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Clear Creek County leaders say not enough has changed after Christian Glass shooting

Two commissioners said Sheriff Rick Albers has not accepted adequate responsibility for the killing of Glass, and isn't moving fast enough to make changes.

CLEAR CREEK COUNTY, Colo. — Nearly two weeks after Clear Creek County commissioners called out Sheriff Rick Albers for his handling of the police shooting of Christian Glass, the commissioners say they still haven't heard from the sheriff. 

The board said Albers has not accepted adequate responsibility for the killing of Glass, and isn't moving fast enough to make changes inside his department. Two of the commissioners told 9NEWS Albers has been dragging his feet on change for years.

"I don't think anybody with a beating heart could watch that video and not think that we can do better," Commissioner George Marlin said. 

The commissioners said in the year since the shooting, there hasn't been much change in the department.

Last month, Albers apologized for the shooting, saying his deputies "failed to meet expectations" during the call. 

"I didn't think it went far enough and I didn't think it reflected accountability," Commissioner Randy Wheelock said. 

Wheelock and Marlin said they don't believe the sheriff has done enough -- even after an earlier warning. 

In 2020, after Clear Creek County deputies shot and killed another man with mental health issues, a grand jury found the county and law enforcement lacked resources for people in mental health crisis. In 2021, the county opened a new clinic in Idaho Springs, offering mental health treatment. But at the time, during a board meeting, the sheriff shrugged off starting a police crisis response team. 

"I don't think there's a supply and demand enough to have a 24/7 crisis intervention team," he said. 

"I don't think that the training for police officers and the creation of a co-response team was taken seriously," Wheelock said. 

A year and a half later, Glass was shot and killed. 

"I think it wasn't very long between that video being released, and the Board of County Commissioners directing our staff to go ahead and investigate, research and create a co-responder program on our side of the house," Marlin said. 

"Is that because the sheriff didn't do it?" 9NEWS asked. 

"I mean, I think that question answers itself," Marlin said.

But there was one question Wheelock and Marlin stopped short of answering: Should Albers still be the sheriff in Clear Creek County?

"You know, that's, that's his decision to make," Marlin said. 

"We made clear what our expectations were in our statement, that what's going on isn't enough, and we want more," Wheelock said. 

9NEWS requested an interview with Albers, but his office has not responded. 

The deputy who shot Glass and his supervisor were both indicted and are due in court this week for a motions hearing. 

Last month, the Glass family settled with Clear Creek County and the other agencies involved for $19 million -- the largest police misconduct settlement in state history. 

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