In her more than 12 years in law enforcement, Melissa Peters has worked in the Grand County Jail, as a local deputy, a federal Transportation Security Administration agent and, most recently, as a dispatcher in Summit County.

Now, Peters is hoping to use her experience to lead the Grand County Sheriff’s Office. She filed paperwork as an unaffiliated candidate for the 2022 sheriff’s race in November, kicking off her campaign.

“I think I have a unique perspective having worked every division of the department,” Peters said. “Having lived here, grown up here and been here as long as I have, I understand the communities very well and the differences.”

As someone with a history in Grand County and at the sheriff’s office, Peters wants to build on the relationships between the community and local law enforcement.

She sees Grand County’s support for local officers as an advantage for the sheriff’s office and wants to continue fostering it.

“I’d like to expand the partnership between the department and the community as a whole so that we can have the best service,” Peters said. “It’s not us vs them. Law enforcement depends on the community.”

As part of her campaign, Peters is trying to meet with as many people as possible to hear their thoughts and concerns about the sheriff’s office.

Things Peters would already like to address include traffic management and enforcement, improving staffing at the office and uniting the departments within the sheriff’s office.

“I want to provide the community with the best service and you can’t do that divided,” she said. “

Recently, Peters left her post at the Summit County dispatch office when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Peters is fully in remission now and wants to get back to serving her community.

Though she is currently not certified through the Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training since it lapsed when she left law enforcement, Peters plans to be recertified in April. For now, her full-time job is campaigning.

“This is important to me and I want to show people that it’s important to get time with them,” Peters said.

Peters is one of two people who have filed to run in the 2022 Grand County Sheriff’s Race, with the other being former Kremmling police chief Jamie Lucas. However, Lucas is not eligible to run since he no longer lives in Grand County.

Incumbent Sheriff Brett Schroetlin said he has not made a decision yet about running for re-election. Schroetlin has served as sheriff since 2014.

“I remain committed to serving our community daily and I look forward to the future,” he said. “I’ll make the decision when the time is right.”

To contact Peters, reach out to MelissaPetersForSheriff@gmail.com.