Deputy Dustin Harlow, the Ouray County Sheriff’s Department’s newest employee, asked Undersheriff Tammy Stroup for a reserve position just a few weeks before a full-time job opened up. It turned out to be perfect timing.

After nearly 10 years with the Montrose County Sheriff’s Office, Harlow took about a year off the job but missed it quickly. He knew Stroup from the Montrose department, where she once served as a deputy, and was hoping to get back on the job even if it was part-time.

He nev...