End of Watch

The Carbon County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) lost one of their own over the July 4 weekend.

According to a press release from the CCSO, Deputy Jeffrey Walton-a 30 year veteran of the office-passed away on July 3.

"In Deputy Walton's forty-year career in public service, he served in a variety of different positions starting at the Rawlins Department in 1982 as a dispatcher," read the press release. "In 1987, Deputy Walton started his career at the Carbon County Sheriff's Office as a Detention Deputy, rising through the ranks to Lieutenant/Jail Administrator. Deputy Walton also served in the positions of patrol deputy, court security deputy, evidence custodian and dispatcher."

The press release went on to detail Walton's departure from the CCSO in 2015 to work as a Code Enforcement officer for the City of Rawlins, only to return to the CCSO in 2020 as the Court Security Deputy.

According to the press release, the CCSO had been in close contact with Walton's family since his passing. While no cause of death was announced by the CCSO or the family, the press release detailed the burdens members of the law enforcement community often endure.

"The law enforcement profession is an exceptionally rewarding career," the press release read. "It is also an unfortunate truth that law enforcement professionals are expected, by the very communities they serve, to respond to experiences and events which normal citizens would rarely, or ever, be forced to endure. We ask our staff to undergo these traumatic events, over and over, throughout their entire career. These burdens are tangible; they impact our staff, their families and loved ones, and each employee at the office."

Walton had experienced "a wide variety of both positive and negative events with citizens, victims and suspects alike" in his years of service, according to the press release.

"Although all of our deputies are trained professionals, they are first and foremost humans. The stoic emotions we steadfastly maintain while on duty often crumble when we return to our homes and loved ones," read the press release. "Though our hearts are broken, we choose to acknowledge the difficult nature of the profession to which Deputy Walton had with his larger-than-life personality by diligently dedicating himself to this career. Yet, such service to community comes at a cost, often times at a heavy personal cost, all too frequently those costs can be extremely steep."

At the July 5 meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners, Vice-Chair Sue Jones held a moment of silence for the fallen deputy following the Pledge of Allegiance.

Services for CCSO Deputy Jeffrey Walton will be announced within the next few days.