In highlighting our first responders in this month’s issue, we wanted to look back at how they began.
By Amber Tueller. Photos courtesy of South Metro and Parker Police.
Parker Police Department
The Parker Police Department was first established in 1983, soon after the town was incorporated, which occurred in 1981. The first officers, Chief Larry Myers and one other officer, worked part time to watch over the safety of Parker. They wore a brown uniform ensemble with cowboy hats and drove used Plymouth Furys headquartered at the old “Quonset hut” Parker Community Center on Mainstreet.
In the next twenty-seven years, the force grew, adding many more police officers, new technology, and continuing to upgrade patrol cars. The headquarters moved locations to the blue building with a clock tower next to the current town hall, then moved to the Parker Municipal Annex on Parker Square Drive.
In 2010, the new 53,000-square-foot building was completed, and the police force moved to include all of their duties under one roof where they still reside. Our current police chief, Jim Tsurapas, began as a volunteer reserve in 1993. We currently have 91 officers and 44 staff members in the police department.
Parker Fire Protection District
The Parker Fire Protection District was founded in 1958 and was completely made up of volunteers. In 1983, full-time firefighters were hired as well. They covered the areas from Orchard Road and Parker Road on the north down to Bayou Gulch Road, east to Delbert Road and west to I-25. In 2008, they consolidated with the South Metro Fire Rescue, which brought together remnants of neighboring town departments like Littleton, Cherry Creek area, Castle Pines, and North Douglas County.
There are currently seven fire stations in the Parker area with around 700 members of South Metro Fire covering 30 stations in the south Denver area. Parker area stations are: Preston Hill, Foxfield, The Pinery, Meridian, Stonegate, Stroh Ranch, and Tomahawk.
They are the second largest department in Colorado, second only to the Denver Fire Department. They cover an area of nearly 300 square miles in Arapahoe, Douglas, and Jefferson counties, serving over 580,000 residents.