Craig Daily Press

Craig — The Craig Police Department announced July 26 Officer Laurie Schulze was named its 2006 employee of the year.

Schulze has been with the department for two years, and was nominated by her fellow officers.

In the past year, Schulze was an integral part of the Citizen Police Academy, an 11- to 12- week program for residents to learn the different aspects of the Police Department. She also helped organize and conduct the Citizen Survey, a door-to-door effort to have residents evaluate the Police Department; and is part of the Police Department’s Drug Taskforce.

The Drug Taskforce is a special program used solely to investigate and arrest drug offenders, distributors and producers. Schulze performs various duties for it, and still is a part of the unit.

Her history with the Police Department has seen its ups and downs. She spent a year on patrol, but then broke her finger in a training exercise.

Doctors were unable to fix her finger to where she could move or bend it, and so they cut her finger off.

“I didn’t think it would be a career-ending injury,” she said.

“Unfortunately, (the finger) was on my gun hand, and so they had me on light duty for the last year.”

Schulze currently is helping to establish a Drug Court system in Moffat County. The auxiliary court system would be for drug-related probation violations.

“It’s a last opportunity to get help before having to go to jail,” Schulze said. “It’s a structured 18-month to two-year program.”

Possible program requirements include having steady employment and a permanent residence.

Schulze plans to keep working with the Drug Taskforce this year, and hopes to be put back on full duty.

“I would like to stay with the Drug Taskforce as long as I can,” she said. “The meth problem in Craig is out of control, and I want to make an impact there.”