City of Boulder Police Department Chief's Connection

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City of Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn

Steve Redfearn, police chief

Message from the Chief:
Summer Time!

Hello, Boulder, and Happy May!

May is an exciting month for us in Boulder, and it begins our busier time leading into Summer. With graduations, the Bolder Boulder, and the start of our busy tourist season in the city, there is no lack of excitement.

This month, I wanted to start by discussing crime. There are many ways to look at crime and the data related to crime. We are lucky in Boulder to have a crime scientist working in the chief’s office to assist us with all things data. Chief Data Analyst, Dr. Daniel Reinhard, works hand in hand with our staff to help us interpret what the data is showing us.

Chief Data Analyst Dr. Daniel Reinhard

Recently, someone publicly claimed that Boulder has much more crime than other similarly sized cities, so I asked Dr. Reinhard about that. What he found tracked with my belief that Boulder is a safe city.

In fact, so far in 2025, we are down in nearly every category of crime year to date compared to last year. I have been clear with our team that I want them out on foot, on bike, and e-bike, when time allows, and engaging in proactive policing. I believe these efforts are making a difference, and you can see photos of some of that below.

Officer Kuhn plays hackey sack with a group of young people on Pearl Street Mall.

Mall Officer Steidell walks along the Pearl Street Mall on a Saturday

Officer Herkalo poses during Fairy Fest on the Mall.

A couple of noteworthy things that I learned from Dr. Reinhard regarding violent crime in Boulder:
• The Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) publishes data submitted by police departments across the state, and Boulder was #51 for violent crime, having about 5 violent crimes per 1,000 residents
• Every year from 2020 - 2024 Boulder has ranked between 44th and 58th place on this list based on the violent crime rate and compared to other cities across Colorado
• If you want to learn more, see Colorado Crime Stats

You can also check out specifics on our crime dashboards on our website at https://bouldercolorado.gov/crime-dashboard

Boulder was #51 for violent crime, having about 5 violent crimes per 1,000 residents based on data from the Colorado Bureau of Investigations

Colorado crime stats for Boulder.

Switching gears to another topic that holds a special place in the hearts of law enforcement this month is remembering our fallen officers. Every May agencies across the country take time to remember and honor their sacrifice. You may not know this, but another hat I wear is as the President of a non-profit called the Colorado Fallen Hero Foundation. When an officer is killed in the line of duty in Colorado, we have a team of experts who travel to assist the agency in the aftermath and plan the memorial service.

We also provide financial support for the agency and the officer's family. In 2021, I responded to King Soopers in Boulder in this role before I worked for BPD. We assisted the agency when Officer Talley was killed, and to this day, I am touched to hear how impactful our team's efforts were. This has been some of the most rewarding work in my life.

Also each May thousands of us travel to Washington, D.C., for National Police Memorial Week, visiting the hallowed ground that is the National Police Memorial, where the names of every fallen officer are engraved on the wall. We stand for the reading of all of the names of the officers killed in the line of duty the previous year during the candlelight vigil and come together with colleagues from across the globe to honor them.

This year, I will again travel to D.C. with a contingent from BPD to support our brothers and sisters. We know all too well what it’s like to lose one of our own, and we continue to support other agencies when they do. If you follow our BPD social media, we will be sure to share updates from D.C. as we honor our fallen.

Chief Redfearn and members of the Colorado Fallen Hero Foundation pose with a donation to the organization.

In honor of National Police Week, I want to share the names of our brave Boulder Police officers who laid down their lives in service of this community, and I ask that you take a moment to reflect on how significant a sacrifice that is. We try not to think too much about the possibility of giving our lives for our community, but I guarantee you, each day, 24/7, our officers would make the ultimate sacrifice to protect this amazing community. For that, we owe them a great deal of gratitude.

Never forget fallen Boulder Police officers:
• Eric Talley
• Beth Haynes
• Janet Hinkle
• Gary Mills
• Raymond McMaster
• Elmer Cobb
• Lawrence Bass

As we inch closer to summer and everyone is outside and active, please be safe and call us if you need us.

Stay safe,

Steve Redfearn, police chief

Spotlight

Yummy doughnuts brought by Erie Police to Boulder Police

We Did It!

Thank you all for your support and donations! The Boulder Police Department, in a last-minute push, took the lead and won the Highest Fundraising Law Enforcement Torch Run Team for the fifth year in a row.

The Erie Police Department (pictured here bringing us our victory doughnuts) and the Boulder County Sheriff's Office (delivering their victory doughnuts to us next week) both put up a great fight, and the friendly competition between our agencies was a ton of fun. Most importantly though was the amount of money we were all able to raise for the Special Olympics Colorado athletes this year.

The Boulder Police Department team raised a staggering $12,430! That's the most we have ever raised!! We had over a 50% increase from last year! We love our great community and especially when it allows us to support important athletes like this!

Boulder Police Foundation Awards Inaugural Fallen Officer Scholarships

Four Boulder students were the first recipients of a scholarship created in honor of fallen Boulder Police Officer Eric Talley who was killed in the line of duty.

Shortly after the mass shooting on March 22, 2021, in which Officer Talley responded and was killed, a generous local donor made an anonymous gift in Officer Talley’s name to fund scholarship(s) for young people interested in pursuing an education and career in law enforcement. Four scholarships of $2,500 each have been awarded to four students who are also in the law enforcement cadet program.

The Boulder Police Foundation, an unaffiliated non-profit that works in support of the Boulder Police Department, worked with BPD and the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office to evaluate and award the scholarships based on applications from the students.

Brian Pinkowski, Chairman of the Boulder Police Foundation, said the group’s focus this year is on helping BPD deepen its engagement with the community. In previous years, the Foundation has provided funding for BPD’s first dedicated K9 Unit, departmental recognition events, and custom-fitting body armor that can stop high powered rifle rounds often used in mass shootings.

Boulder Police Foundation Mission Statement says The Boulder Police Foundation exists to raise funds and to allocate those funds in support of the mission of the Boulder Police Department focused on supporting Public Safety and community welfare

Officers Striegel and Hadley smile with the man whose life they saved

IFC at CU Raises Money for BPD in Basketball Tournament

The Undergraduate Interfraternity Council at CU Boulder held its annual Hill Basketball Tournament this past month at Sigma Nu, bringing together chapters from across the Hill! Thanks to everyone’s support, they raised over $3,000 for the Boulder Police Foundation.

BPD Hill Team and Patrol officers attended and participated in the tournament as well! The winning team, Chi Psi Fraternity, chose to donate $500 of the funds raised to a charity of their choice—the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, which supports research, advocacy, and services for individuals affected by MS.

Good work everyone!