Meet the Sheriff

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Sheriff James van Beek
james.vanbeek@eaglecounty.us
970-328-8509

Sheriff New PhotoSheriff James van Beek was elected in November 2014 and is proudly serving Eagle County and its residents. A Colorado native, Van Beek was born in Denver to Dutch immigrant parents. He has worked and lived in Eagle County, where he raised his family, since 1989.

As an honorably discharged United States Army veteran, van Beek has over 32 years of serving his country in one or more uniforms and more than 28 years experience of law enforcement and leadership experience, both locally and internationally, with an understanding of diverse cultures and speaks multiple languages.

He embarked on his law enforcement career in 1989 with the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office working and assuming various roles that included a patrol deputy, field training officer and detective.

International experience took hold in the fall of 2000 where he served almost 9 years a civilian police officer with the United Nations Mission in Kosovo and a police mentor supervisor in Afghanistan. There he was tasked, along with other professional police from around the world, to build and develop a full-time working police service consisting of local nationals.

Now back in Eagle County, as the Sheriff, van Beek’s primary goals are to help establish a more positive and visible connection with the entire community.

van Beek is looking forward to the many opportunities and challenges in law enforcement in the upcoming years and working alongside the community to overcome obstacles, forge new paths and make Eagle County not just a world class destination, but a world class community that we can all call home.

In the spring of 2016 van Beek was selected to join the ranks of 1% of the law enforcement officers in the United States and graduated from the 264th F.B.I. National Academy.

Sheriff van Beek remains active within the community with a continuous focus and efforts to improve restorative justice programs and decriminalize mental health issues. In addition, he sits on several local boards including the Eagle County Emergency Responders Fund, a 501(3)c designed to provide assistance to Eagle County First Responders “when our heroes need some help” as well as serving as the current 2023 President for County Sheriffs of Colorado.
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