Undersheriff receives unique training with FBI Academy

In 2005 Josh Ashe left Asheville, North Carolina and moved to Gunnison with his girlfriend Crystal, who is now his wife. They had met and dated since high school, and they now have a daughter, Charlie, aged 11. Once here, Ashe started in law enforcement and spent two years in the Gunnison County Sheriff’s Office. 

Crystal is the owner of the High Attitude Dance Academy. Ashe moved to the Gunnison Police Department and remained there until January of 2023. Ashe returned to the sheriff’s office after being promoted to Undersheriff by Sheriff Adam Murdie and he is now in his fourth year in that role. This places him second in the sheriff’s office chain of command.

Ashe recently spent a week at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, receiving high-level leadership training during a National Command Course. This course is sponsored by the FBI and receives statewide nominations. Ashe was singled out of all the nominations for Colorado. He was nominated by an FBI officer out of the Grand Junction office, a former cop partner with whom he worked alongside in the Gunnison Police Department. That officer has been with the FBI for about seven years. After being nominated, Ashe had to submit backup materials to qualify. The team of state-selected representatives was housed for the week in Woodbridge, Virginia. Dave Robins, the Grand Junction FBI supervisor, was the only other Colorado personnel attending the course.

Asked whether the FBI training program was largely investigative, Ashe explained that it was exclusively focused on high-level leadership.

“It was about the role of cultivating leadership among employees, building future leaders for the organization and cultivating emotional intelligence,” he said.

He outlined the difference between leadership and management.

“Leaders lead and inspire people, whereas managers manage processes,” he said.

Ashe said his main takeaway from the course, which resonated with him strongly, was presented by a Quantico instructor and was entitled “Human Gardening.” Ashe said the academy presenter used phenomenal analogies, using the idea of roots and trees as ways of thinking about your people to get the best out of them.

“Just like in gardening, if they need this experience or training to grow, you provide this — just as you would provide nutrients or elements for plants to grow,” he said.

Ashe himself came from a farming background and still loves to grow vegetables and flowers with Crystal, so the presentation resonated deeply with him. Their favorite is to grow leafy greens, lettuces and carrots.

Continuing with the gardening metaphor, Ashe said:

“If you compare people’s development to the lifespan of a tree — maybe 300 years total — the first third, maybe 100 years, the tree is focused on self-sufficient growth — absorbing, learning the job, growing into self, becoming competent.

“The second phase is pouring nutrients back into the soil, growing healthy roots, connections, being about community.

“The third phase for a tree, the last 100 years, there is no more growth for the tree itself. Instead, you are building up others to take over. A successful transition is building up the soil and the other trees around it — to empower other people to do a great job.”

Two special outings included in the course Ashe found awesome were a visit to the National Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., where the study and records of the tragedy fascinated him. It was followed by a class on how law enforcement was used to infiltrate the ghettos and community. SS soldiers were paired with local law enforcement, who unwittingly became accomplices because they were known and trusted. This was a good example of “What you do matters,” Ashe said.

The second outing that Ashe raved about was a visit to Mount Vernon, the homestead of George Washington, which also has historic and agricultural elements.

Speaking about crime and law and order more generally, Ashe said:

“It’s important to remember as law enforcement officers that our job is to remain neutral in the line of duty. Our job is not to judge, but to alleviate problems when someone is experiencing something in a state of crisis.

“A big part of our role is safety. Helping people overcome a crisis in the moment. Yes, we have to also deal with criminal acts and enforce the law and hold individuals accountable. Now, compared with 20 years ago, you’re dealing with more serious things. Definitely more nontraditional calls for service. We’ve seen a spike in mental health issues than when I first started.

“The department commits a lot of time to mental health issues. There are good local resources such as co-responders from GVH and local mental health professionals. Violent crimes, assaults and domestic violence can also be factors in the community.”

As a former patrol officer and detective for the city, Ashe has an investigations background that provides him with experience and knowledge. However, now that he is in the higher ranks, his focus is more on budgets, policy and procedure, personnel, administration and leadership.