Apple Valley, Utah – The Town of Colorado City, Arizona, has finalized an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with the Town of Apple Valley, Utah, that will bring Colorado City police officers across the state line to provide law enforcement services — a move local officials say builds on an arrangement already in place with Hildale, Utah. The agreement takes effect July 1.
Building on an Existing Model
Colorado City’s police department already operates under a similar cross-jurisdictional framework with Hildale. That existing relationship is part of what made the new agreement with Apple Valley possible: all Colorado City officers hold dual certification in both Arizona and Utah, allowing them to legally exercise full law enforcement authority on either side of the state line. Under the new IGA, officers working in Apple Valley will operate under the rights, duties, and authority granted to them under Utah law, while officers working in Colorado City continue to operate under Arizona law — with the Colorado City Police Chief overseeing both.
Filling a Gap in Apple Valley
Apple Valley currently has no police department of its own. The town has instead contracted with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office for patrol and general policing services. The new IGA with Colorado City gives Apple Valley an alternative path to dedicated police coverage through a neighboring agency already operating in the region, rather than relying solely on the county.
Sgt. Lucas Alfred of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said questions about Apple Valley’s reasons for changing providers should be directed to town officials. Alfred said the Sheriff’s Office will continue to provide backup assistance when needed and noted that it has maintained a positive working relationship with the Colorado City/Hildale Police Department — one he expects to continue.
Apple Valley is also entering into a separate interlocal agreement with Hildale for justice court services, pairing the new policing arrangement with a judicial framework. That agreement, like the police IGA, takes effect July 1.
How the Agreement Is Structured
Under the terms of the IGA, Colorado City will continue to employ, supervise, and equip all police officers under the Department, with the Police Chief responsible for overseeing all personnel and presenting department policy for approval by both town councils. Apple Valley retains the option to provide additional personnel or equipment if its council chooses, though any such arrangement requires the two town managers to agree in advance on supervisory protocols.
The agreement runs on an open-ended term, continuing until either party gives the other twelve months’ written notice of termination. If the agreement ends, equipment and property revert to whichever party originally owned it, unless the parties agree to a buyout at fair market value.
Crashes on State Route 59 are generally excluded from billing calculations under the agreement, since those calls are treated as an assist to the Utah Highway Patrol unless Colorado City officers handle the call in UHP’s place.
The main police facility will remain at 50 North Colvin Street in Colorado City, with Colorado City responsible for all building maintenance, taxes, and insurance on the property; Apple Valley assumes no responsibility for the facility itself.
The agreement also lays out mutual indemnification and insurance requirements — along with provisions preserving each party’s existing governmental immunities under Utah and Arizona law. Workers’ compensation coverage for officers working across the state line is addressed under both Arizona and Utah statutes, with officers treated as employees of both their home agency and the jurisdiction in which they’re working at the time.
Colorado City and Apple Valley each retain their own separate legal identity, even as their police operations become administratively consolidated.
Court Services Through Hildale
Under the separate court agreement, Hildale will operate a justice court that handles both criminal and small claims matters for both towns, with jurisdiction covering Hildale and Apple Valley. The court will continue to be based at Hildale City Hall, staffed and equipped by Hildale, with a judge appointed by the Hildale City Council and subject to the same certification and retention-election requirements as any other Utah justice court judge.
Each town remains responsible for its own prosecution and indigent defense services, and each will keep the revenue generated by cases originating within its own boundaries. Apple Valley will pay its share of the court’s operating costs on a quarterly basis. Either town can end the arrangement with written notice, though the agreement does not create a new government entity — Hildale simply administers the court on both towns’ behalf.
A Year in the Making
According to Apple Valley Mayor Mike Farrar, the joint police and court arrangement didn’t come together overnight. In an email to the UZona Record, Farrar said discussions began roughly a year ago, with himself, Hildale Mayor Donia Jessop, Colorado City Mayor Howard Ream, and Colorado City Police Chief Radley meeting repeatedly to work out the details. Farrar credited Radley with driving the effort forward, writing that the chief “was very instrumental in organizing these meetings and this joint effort.”
Farrar said highway safety on SR-59 was the catalyst for the talks. He described years of resident complaints about speeding, dangerously slow-moving vehicles, and illegal or unsafe passing on the highway — problems he said have caused numerous crashes, some fatal, and put both Apple Valley residents and commuters from Hildale, Colorado City, and elsewhere at risk. Farrar said he had pressed the Utah Department of Transportation for nearly three years to address the corridor, but that the agency’s plans don’t begin until 2027, which he felt was too slow given the danger. Putting a single police department in charge of patrolling the highway from Apple Valley’s Cinder Hill turnoff, across the state line, and into Colorado City was, in his view, a more immediate fix.
Under the new arrangement, Farrar said Colorado City PD will respond to all calls in Apple Valley and serve as the town’s contracted police department, effectively covering Colorado City, Hildale, and Apple Valley as one patrol force. He acknowledged the town is starting with a limited scope because of budget constraints, but said he hopes to expand patrol frequency by early next year. Farrar said Apple Valley plans to enforce zero tolerance for infractions on the stretch of SR-59 within town limits.
Farrar also explained the reasoning behind pairing the policing agreement with a separate move to bring Apple Valley into Hildale’s court system, public defender, and town prosecutor services — arrangements the town currently handles through the county. He said Hildale’s court system had spare capacity that Apple Valley’s contribution could help support, calling it a natural fit for all three communities. Farrar said he expects more joint projects between the three towns going forward, arguing that combining forces gives them more leverage with government agencies and a better ability to serve residents. He spoke positively of his counterparts, saying Mayors Jessop and Ream are “a pleasure to work with and do a great job for their communities,” and that all three mayors are committed to making the partnership work for the people they represent.
What’s Next
Town officials in all three communities are expected to continue refining the practical details of the arrangement, including supervisory protocols if Apple Valley opts to contribute personnel or equipment down the line, and the pace at which patrols on SR-59 can be expanded. The Colorado City–Apple Valley agreement requires written, council-approved amendments for any future changes, and either side can step away with a year’s notice if the partnership doesn’t work as intended.
Colorado City Police Chief Radley was unavailable for comment.
