Sheriff and Undersheriff

Sheriff Ted Mink

mink_web_3 On July 9, 2003, the Board of County Commissioners appointed Ted Mink sheriff of Jefferson County. The following year, Mink was elected sheriff in the November general election, and was reelected again in 2006.

Mink's law enforcement career began in 1973 when he became a deputy with the Boulder County Sheriff's Office. Later that year, Mink left Boulder and joined the Arvada Police Department as an officer.

Mink would spend nearly three decades at Arvada PD, serving as an officer, investigator, sergeant, lieutenant, commander and deputy chief. In 1995, he was instrumental in forming the West Metro Drug Task Force, a multi-jurisdictional team built to combat drug-related crime in and around Jefferson County. Mink was well known for his role on "Cop Talk," the department's monthly television program, where his "Punk of the Month" segment resulted in the arrest of nearly 70 percent of suspects featured.

Mink served for six months as undersheriff of Jefferson County before his appointment to sheriff. Since becoming sheriff, he and Undersheriff Ray Fleer have focused on community partnership and have implemented a wide variety of community-oriented policing programs such as SMART Jeffco. Modeled after the New York Police Department’s Compstat model, SMART Jeffco is a proactive approach to solving crime and quality-of-life problems. It requires that staff analyze crime statistics, trends and contributing factors, and implement preventive plans quickly to attack the problem at its source. An emphasis on creativity in problem-solving ensures that deputies use all the resources at their disposal to prevent and solve crime.

Other major initiatives under Mink’s direction have included:

Opening a precinct office for south Jeffco, the county’s most populous area (2005). The south precinct at 8100 Shaffer Parkway in the Ken Caryl area offers a wide variety of services to the public.
Bolstering the department’s crime prevention team. Today a team of three deputies and a part-time child safety instructor dedicate their time to citizens and neighborhood groups — educating, informing and empowering residents and business owners regarding crime prevention.
Targeting high-accident areas and school zones for traffic education and enforcement, resulting in a 44 percent reduction in accidents county-wide from 2005 to 2009.
Creating a cold case unit (2005). To date this unit has solved two murders from the 1980s, followed by a conviction for the killer of both victims. The cold case unit continues to work on Jeffco’s unsolved homicides.
A major overhaul of suicide-prevention procedures in the Jefferson County Jail, resulting in a drop in in-custody deaths.
Bringing a DNA expert to the department’s crime lab. A full-time DNA analyst on staff speeds up the investigative process and ensures more thorough analysis of evidence in a wider variety of cases.
Establishing an online sex offender map and crime map. These online tools are at citizens’ fingertips, ensuring that any county resident can stay informed about crime and potentially dangerous persons in his/her neighborhood.
Introducing the community-oriented government model to Jefferson County government agencies — a push for better communication and enhanced services for citizens.
Six accreditations for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office through independent auditors CALEA, ACA, NCCHC and ASCLD.

Mink holds a bachelor's degree in social sciences from the University of Northern Colorado. He is also a graduate of the Northwestern University Senior Police Management Institute.

Work Experience

Sheriff, Jefferson County, Colorado (July 2003 - Present)
Undersheriff, Jefferson County, Colorado (January 2003 - July 2003)
Deputy Chief of Police, Arvada P.D., Colorado: (November 1998 - January 2003
Commander, Arvada P.D., Colorado: (May 1995 - October 1998)
Lieutenant, Arvada P.D., Colorado: (November 1984 - April 1995)
Sergeant, Arvada P.D., Colorado: (September 1980 - October 1984)
Investigator, Arvada P.D., Colorado: (September 1977 - September 1980)
Police Officer, Arvada P.D., Colorado: (September 1973 - August 1977)
Deputy Sheriff, Boulder County S.O., Colorado: (January 1973 - September 1973)

Education

B.A. in Social Sciences, University of Northern Colorado (1972)
Graduate of the Northwestern University Senior Police Management Institute

Undersheriff Ray Fleer

fleer_web_2 Ray Fleer served for nearly 25 years in various assignments at the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office before being appointed undersheriff by Sheriff Ted Mink in 2003. Fleer began his law enforcement career in Gunnison, Colorado as a Gunnison police officer. He later joined the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office as a patrol deputy, and moved on to posts in Community Services and Investigations.

As division chief of Detention Services, Fleer oversaw the 2001 county jail expansion, a 2-year-long, $24-million project that would allow for 768 additional minimum-security inmates in direct-supervision format. Fleer had been serving as chief of the Law Enforcement Services Division, overseeing Patrol and Investigations operations, when he was appointed undersheriff in 2003.

Fleer has a bachelor's in business administration and economics from Western State College in Gunnison, Colorado. He is also a 2002 graduate of the FBI National Academy.

Work Experience

Undersheriff, Jefferson County, Colorado (2003 - Present)
Division Chief/Captain, Jefferson County, Colorado (1995-2003)
Lieutenant, Jefferson County, Colorado (1991-1995)
Investigations Coordinator, Jefferson County, Colorado (1988-1991)
Deputy Sheriff, Jefferson County, Colorado (1979-1988)
Police Officer, Gunnison P.D., Gunnison, Colorado (1975-1979)

Education

B.A., Business Administration and Economics, Western State College, Gunnison, Colorado.
FBI National Academy, Quantico, Virginia.
Western Institute for Police Administration -- Law Enforcement Management and Leadership Institute, University of Colorado at Denver.

For high-resolution photos of sheriff and undersheriff click here.

Division Chiefs

Last Modified: Apr 27, 2009 01:43 PM