 100ft above you on a 40 deg slope.
Make the yeahoos believe they are still getting a real, cop-free outdoor experience at Keystone and they will stay there.

[WhiteLightning]

This was in today's Vail Daily. Sounds like a pretty good deal for the cops to get a pass. Around here, any working person needs a good way to get skiing. Also, I don't think it is totally a bad idea. I was giving a mountain tour the other day and some totally out of control snowboarder skidded out and plowed into a couple of my grandma/grandpa type guests when I stopped to assist someone who took a fall. Fortunatle no one was hurt, and the guy was semi-cooperative about staying put until we checked out the guests for injuries, but I could imagine just as easily if the guy had taken off, and the granny was hurt just the same. Either way, wouldn't be bad if I could get help from a cop when I'm doing guest services, or ski patrol for stuff like that. We've had staff members who have been injured and out for the season by out of control skiers/riders who plowed into them, and took off when they see that who they injured was a staffer.

Anyways, here is the article (source: http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20060220/NEWS/60220014):

Enforcing the laws of the slopes


Some skiers and snowboarders don’t mind cops on the mountain; others don’t like the patrols

Eagle County Sheriff's Deputy Ted Eichholz front and Vail police Officer Christian Mohr ski down Vail Mountian.
Preston Utley/Vail Daily

J.K. Perry
February 20, 2006

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VAIL — Cops patrolling the slopes of Vail Mountain are often met with enthusiastic greetings and offers of thanks, but some skiers and snowboarders said the mountain is over-policed.

“I can understand if they help out when there’s a crime committed,” said Taylor Alexander of Atlanta. “But it seems like local police up on the mountain actively seeking out a crime is wrong. It’s completely over-policing.”

Alexander didn’t appear to be breaking the law. But committing crimes is one reason police say a small percentage of skiers and snowboarders don’t like having Eagle County Sheriff’s deputies and Vail police on the mountain.

“The ones violating the law probably aren’t to happy to see us,” Deputy Ted Eichholz said, later adding “A lot of it is meeting and greeting — they love seeing us up here.”

The love was later evidenced by a woman winking and yelling “Where’s your radar,” as she scooted by Vail Detective Christian Mohr at the top of the Vista Bahn.

Eagle County Sheriff’s deputies and Vail police volunteer on their days off to assist ski patrol and the yellow jacket safety squad on Vail Mountain, which falls under the sheriff’s jurisdiction. Deputies and police also enforce the law — arresting for ducking ropes, drugs, assault and shoplifting, Mohr said, adding that about one person is arrested each month.

“Occasionally an assault starts after a collision,” Eichholz said. “Next thing you know, a fight is breaking out.”

Seven days on the mountain patrolling earns the patrollers a season pass, an opportunity nearly a dozen people at each department clamor for. “They love it. It’s awesome,” Mohr said. “Anybody intermediate or above is on the team.”

Police flank yellow jackets in slow zones and only get involved at the rare times they’re needed, Mohr said. “It’s a lot more imposing when there’s a police officer,” Mohr said.

Standing with yellow jackets and slowing down skiers and snowboarders riding at breakneck speeds is exactly where Mark Cranley of Cleveland wants the cops.

“My take on this is they gotta put these people in the slow zones,” Cranley said. “(Skiers and snowboraders) don’t pay attention to the guys in the yellow jackets.”

David Cohen of Houston said he didn’t see any problems on the mountain during his trip to Vail. “If they’re trying to prevent crime and aren’t being invasive, then it’s a good cause,” Cohen said.


Staff Writer J.K. Perry can be reached at 949-0555, ext. 14622, or jkperry@vaildaily.com.

Vail, Colorado

[brendodendo]

Yea yeah yea...

We have them here in the RFV as well. Aspen Ski CO just dresses them in black and calls them Mountain Security. An aquaitance of mine, Brian is a Snowmass PO. He moonlights on the weekend as a "Security Officer". Same type of deal as Summit Co and Vail resorts. Gets passes for wifey and tea pot lids. So I got fresh with a liftie for after she screamed at me. She stopped the lift and yelled and yelled and YELLED. So she starts the lift and up I go. Screaming that she is calling her supervisor. AW What? So uP up UP i go. Then about half way up, the lift goes to slow. Slow slow slowly to the top. Where what to my wandering eyes should appear, but a man clad in black motioning for me to come over here. Turns out its Brian and he had to race down from the Hanging Valley Wall to intecept me. The liftie did not get a chair number so they slowed the whole chair down just for me. What a treat. B and I chatted for 15 min and up I went to get some freshies on Burnt Mtn. I still have no idea what I did, but at least i didn't go to jail just b/c some LifT was Ting'n on my steeze.

[sandbagger]

Originally Posted by WhiteLightning

adding that about one person is arrested each month.

Obviously, there's a big crime problem up there...