GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colorado — The Garfield County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue Team president Dave Pruett has resigned his position after the Sheriff's Office changed its requirements regarding background checks for volunteers.

Garfield County Sheriff Lou Vallario said in a memo to all sheriff's office employees and volunteers on Sept. 8, that the requirements are “raising the bar when it comes to accepting volunteers.”

Pruett, who has volunteered for the search and rescue team for six years, said that it's always been the practice to do background criminal checks on volunteers through the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the Colorado Department of Motor Vehicles.

However, the Sheriff's Office is now requiring that volunteers go through the same background checks as any other Sheriff's Office employee would be subjected to, including a complete application, a Computer Voice Stress Analysis or lie detector test, and a one-time drug screen.

However, Pruett said that he was also asked for financial records, credit history, bank account information, loan account balances, and complete work history, information which Pruett said goes way too far.

“If someone is a criminal, we need to know that and it will show up on a CBI check,” Pruett said. “Why they need to know everything else is beyond me.”

Pruett said that he did not understand why personal information would be required of volunteers, who are not paid for their duties on search and rescue.

Vallario stated in his memo that the changes are “because when it comes to exposing the public to liability situations, there is no legal difference between a paid employee and a volunteer.

“This is not about a lack of trust in our volunteers,” Vallario wrote. “This is about the organization's responsibility to the people we serve and as such, we must ensure that our volunteers are lawful, upstanding citizens with good character and integrity.”

Vallario called the requirements “due diligence,” and without the added checks, the Sheriff's Office would be liable for any wrongdoing.

“If we don't act with due diligence, we have no legal leg to stand on when it comes to a lawsuit,” he said.

Vallario said also that this is not only about search and rescue, but all volunteers with the Sheriff's Office including volunteers with the Victim Assistance, Sheriff's Auxiliary, administration and in the jail. Volunteers are to have completed the application process by 5 p.m. on Oct. 30.

As a result of the new requirements, Pruett resigned the end of August he said.

“As the Sheriff, he has the right to do that,” Pruett said. “And as an elected official he can do what he deems necessary to carry out his responsibilities. I don't work for him and don't believe that he needed my information to do my duties, but if that is what he requires, I will just have to find something else occupy my time.”

Regarding the financial information Vallario wrote, “Financial history is extremely important in the hiring or volunteer practice because a good or bad credit history speaks to someone's character, integrity and responsibility.”

According to Pruett, the Search and Rescue team had 34 active members and a “few” inactive members that have more than 20 years of experience.

While Vallario says that this will raise the bar with volunteers, Pruett said that it will only hurt the much-needed organization.

“It already has,” he said, adding that he knows of four other volunteers who have resigned over the issue, so far.