Get to Know Your Boulder Police Department |
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Steve Redfearn, interim police chief
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A message from the interim chief: Resilience |
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Hello Boulder!
I hope everyone had a great July. It’s hard to believe that summer is in full swing and flying by. I hope you’ve been able to enjoy time outdoors, travel, spend time with family, or do whatever you love to do during summer. Summer is a busy time for us here at BPD.
As I type this, we have multiple fires burning around Colorado, many of which are in our county. If you are affected by these fires, I hope you are doing okay. We have been assisting with the fires and putting in some long days. Speaking of, we have a lot of friendly banter with our brothers and sisters in the fire service, but they are amazing and truly doing incredible work this month. I don’t envy the tasks at hand for them in this heat. Please join me in thanking our firefighters!
It has been a hectic time for us in Boulder, and I have had several people ask me what we do to keep our staff healthy, both mentally and physically. With the daily incidents we respond to as well as the critical incidents that seem to be occurring more frequently, this topic is at the forefront of our minds. Based on my own experiences, I know what a toll this profession can take on those willing to engage in this work.
We owe it to ourselves to make sure they are well. We have multiple ways we are doing this. We have a robust mental health (EAP) program and have truly broken the stigma of talking to a professional. We also have a robust peer support program and are doing things like family nights, department BBQs, and other fun events to bring our folks together and help them engage with services. In addition, we have amazing chaplains and have been sending our staff to training on resiliency and related topics.
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Interim Deputy Chief Hartkopp and his wife created these during an EAP-sponsored family craft night.
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Employee wellness is a Top 3 priority for me personally and I’m proud to say it’s also one priority of our Reimagine Policing plan. We are having great successes implementing aspects of our Reimagine Policing plan and we love seeing the results. However, we can have the best strategies and programs in the world, but they are only as good as the people implementing them. If our staff do not come to work mentally and physically well, it can have disastrous consequences.
I say all of this to acknowledge the negative side effects that can come with working in law enforcement but also to highlight that our agency is striving to do better for our people who put their lives on the line every day helping others. Though it can be challenging to find and retain solid employees, making sure they are well—mentally, emotionally and physically— is a top priority to keeping them here in Boulder.
The community can play an important role in this too! Community engagement continues to be another top priority for us, and this summer we have been all over Boulder meeting with and engaging with you, our community.
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Officer Schmeits holds a police shield as a child looks through it at a neighborhood event in San Juan del Centro.
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Interim Chief Redfearn and other law enforcement leaders listen and speak with CU Football Coach Deion Sanders and the football team about public safety in Boulder.
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One ask I have for all of you is to let our amazing staff know how much you appreciate them. A small gesture like thanking one of our officers for their service can mean more than you know, and it lets them know that their work doesn’t go unnoticed. While we see people in the worst moments of their lives at times, we also know majority of our community truly values the hard work and sacrifices our staff makes daily. Letting them know you see them and appreciate their work can go a long way in keeping them going when things get tough.
Thank you for all of the great community engagement, feedback, and partnership that we’ve seen over the summer. We’re looking forward to a fun August welcoming students back, watching our CU football team get ready to play, and hopefully cooler temps! We are here if you need us.
In partnership,
Steve Redfearn, interim police chief
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| A community member sent us this photo to praise his interaction with Officer Davick.
“The words she used, and her manner of explanation made that easy for me to handle. Officer Davick again explained in a calm and rational, yet empathetic way, how her hands were tied. Nevertheless, I pressed for her to serve as standby and Officer Davick came up with a solution which helped to resolve the situation calmly and successfully," he wrote."
"I’ve worked as a lawyer on three continents and most of my former colleagues don’t possess this type of skill that Officer Davick displayed. Her professionalism is reminiscent of the German police. I’ve lived in Düsseldorf and Munich and actually had a run in with them in Frankfurt; which if I were in the USA I would definitely have been shot dead. I’ve never seen such police professionalism anywhere in the USA even though I’ve lived in New York, Boston, San Francisco and Seattle. Thus, my impression is that this skill is unique to Officer Davick as a U.S. police professional.”
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A community member emailed to thank Officer Middlebrooks for recovering his stolen bike.
“A stolen bike may seem like a minor matter when compared with some other work that a police officer does in the line of duty, but this bike is my ‘daily driver’ I use for commuting, errands, and recreation,” the community member said.
“Having it returned is very important and makes a significant impact on my life. Additionally, the attention shown to this matter demonstrates a commitment to excellent police work regardless of the perceived importance of the issue.
“My interactions with Officer Middlebrooks began when he contacted me about my stolen bike. Throughout the process, Officer Middlebrooks impressed me repeatedly with his desire to help, professional courtesy, and resourcefulness. There would have been a lower effort path that could have easily been taken that would not have resulted in my bike being recovered and returned to me.
“Officer Middlebrooks went above and beyond to recover my bike and exhibits what any police officer should strive to be.”
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A community member who was involved in a traffic crash recently emailed us to thank Crash Investigations Specialist Hanel for his help.
“I just wanted to let you know that (CIS) Hanel was so awesome during a recent traffic accident I had at 30th and Glenwood. He was very calm and reassuring when I needed it. No one wants to ever be involved in a traffic accident but when someone like (CIS) Hanel responds, it makes it easier,” she said.
“I want to say thanks to him, the paramedics and firemen who responded to the scene. I got a short lesson in what police have to experience and deal with every day. It takes a truly wonderful person to behave like (CIS) Hanel behaved.”
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Become a Volunteer Victim Advocate! |
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Are you an empathetic, responsible, and caring person committed to supporting others through difficult times?
The Boulder Police Department has several openings for victim advocate volunteers. Advocates work with the victims of crimes, accidents, natural disasters, and other critical events to provide support services that include supplying information, emotional support and referrals to other local resources which may be able to offer the victim additional assistance and services.
Learn more, watch a video about what our advocates do and apply via our website
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- September-October. The return of our 8-week Community Academy! Application process and details coming soon!
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