Meet Rob Baker

If you’ve lived in the Evergreen Mountain Community during the last decade, you are likely to have interacted with Rob Baker a time or two, even if you don’t recall his name.

Rob retired from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department after 28 years of service. He rose to the rank of lieutenant over the course of his extremely long tenure with the organization, and spent his later years in the department in charge of the Evergreen substation.

Rob is very tall, good looking with intense blue eyes and an air of seasoned maturity about him. He exudes quiet interest and concern for others, and a solid sense of self-acceptance. When interacting with him, one quickly gets the idea that this is a person you would definitely want in your corner in a difficult situation.

Rob speaks with enthusiasm and respect about his many years in law enforcement in our community. He quickly explains that the department does much more than (perhaps the common perception) just stop speeders and arrest the bad guys. For example, in our mountain community it is usually members of the sheriff’s department who are among the first to respond to forest fires. Notifying citizens, organizing evacuations, helping victims in trouble, providing support services to the fire departments, directing traffic in high pressure situations, and maintaining a sense of calm authority while conducting these responsibilities are some of the most rewarding aspects of his work over the last three decades.

Rob also learned that a crucial aspect of a long-term career in the sheriff’s department required the ability to use sound, caring judgment in assessing and diffusing all the particulars of potential legal situations. Sometimes the public can assume that officers may quickly ‘just want to throw the book at somebody,” but Rob learned that discernment, compassion, and really getting to know his community were important parts of being a competent county officer.

Rob reported that particularly, as he went up the ranks and took responsibility for the Evergreen office, he had to spend a lot of his time developing resilient community relationships and enhancing public relations among various age groups. He might volunteer to go to a local grade school, so young children could develop comfort and respect for their local law enforcement officers. He accomplished this by reading stories to the students in the classroom. With older students, he may give a talk on a more official topic or attend a career day at the high school. He also participated in a weekly event at a local coffee shop, designed to help citizens get more comfortable with the individual officers who worked in the Evergreen area.

Although he learned a great deal from his demanding, varied tasks in the sheriff’s department, and admires the competence of his colleagues, Rob is also thoroughly enjoying his retirement. He has reveled in time to actually appreciate the beautiful Evergreen surroundings, take advantage of the leisure activities available up here, and work out at the local fitness center with a regular schedule. Rob has three grown children who all live in various parts of Colorado and now has more time to enjoy their company.

Rob, it is great to have you as a part of our community.