Former Kansas prisons chief takes interim DOC post | takes, former, interim - Colorado Springs Gazette, CO
Former Kansas prisons chief takes interim DOC post | takes, former, interim - Colorado Springs Gazette, CO
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper appointed a new interim executive director of the Colorado Department of Corrections Tuesday, according to a news release.
Roger Werholtz will begin his term Monday and serve until the end of July, as the search for a permanent hire gets underway. Roxane White, the governor’s chief of staff, will stay on as lead of the DOC’s executive team until Werholtz assumes the position.
Former DOC prison operations director Tony Carochi took over as interim executive director following the slaying of Tom Clements last month. Carochi had announced his retirement prior to the March 19 incident, DOC spokesperson Adrienne Jacobson said.
Eric Brown, spokesperson for Hickenlooper's office, said Werholtz was appointed as an interim director because there was a need for someone to step in while the governor could take the appropriate time to find a permanent hire.
Werholtz most recently served eight years as Secretary of Corrections in Kansas, retiring in December 2010.
“We are fortunate to have someone of Roger’s experience help us through this transition,” Hickenlooper said. “He has extensive corrections background and is well-suited to help us with the ongoing reviews of department operations and a search for a new executive director.”
Werholtz will lead efforts to evaluate the Colorado’s parole system, work on the Prison Utilization Study, repurpose the Fort Lyon Correctional Facility and implement the department’s strategic plan, according to the governor’s news release.
“I look forward to continuing the work begun by Tom Clements, who had set a course for the Department of Corrections that focused on the latest corrections research and practices,” Werholtz said. “Tom strived to make Colorado a safer place for us all to live and raise our families.”
Among the achievements listed in the governor’s statement are a 48 percent reduction in monthly revocation rates for offenders and a 31 percent reduction in absconder rates during Werholtz’ time as head of the Kansas department.
"The department staff are thankful for the support that the governor and his cabinet have given to us in the weeks since Mr. Clements' death," Alison Morgan, DOC spokesperson, said. "We are excited to have the knowledge and leadership that Roger's experiences will bring to the department."
The Colorado DOC’s practices and policies have come under heavy scrutiny in the aftermath of Clements’ killing and the actions of the prime suspect, parolee Evan Ebel.
Ebel is suspected of killing a pizza delivery man from Denver on March 17 and shooting Clements in his Monument-area home on March 19.
El Paso County Sheriff’s Office and DOC investigators discovered Ebel cut off his ankle monitoring device and failed to contact his probation officer for four days.
As a result of inconsistencies in the DOC’s handling of parolees who violate probation, the department last week announced new policies to guide probation officers.
Gov. Hickenlooper also ordered a sweeping review of DOC regulations and conditions of sentences going back 10 years on April 4.
Brown said the governor hopes to have a permanent executive director appointed by July 31.
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