The “interim” tag has been removed from the front of Curtis Witte’s job title.
The Yuma City Council appointed Witte as the “permanent” chief of police during its regular meeting last week.
Witte had been the interim chief since last May, following Jerry Thompson’s resignation. (Thompson now is on the council.)
At first, Witte did not want to go for the position permanently. He explained that his mom was in poor health, and he and his family were wanting to be closer to her in eastern Yuma County. Unfortunately, she passed away recently, which led to the chief and his family contemplating staying in Yuma.
“My wife and I had many talks, and she said to go ahead and put in for it,” Chief Witte said.
His wife Erin is a registered nurse working at Wray Community District Hospital. Their daughter Tessa is 8 years old and in second grade at Morris Elementary, and their son Tucker is 4 and in preschool.
Witte has been with the YPD since 2015, coming over from the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office. He rose up through the ranks of the YPD, to sergeant and investigator, and was the natural choice to fill in as interim chief following Thompson’s resignation.
He started doing EMS work in 2002 while still in high school. (He graduated from Wray High School in 2003.) He is a member of the Yuma Volunteer Fire Department, recently serving two years as its chief.
Witte also organized the Northeast Colorado Major Crimes Task Force and remains involved with that unit.
“Literally I’ve been doing it for eight months, so nothing’s changed,” Witte said of police chief. “…Another big reason to put in for the position was to have stability within the department. I’m ready to rock and roll.”