By Will Cornelius
The Surveyor

For most people it is a short trip from Johnstown to Berthoud, but not for Jim Anderson. Born and raised on a farm near Johnstown, Anderson had a short stint in the U.S. Army before spending time with the Johnstown Fire and Police departments. “I always wanted to be a cop — ever since Adam-12 on TV. That was my show,” said Anderson.

The police procedural show from the 60s and 70s spurred him into pursuing a career in law enforcement. “They go, they get in a shootout, they come back to the station, write a report on a three-by-five card and then they’re back on the street. I thought that was fantastic until I got to do my first report,” Anderson said with a laugh. Even if the paperwork wasn’t as brief as Adam-12 advertised, he had his sights set on law enforcement.

In 1996 Anderson switched counties and joined the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) as a patrol deputy. Then in 1998, he was chosen as the sole school resource officer in the county. By 2004, he was promoted to corporal and assigned as a crime scene investigator. Another promotion in 2007 made him a sergeant. But in 2014, a different opportunity appeared.

His LCSO captain approached him about taking on the role of Police Chief of Berthoud, citing Anderson’s experience in the region and as a cop in a small town. “It wasn’t hard for me. Because that’s where I started and this is where I’m ending,” Anderson said.
In 2014 the Town of Berthoud closed the Berthoud Police Department and began contracting law enforcement services directly from the LCSO. The Berthoud Police Department had suffered a series of scandals that damaged law enforcement’s reputation and trust within the community before its disestablishment.

That all changed after Berthoud’s new LCSO-affiliated police chief came into town. “We started the first day solving a sex crime that happened when Berthoud [Police Department] was here and they never reported it … We went and took a report and arrested the guy before noon,” said Anderson about his first day as police chief in Berthoud.

Focusing on community policing and getting to know as many people as possible in Berthoud were big priorities for Anderson when he took over. For him and his squad, being accepted by the community was paramount. In addition to building back trust, Anderson wanted his deputies to respond to every call and concern from the community.

“Response time is paramount. I want you to be there. And then, every call is important to somebody. It may not be important to you — but to them — this is crisis city,” said Anderson about the importance of always listening to members of the community. “I don’t want you to just take a report and then walk out the door, I want you to know who these people are. Because you’re going see them again,” he said explaining his approach to community policing.

It didn’t happen overnight, but with perseverance and plenty of friendly smiles and waves Anderson and the LCSO became accepted and respected in Berthoud.

That relationship was put to the test in 2020 when a Back the Blue rally in Berthoud led to turmoil when an opposing Black Lives Matter group came to town to counter-protest. Working with the LCSO, Anderson was able to get deputies on bicycles and horses to police the event. Anderson said this was his decision to deescalate the situation, as he didn’t think the image of riot police with shields would help.

While things were heated, no fights broke out as Anderson and the LCSO kept the two groups separate and as civil as possible. Anderson highlighted the fact that even anti-police protestors asked the LCSO for protection to get to their cars to leave the event.
Unrest towards police in the summer of 2020 and continuing through the present, was and still is, extremely tough for Anderson. After the Back the Blue rally in Berthoud in 2020, the Board of Trustees for the Town of Berthoud authorized a review of the LCSO’s actions by an Arizona law firm. “The report came back as — the sheriff’s office did nothing wrong,” said Anderson. Getting the vindication that he, his Berthoud police team and the LCSO as a whole acted with the utmost professionalism was a major point of pride for Anderson.

On March 16, Anderson attended his last ‘Coffee with the Chief’ meeting at Cornerstone Café. In addition to friends and family, many of Anderson’s colleagues throughout the years came by to wish him farewell.

Berthoud Fire Chief, Stephen Charles was one of those people. Before Anderson arrived in Berthoud as police chief the police and fire department had an acrimonious relationship. Thankfully Anderson and Charles had a strong foundation as friends for the past several decades. “He almost got drowned by the sea when Moses split it,” Anderson joked about how long he and Charles had been friends.

After joking back and forth, Charles spoke about his strong connection with Anderson. “I’ve known Jim for many, many years and love him like a brother,” he said.

Other notable speakers at the meeting included incoming Berthoud Police Chief Justin Williamson, Larimer County undersheriff Joe Shellhammer, LCSO Captain Bobby Moll, Berthoud Mayor Will Karspeck and former Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith.

The last person to speak about Anderson was Bill Markham of M&M Farms. “I don’t know if all you know it or not, but this is my cousin. And I can remember the day he was born. And I can remember him running a tractor for his uncles and everybody. And guess what he’s going to do after retirement?” Markham said to a roar of laughter from the audience.

Anderson told the Surveyor that he first learned to drive a tractor when he was seven years old with a suicide clutch. Now he’s thinking about going back to where it all started, but this time with a GPS-driven tractor.