Law enforcement nothing new for Alpine's Crawford

Growing up in a tight-knit community in Mono County, Alpine County Sheriff John Crawford got to know the law enforcement officers as more than just cops.

He saw that they were people, he liked what they were doing and made friends with them.

"I think I got to know the other side, not just arresting people," said Crawford, who has been sheriff since November 2002. "You're there to help and be part of the community. I never really considered law enforcement before that."

Crawford, 40, admits that his crew of 13 - consisting of three deputies, an undersheriff, Search and Rescue volunteers and two support staff - are not running from call to call in a county with approximately 1,200 residents, mostly from the towns of Markleeville, Woodfords, Bear Valley and Kirkwood.

However, with 760 miles to cover, which span El Dorado to Amador to Mono County to Tuolumne County to the Calaveras County border, Crawford sometimes has to rely on others who may be able to get to the scene of an accident or crime quicker than he can.

"We do a lot of work with other counties and the CHP," he said. "Citizens here at Kirkwood helped stop a fight between officers and some people."

With budget cuts, Crawford said he is lucky to have volunteers who are ready to hop on their snowmobiles to assist lost or injured winter recreation enthusiasts.

"Staffing levels haven't increased, they've decreased," said Crawford. "We're three positions down."

Crawford has to be ready to go at any given moment.

"We are the supervisors, so we constantly monitor our radios 24 hours a day, seven days a week," said Crawford. "It's a way of life. It's how I started here.

"When you're a deputy, when you're needed, you respond out."

Crawford motioned toward the rear of his SUV which is loaded with all kinds of emergency equipment, including food and water.

"This is life out here in the mountains," he said.

Kirkwood Mountain and Bear Valley resorts and Blue Lakes Road Snow Park are regular stops for him. On a warm Thursday afternoon following a snowstorm, about 50 cars were lined up at the snow park, down a dead-end road off Highway 88. People go there to snowmobile, cross-country ski and snowshoe, he explained.

"Their loved ones will call if they don't come home tonight," said Crawford.

Caples Lake and the Toiyabe Forest are also common areas where people get into trouble.

"This area in the wintertime keeps us busy," he said, looking out over frozen Caples Lake.

About a month and a half ago, Crawford was down in the Bear Valley area with the Mono County sheriff at about 3 p.m., when they came across human tracks in the snow.

"The sheriff of Mono County led the way," said Crawford. "He followed (the tracks) down to a certain point, down in a deep canyon. We established voice contact. We thought the individual had broken his leg. He hadn't eaten all day, hadn't had any water. We administered first aid, built a fire and a shelter. We had food and water. We waited for Mammoth County Search and Rescue until 7 p.m. at night when they got him out."

Kirkwood can attract up to 6,000 people on a holiday or weekend day, he said.

"The DA handled 400 cases last year; quite a few thefts, related to skis and snowboards," said Crawford.

Alpine County has seen murders, rapes and its share of drug problems, said Crawford, and lately these incidents have been increasing.

Crawford first joined the sheriff's department as a deputy 20 years ago. Since then he has seen the population and the number of vacationers grow. He is concerned about the county's future.

"Winter and summer have become more and more busy for us because more people are coming here for vacations," he said. "More and more people coming here find out what a great place it is."

When asked what he thinks about a proposed timeshare project for Markleeville - Markleeville Resort/Mahalee Lodge with 49 cabins, a 25-room lodge, a spa and 14 commercial spaces - Crawford seemed worried.

"A development like that coming in with that amount of people would impact us greatly," said Crawford. "I've asked for impact fees, funding, to help offset those costs.

"I've watched the county change. We're in the courts more. Now we're seeing new developments coming in. The citizens, they're very concerned."

Crawford said he's seeing people relocate from Douglas County.

"You look at the development going on in Douglas County - we see the push. This is the backyard for a lot of those folks."

In spite of these problems, Crawford wouldn't give up the scenery, the small-town way of life and especially the people he knows so well in Alpine County. While out on patrol, sometimes residents flag him down and invite him in to dinner.

He and his deputies try to keep in touch with the community as much as possible.

They attend occasional senior lunches at Health and Human Services to teach seniors about law enforcement services.

The sheriff's department has developed a program where people who have committed low-level crimes can work off their debt by helping a senior paint a house or stack wood.

"It's neighbors helping neighbors," said Crawford. "It's been real rewarding - to be able to make a difference, to be able to help people."

"It seems like I just got started yesterday," he said, pointing to the snow covered hillsides of Alpine as he traveled through Woodfords, to Kirkwood and back, part of the route he takes daily to check on what's going on in the county.

"It's a wonderful place to be."



-- Jo Rafferty can be reached at jrafferty@recordcourier.com or 782-5121, ext. 213.