Palisade Police Department

05/28/2026

⚾️🐾 GOOD LUCK BULLDOGS! 🐾⚾️

Today, members of Public Safety from the Palisade Police Department and Fire Department, along with family and friends, were honored to es**rt the Palisade High School Varsity Baseball Team to I-70 as they head to the Colorado State 4A Baseball Tournament on the Eastern Slope!

This outstanding group of athletes has represented our community with hard work, dedication, sportsmanship, and Bulldog pride throughout the season. The entire Palisade community is proud of your accomplishments and excited to cheer you on as you compete at State.

Travel safe, play hard, and enjoy every moment of the experience. We’ll will be rooting for you back home!

GO BULLDOGS! ⚾️💙🖤

05/27/2026

🐾🚓 The Palisade Police Department is proud to officially introduce the newest member of our team — K9 Riot! 🚓🐾

K9 Riot is a 10-month-old male Belgian Malinois who will begin serving alongside our School Resource Officer next school year to help enhance safety and security for our students, staff, and schools.

Riot will be trained in detecting dangerous weapons and dangerous drugs to help keep these threats out of our schools. In addition to his safety role, Riot will also support students through positive interactions focused on emotional and social well-being, while also assisting with duties such as searching for missing persons.

Starting June 1st, SRO and K9 Riot will attend an intensive 6-week training academy in Colorado Springs where they will begin building the skills and partnership necessary to serve our community.

Riot already shows incredible potential and is full of positive drive, energy, and enthusiasm. We are excited to watch him grow into his role and become an important part of the Palisade community.

Please join us in welcoming K9 Riot to the Palisade Police Department family! 🐕💙

We will continue providing updates to the community on Riot’s progress and development throughout the training program.

05/01/2026

We are incredibly grateful to our community partners for helping make the Mock DUI event at Palisade High School such a powerful and impactful experience for our students.
A huge thank you to the Colorado State Patrol, Mesa County Sheriff's Office, Mesa County Coroner's Office, and the Palisade Fire Department for your time, professionalism, and dedication.
Your efforts gave students a real-world look at the consequences of impaired driving and highlighted the importance of making safe, responsible choices. The realism, teamwork, and compassion demonstrated left a lasting impression that will stay with our students far beyond the day of the event.
Thank you for your continued commitment to keeping our community safe and educating the next generation. 🚔🚒

04/22/2026

04/03/2026

Today, we recognize and thank Sgt. Dan Dranginis for his incredible service to the Town of Palisade Police Department and the profession of law enforcement.

With nearly 16 years dedicated to our community and an outstanding 28-year career in law enforcement, Sgt. Dranginis represents what it truly means to serve with professionalism, integrity, and commitment. Over the course of almost three decades, he has not only protected and served, but has also been a mentor, leader, and role model to countless others in public safety.

His impact reaches far beyond the badge—shaping the next generation of officers and strengthening the foundation of our department and community.

Sgt. Dranginis continues to serve the Town of Palisade with pride, and if we have our way, he’ll be doing so for another three decades to come.

Thank you, Sgt. Dranginis, for your unwavering dedication, leadership, and service. We are grateful to have you as part of our team and our community.

04/03/2026

This week, March 29th-April 4th, we recognize Property and Evidence Week—a time to highlight the critical work happening behind the scenes in law enforcement. The police department staff would like to recognize our Civilian Tech Specialists Sarah and Kindra who are dedicated to the high standards of property and evidence, records management and most importantly customer service to the community of the Town of Palisade. Thank you for what you do!

03/11/2026

Palisade Police Department personnel was honored to have story time with Taylor Elementary Students this morning. The students also had wonderful questions and this was the highlight of our day. Thank you for the invite!

03/05/2026

Hello Town Community the Palisade Police Department was honored to es**rt the Boy’s Palisade High School Basketball team from the high school to I-70 as they are on their way to the State Tournament on the front range. Good luck and go Bulldogs!!!

03/03/2026

Good morning Town of Palisade, please draw your attention to the following message from Palisade High School. This information is to let everyone know that the Blue Path Law Enforcement Program at PHS is conducting educational training for the students involved in the Blue Path Program. There will be no issues or concerns for staff and student safety. Please feel free to contact the Police Department if there are any questions 970-464-5601.

Dear Palisade High School Families,

I want to inform you that a bomb squad vehicle will be present on our campus on March 3, 2026 as part of a scheduled training exercise for our Pre-Police Academy course. This activity is planned in partnership with local law enforcement to provide students with an authentic, hands-on learning experience connected to careers in public safety.

Please note that this is only a training exercise. There is no threat or safety concern to our school or community. The activity will be supervised by school staff and law enforcement personnel at all times and will not disrupt the regular school day.
We appreciate our partnership with local first responders and the opportunities they provide for our students. If you have any questions, please contact the main office at 970-254-4800

Thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely,

Dan Bololinger
Principal, Palisade High School

02/09/2026

Today, The Palisade Police Department takes pause to remember and honor the life, service and ultimate sacrifice of Deputy Derek Mace Geer, whose End of Watch was ten years ago today.

The Thin Blue Line represents the line between order and chaos, and between peace violence. Deputy Geer stood that line for his community, giving the ultimate sacrifice. He represented everything the Thin Blue Line stands for.

We stand in remembrance with his family, friends and our fellow law enforcement members. We will continue to honor his memory and we will never forget 🖤💙🖤

** Honoring the 10th Anniversary of Deputy Derek Geer’s End of Watch **

Deputy Derek Mace Geer - End of Watch: February 8, 2016

On this day, we remember and honor the ultimate sacrifice made by Mesa County Sheriff Deputy Derek Geer on the morning of February 8, 2016. As he attempted to detain a suspect, a struggle ensued, and Deputy Geer was shot multiple times. In a final act of service and selflessness, Deputy Geer’s organs were donated to four individuals, providing them with a second chance at life.

Deputy Geer was a proud Navy veteran and had served the Mesa County Sheriff's Office for 15 years at the time of his death. During his service to MCSO, Deputy Geer received the Lifesaving Award for his role in reviving a woman suffering cardiac arrest. After his death in 2016, Deputy Geer was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. He was and is the only individual to receive this honor in the history of the Mesa County Sheriff's Office.

While 10 years have passed since this tragic day, Deputy Geer’s memory and legacy live on. The Western Colorado Peace Officers Academy has established a scholarship for cadets in his memory and the fall academy class of the Technical College of the Rockies Law Enforcement Academy dedicated a memorial run in his name.

We will continue to keep Deputy Geer’s memory alive in all that we do. We will never forget.