Daily Press News Editor
MONTROSE — A Montrose Police sergeant’s commitment to the community caught the attention of Patricia McDow, who now hopes to see him honored on one of her favorite television programs.
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“He deserves it,” McDow said Friday. “He is never afraid to just stop and listen to what anybody in our community needs help with.”
Hosted by John Walsh, America’s Most Wanted highlights ongoing criminal and other investigations in the hope that additional publicity will help bring perpetrators to justice.
This is the third year AMW and Sprint/Nextel have sponsored the All Star award, for which officers, firefighters and other emergency first responders can be nominated. Eller is one of 12 Colorado nominees.
“It was set up to recognize our outstanding heroes that are first responders and the contributions they make to our communities,” said Bill Parks, AMW’s All Star producer. “We encourage the communities to get behind the nominees. It’s a small thing to do for what they do for us.”
McDow said that by virtue of his job, Eller puts himself in harm’s way on a daily basis. His commitment, she said, stands out. “Sometimes it’s not so much a specific incident that you (as an officer) do, as that you are always there for people, whether in uniform or not,” she said.
But she did have specific incidents in mind. McDow said her daughter was having issues and she needed help finding the best resources for aiding the teen.
“I felt I could go to Officer Eller and get the information,” she said. “He was able to supply me with more than enough.”
McDow said she wasn’t sure if other residents knew how much Eller does. “I just know he’s always willing, from what I’ve seen, to go that extra mile.”
Most recently, Eller took the reins of Montrose’s new methamphetamine coalition, which formed in February as a joint venture between law enforcement and social agencies.
The coalition’s goal is to address Montrose’s meth issues from several angles, in hopes of combatting its negative effects on the community.
Within his department, Eller is responsible for strategic planning, which entails allocating manpower, overtime and response time studies. He also sits on the Underage Drinking Task Force, facilitates a traffic issues task force and oversees the graffiti and noise task forces.
As community policing and crime prevention coordinator, Eller wears many hats. He also serves as the crime-free multi-housing coordinator, a program that helps landlords turn around properties troubled with crime and better screen renters.
Eller is the MPD’s staff representative on the city’s planning commission. As such, he reviews subdivisions and developments in terms of service-related issues, such as how long it would take police to respond to the location, how crime could best be prevented there, street design and more.
Additionally, he oversees issues related to retail liquor establishments and licensing.
“It’s not very often the community recognizes people in law enforcement,” Eller said of his nomination. “Everyone likes to win, but it’s special to be nominated and know people recognize what you do.”
He said if he is named AMW’s All Star, he would donate most of the $10,000 cash prize to children’s charities in Montrose.
“He’s certainly a driving force here,” Montrose Police Chief Tom Chinn said. “If anyone deserves it, he certainly does. We have a lot of good police officers here. Our whole department is made up of conscientious, hardworking people who really care about the community.”
Voting is conducted online at www.amw.com, which also lists detailed rules. The contest began three weeks ago and will continue for five more. People can vote once per day, but only once per day. Votes determine weekly finalists, then the count begins anew, so people can continue to vote for their favorite nominee throughout the contest period.
McDow said she hopes people will vote for Eller. “He’s always stuck out as somebody I could look up to, who is here for the community; not just for the job, but for others.”
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