NEWS RELEASE
REX LACEBY
******************
Boulder, CO – Rex Laceby is publicly announcing his candidacy for Boulder County Sheriff.
“As a U.S. Marine, I’ve been providing national security for 21 years. Now, I will do everything I can to protect our county.”
Laceby responded to the Marshall fire as a wildland firefighter. He and his team risked their lives evacuating residents in the path of the fire, wrangling horses to provide them safe relocation and conducting critical structure protection for the first two days of the most destructive fire in Colorado history.
Laceby recounts, “This was the worst fire I have even been on. We were lucky to evacuate as many people and animals as we did in the short amount of time we had. The wind was horrible and, before we knew it, we were fully surrounded by flames. My team and I are glad we were there to help, but wish we could have done more for the families that lost everything.”
Laceby believes his broad view, diversity of training, firefighting experience and decades of leadership will help transform the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office into the most effective organization in the region. Laceby reminds us that “the next fire is coming and the crime rate is getting out of hand so we need to be better prepared and ready to respond.”
Laceby, a retired, decorated, prior-enlisted, Marine Corps Officer, proudly served his country for over two decades on active duty. He operated in Iraq, Afghanistan and South America, and he deployed on several Marine Expeditionary Units, conducting operations in South East Asia, the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. As a U.S. Marine Officer, he helped lead several Humanitarian and Disaster Relief Operations in the Philippines, Bangladesh and Japan.
He is fully dedicated to service and will never give up. Laceby was severely injured in a gunfight with insurgents in Iraq; however, due to his mindset and support from several commanders who needed him on the next mission, he continued to serve as a Marine Corps Officer. He deployed several times after recovering from injuries that should have kept him from staying in the military, setting the example of the highest levels of physical fitness, mental toughness, dedication and passion for serving his country.
Laceby proudly serves Boulder County as a Technical Rescue Volunteer with Boulder Emergency Squad. He is a Wildland Firefighter, Public Safety Diver, Swift-Water Rescue Technician, Ice Rescue Trainer and former board member. He has conducted numerous emergency calls supporting the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office and other mutual aid partners that makeup Boulder County’s first-response umbrella.
Post retirement, Laceby found a home at his alma mater, the University of Colorado Boulder, where he proudly helped CU Veteran students through career transition. He later conducted National Security Innovation Development for the Department of Defense at the College of Engineering. He co-founded and serves as President of the CU Boulder Veterans Alumni Association, where he has planned and executed dozens of community service projects to include rebuilding homes in Jamestown after the 2013 flood and aiding organizations like the Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence (SPAN). One of his most cherished programs is helping light the Boulder Star every year on Veterans Day. He is a proud CU Buff and the safety of his students, faculty, staff, alumni and visitors resonate very deeply in him.
Laceby sits on several Boards for Veteran support organizations including the Veterans Community Project and Paradox Sports. He is a mentor for the CU Boulder Sounding Rocket Laboratory and the CU Emergency Medical Services student group. He helped establish the University of Colorado Defense Innovation and Policy Student Group and was an active member of the CU Emergency Management Operations Group, where he worked closely with the CU Boulder Police Department and established active harmer protocols and procedures for several CU departments.
“My experience with innovation and technology development with the Department of Defense at CU Boulder and my cybersecurity background and personal drive to stop cyber-criminals are needed to address the growing threat in Boulder County and beyond,” Laceby stated. He was invited to join and continues to support the Mountain West Cyber Fraud Task Force. This organization is run by the U.S. Secret Service, partnering with Attorney General Phil Weiser and his staff, local law enforcement agencies, governmental organizations and select private-sector partners.
If elected, Laceby will use his decades of leadership experience, service to the community, technical skills and problem-solving experience to help keep Boulder County residents and visitors safe. He is a Decorated Combat Veteran and Purple Heart Recipient and will make public safety a priority.
“I am blessed to live in the United States of America and call Boulder County home,” he says. Living in Boulder with his son, a graduate from Boulder High School, his two sweet Dalmatian pups and surrounded by a community of amazing friends, Laceby will focus his entire life on protecting our home, animals and environment. Laceby is currently employed as Chief of Staff for Advanced Space.
For more information visit www.rexforbocosheriff.org or watch his last interview while conducting wildfire mitigation: https://denver.cbslocal.com/2021/05/02/colorado-wildfire-mitigation-risk/
.jpg;w=120;h=80;mode=crop)
