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Sheriff’s Office selects Mike Schilling as new commander of operations

Operations Commander Mike Schilling.
Summit County Sheriff’s Office

The Summit County Sheriff’s Office announced on Thursday the selection of Deputy Mike Schilling to the position of commander of the operations division, following an application process from a number of internal and external candidates.

“Aside from his policing experience, Mike compliments the existing command staff with excellent communications skills and a strong and proven successful background in organization leadership and management, organization development, budget and finance, policy development and implementation and human resources,” said Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons, adding that his team is now full.

Schilling is a Kentucky native and a twenty-year resident of Summit County. He earned his bachelor’s of business administration from the University of Iowa in 1999, and was the assistance vice-president at Firstbank in Breckenridge from 1999 to 2002. He later served as the president of Valdaro Development, LLC from 2002-2016.



It was then that Schilling decided on a change. He ditched the business world and obtained his Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Certification at the Red Rocks Community College Police Academy in 2016, and immediately began working as a patrol deputy for the Summit County Sheriff’s Office. Schilling is also a member of the Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard.

During his time in Summit, Schilling has also served as a board member and president of the Summit Foundation, the co-chair of the local organizing committee for the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, a member of the Summit County Sheriff’s Office Citizen Advisory Committee and a Summit County Upper Blue Planning Commissioner.



Schilling and his wife, Amy Freeman, live near Breckenridge with their poodle, Greta. Schilling is a regular competitor in Summit Mountain Challenge bike races, as well as a past overall series champion, and spends his time skiing in the winter.

“The Sheriff’s Office is honored to have selected one of our own for this vital position within our organization,” continued FitzSimons. “The successful promotion of Commander Schilling is a testament to our organizational dedication to developing, empowering and encouraging our employees.


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