"I Will Never Back Down From Any Challenge!"

Writer's note: The tragic shooting at a Texas elementary school is a reminder there is much brokenness in our society with many broken souls. How does our nation move forward from this? What can each one of us do to make our community better and safer? To seek answers and solutions, I turned to someone who overcame adversity in his own life and has served his community for over 40 years in law enforcement. His name is John Anderson, and he is currently running for Douglas County Sheriff (full disclosure: I'm not a Douglas County resident, so I cannot vote in DougCo elections). 

I first met John at one of the media training classes Kim Monson, and I taught. I didn't know anything about him other than that he was running for office. Wearing his signature cowboy hat, cowboy boots, and blue jeans, John looked like he had just walked off a western movie set when we met. He had this tough guy presence that made me feel safe and a bit intimidated at the same time. But he quickly put me at ease with his dry sense of humor and warm smile. Several people suggested that I interview John because of his incredible life story, and I finally got a chance to talk to him in-depth at his ranch this week. 

Overcame Adversities

Our conversation began with John's upbringing. He was born and raised in Douglas County. He lost his parents in a tragic automobile accident when he was only three-years-old, and his grandparents took him in and raised him.

John mentioned that kids used to tease him when his grandma showed up at the Parent Teacher conference. They would ask him why his mom was so old compared to other young moms. When John explained that she was his grandmother, kids would ask where his real mom was. John had many reasons to be angry and resentful to others and life itself. Yet, he chose a different path, thanks to his grandparents.

John's grandfather was a WWI veteran who instilled a strong work ethic and patriotism in John. John started helping his grandparents by taking care of their ranch and other small businesses at a young age. He learned to drive a tractor and cut hay when he was 12. At age 15, he learned how to tame mean horses, and that experience taught him to never back down from any challenge.

John Anderson’s Ranch

I asked John what a typical day on a ranch was like, and he said it depends on the time of the year. For example, calves are born in the spring. He often checked on both mothers and babies every two hours during March while enduring Colorado's bone-chilling weather. Sometimes he had to act as the midwife to help the cow deliver a calf (I was told it could be a very messy process). If a cow died, he would bottle-feed the young calves until they were ready to live independently. I have a hard time imagining John, a macho John Wayne kind of guy, gently bottle-feeding a calf. He had to show me pictures to prove it.

There are endless tasks on a ranch besides taking care of the cattle. John told me that working 10 hours or more a day is typical. Such hard work never bothers him because the freedom and independence that come with it are priceless. That has been the way of life for generations of Americans, including his grandfather and how John grew up. It's part of the culture and tradition of America that John cherishes. Like Mike Rowe, host of Dirty job, once said, "the willingness to get dirty has always defined us as a nation, and it's a hallmark of hard work and a hallmark of fun."

John said his life experience has shaped who he is. Adversities and challenging work have only made him stronger. He's always ready to stand up to any challenge. He is loyal to the people he cares about. Above all, he values freedom and independence more than anything. He is a fierce defender of the U.S. Constitution because he believes it provides the best protection of our freedom.

A Lifetime of Service

At age 22, John became the fourth police officer at Castle Rock Police Department. At the time, the department was so small that it had very few rules and procedures. Over the next 40 years, John gradually rose through the ranks and eventually became a commander. The police department has grown from four police officers to 84 sworn police officers and 32 civilian employees.

John played essential roles in helping create or pilot many programs in Douglas County, including developing the 1st Critical Response Team for adults and children facing a mental crisis. He served the community by being on call 24/7/365 for 30 years for the department and as Commander of the SWAT Team. 

Additionally, John has always been active in community service. He often volunteered as an auctioneer to help raise funds for non-profit organizations such as Toys for Tots and Wounded Warriors. Ray Guth, owner of Briccy's Coffee in Castle Rock, told me that John always goes out of his way to help others. 

After serving for 40 years at Castle Rock Police Department, John retired in 2018. He could have spent the rest of his life enjoying all the freedom and independence of being a rancher. But the concerns of rising crimes in Douglas County and the government's overreach of individual rights prompted him to run for Douglas County Sheriff in 2022. 

Red Flag or No Red Flag

After the tragic shooting at a Texas elementary school, many advocated implementing “Red Flag” laws as one of the solutions. A dozen states, including Colorado, have instituted Red flag laws, which allow courts to temporarily seize firearms from anyone believed to be a danger to themselves or others, usually without warrants. They only have to meet a preponderance of the evidence standard.

But according to John, the Red Flag law is unconstitutional and isn’t the answer to preventing troubled individuals from committing heinous crimes with firearms. He pointed out that in 2021, the U.S. Supreme court ruled in Caniglia v Strom that warrantless gun confiscation from Americans’ homes is unconstitutional. 

Dave Kopel, a Colorado-based Constitution scholar, has done extensive research about the effects and limitations of Red Flag laws. He said, “Nearly a third of such [gun confiscation] orders are improperly issued against innocent people.” Even supporters of Red Flag laws agree that these laws often have failed to stop bad guys from harming others with firearms. 

John said Colorado's statute 27-65-105, commonly known as the M1 law, is a better and more constitutional approach. When any person appears to have a mental illness and becomes an imminent danger to either themselves or others, the Colorado statute allows an "intervening professional", upon probable cause (higher legal standard than the preponderance of the evidence), to "take the person into custody, or cause the person to be taken into custody, and placed in a facility designated or approved by the executive director for a seventy-two-hour treatment and evaluation." 

Always Have Hope

Before I left his ranch, John introduced me to Ranger, a Carolina dog. John’s son adopted Ranger from a puppy rescue. It turned out that Ranger had distemper. Since the survival rate of distemper is less than 10%, the vet predicted that Ranger would die within a week and suggested putting him down right away. The Andersons, never backing down from any challenges, took Ranger home and sought all kinds of treatment. They took good care of him, including carrying him out to relieve himself and hand-feeding him as he couldn’t stand or walk for months. Today, Ranger is a handsome and happy three-year-old who loves meeting people and animals.

Whether in politics or personal life, John Anderson never gives up, never backs down from challenges, and always has hope. 

A picture of Ranger, courtesy of John Anderson.