Basalt Police Chief Faces Question Over Patrol Car Crosswalk Stop

Rifle —Will the town of Basalt police chief actually investigate a patrol car that failed to stop at a crosswalk?

That is the question Debra Stoller asked after an incident on Sept. 17 near New Castle. She was walking from the library to her home in Lakota, using the designated pedestrian crosswalk between McDonald’s and Alpine Bank. A vehicle was coming down the hill. Stoller hesitated after stepping off the curb, waiting for it to stop. It did not.

To her surprise, the vehicle was a patrol car from the Town of Basalt. The officer had no sirens or lights on. Stoller called 911 to confirm the rules, and was told police officers are not exempt from stopping for pedestrians. The dispatcher directed her to the Basalt police chief. He referred her to a captain who promised to check if the car’s GPS was working to identify the driver.

Stoller has not heard back since that Monday meeting. She noted this is the second time she has encountered a vehicle failing to stop in that crosswalk, and mentioned a previous incident where she called 911 with a partial plate number but never received a follow-up.

"Nobody is above the law," Stoller wrote in a letter to the Post Independent.

While that dispute hinges on internal police procedure, other letters in the same publication tackle broader questions about how the community funds its infrastructure and institutions.

Sara LaGiglia, a Rifle educator with 10 years of experience, addressed the upcoming ballot measures. The question for voters in Rifle is whether they will support two specific measures: 4A and 4B.

Measure 4A proposes a roughly 6% increase in staff compensation. LaGiglia pointed out that the starting teacher salary is currently $44,731, a figure she described as behind surrounding districts. She cited instances of talented staff leaving the district because a 30-minute drive could offer greater financial stability. The increase would apply to teachers, paraprofessionals, bus drivers, cooks, and custodians.

Measure 4B is a reauthorization of an existing tax passed in 2006, not a new tax. It funds physical improvements, including updated science and engineering labs, improved traffic access at Rifle High School, expanded career and technical education spaces at Coal Ridge High School, and a centralized early learning center in Silt serving approximately 150 children. It also includes the construction of 45 to 50 staff housing units to help retain educators.

LaGiglia framed the decision as a choice about community stability. "Strong communities do not happen by accident," she wrote. "They are built in classrooms, cafeterias, buses, playgrounds and hallways by the people who invest in our children every day."

She urged readers to vote yes on both measures, arguing that the investment shapes not just students but the future workforce and leadership of the region.

The Post Independent also featured letters regarding library funding and fire tax information, though the provided text cuts off before detailing those specific arguments. The collection of letters highlights a recurring theme in local governance: the tension between individual accountability for traffic safety and the collective need to fund public services.

For Stoller, the issue is personal and immediate — a car that didn’t stop when it should have. For LaGiglia, the issue is structural — a salary gap that drives staff out of the valley. Both are asking for action, one from a police captain’s office and the other from the ballot box.

Stoller closed her letter with a simple demand for accountability that applies to every driver on the road, regardless of their badge. "I have not heard back," she wrote. "Nobody is above the law."