Boulder Police Department's February 2025 Newsletter

Steve Redfearn, police chief

Howdy Boulder,

We are one month into 2025 and it has already been a busy year on many fronts. Hopefully everyone is hanging in there. You have likely heard me say that wellness is a top priority for BPD, and in the interest of my own personal wellness, I was able to take some time off in January to relax on a beach! It was much needed and re-invigorated me! If you are like me, and not a huge fan of winter, a trip to a warmer climate does wonders!

Speaking of winter, I want to acknowledge everyone who worked through the recent cold snaps. While many of us were inside and keeping warm near a fire or curled up with a good book, our officers were out braving the frigid temps to ensure that everyone was safe. Even during freezing temps, individuals may be out breaking the law and we were ready to make arrests in the frigid conditions. Thanks also to the other entities in the city who were out providing essential services! Hopefully, we are above freezing for a while.

An officer snapped this photo during a recent snowstorm

With winter upon us, as we always do, we have seen a spike in car theft. While we ended 2024 down double digits for the year in car theft, we want to do everything we can do make sure that thieves don’t steal your car.

Unfortunately, many times when a car is stolen it is used in other crimes, or returned in poor condition, so trust me, prevention is important.

You can protect your car by:
*not leaving it unattended and running when warming it up
*use a remote starter if possible
*never leave keys in your car
*park in well-lit areas

Chief of Staff Alastair McNiven speaks with a reporter about the Blue Envelope program.

As we continue to move into 2025, I am excited for many endeavors that are underway. We recently announced the start of our new Blue Envelope Program that is designed to help us better interact with people living with invisible disabilities.

Those choosing to participate can fill out the blue envelope with whatever information might be helpful for an officer to know. The envelope will give the officer key information without burdening the community member to explain their needs. Officers have been trained this month in common needs and best practices to support a positive interaction with such community members.

The Boulder Police Department is the first agency in Colorado to start this program, and I am proud of all that work that Chief of Staff Alastair McNiven (seen here during one of many media interviews he did on this) and my Executive Assistant Bethany Ciesielski for all of their work spearheading this program.

You can learn more about it on our website: Boulder Police Unveil New Blue Envelope Program.

From left, Officers Harris, Hamilton and Hawkins are seen here with a community member at CU Boulder's Center for African and African American Studies (CAAAS) Black History Month celebration.

I am also excited to share that in the next month or so, we will be sharing with you that we have added additional liaisons with the community. You may or may not know that we already have police liaisons with the LGBTQ+ community, the Muslim community, the Jewish community, and our community of people with disabilities.

We have now identified liaisons with the Latino/Hispanic and African American communities and have been holding meetings with the liaisons and community stakeholders to get these programs up and running. Our goal is for those who may not trust or be comfortable with police officers to have someone that they may feel more comfortable with and have contact information for those police employees. In addition, these liaisons will attend, plan, and partner with the community for special events, community meetings, and outreach opportunities. Please watch our social media for more information.

I want to end by acknowledging that we are in some tumultuous times in this country, but no matter what is happening, your committed BPD staff will be here 24/7 to continue to ensure safety in Boulder. If you have concerns or questions about anything that is happening and how it may impact Boulder and specifically policing in Boulder, please don’t hesitate to contact me and we can chat. I want everyone to feel safe and secure in our incredibly city.

Stay safe, and warm.

Steve Redfearn, police chief

Officer Julie Morris was working an assignment at a grocery store when these two future public servants stopped by with their family.

It wasn't even Halloween, but we love to see families supporting each other. We also think these two kiddos have bright futures ahead of them at BPD and BFR!

After months of detailed investigation, the Boulder Police Department proudly announced an arrest in a 2024 homicide.

Just after 5 p.m. on July 14, 2024, officers were called to the 1800 block of Goss Street for an unusual bike trailer that had been there for several days. As officers investigated further, they found a body wrapped in multiple layers on the bike trailer. The female victim, who detectives believe was unhoused, was identified Zaria Hardee, 19. The Boulder County Coroner’s Office later determined that she had been killed by a blow to the head.

Following her identification, detectives worked diligently to retrace her last steps, determine where she died and who she was with.

Last week detectives obtained a warrant for the arrest of Jimmy West, 52, on the charge of Murder in the First Degree. Numerous Patrol officers and detectives immediately began searching for him and arrested him near Civic Park.

Thanks to good investigative work Boulder Police made a swift arrest in a crime that occurred Jan. 27 where a man threatened two men at gunpoint because of their ethnicity.

Detailed investigative work by Watch 3 Patrol officers identified a possible suspect, and the next day officers, plainclothes detectives and BPD’s Special Enforcement Unit conducted surveillance and found Morris at a local grocery store on 30th Street. Together they safely took him into custody without injury.

At the time of his arrest, the suspect had a pistol with a laser attachment on his person, similar to the one that was used in the crime. It is pictured here. The suspect was booked into jail on four counts of bias motivated crimes (a Class 1 Misdemeanor) and four counts of Menacing (a Class 5 Felony). He was given a $20,000 bond by a judge.