COLORADO SPRINGS – In an email sent to media outlets on Wednesday, El Paso County Sheriff Bill Elder announced that Colorado Springs Police Chief Pete Carey will be appointed as the next undersheriff in El Paso County.
Elder said that current undersheriff, Joe Breister, announced his retirement Wednesday. Carey is set to start his new role on Feb. 11, 2019.
Breister’s retirement will officially begin on March 29. He served as undersheriff for the last four years under Bill Elder.
The announcement comes less than three weeks after Carey announced he was leaving the Colorado Springs Police Department effective in February. He served as police chief for seven years with CSPD.
Carey served in local law enforcement since 1982 when he joined the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, before moving to CSPD where he worked Patrol and within the Metro Vice, Narcotics and Intelligence Division, then supervised the Training Academy, Tactical Enforcement Unit and Metro VNI.
Elder’s announcement included the following statement from Carey:
“As I retire from the best police department in Colorado, I am humbled to be given the opportunity to join the best Sheriff’s Office in Colorado. I am grateful for the opportunity to continue to serve our community and look forward to working with Sheriff Bill Elder and the men and women of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office. Congratulations to Undersheriff Joe Breister on an extraordinary career.”
