Meet the candidates for Boulder's next police chief

Finalists for Boulder police chief faced questions about public safety, officer accountability, approaches to dealing with homelessness and more during a forum on Tuesday, Aug. 27. Restoring community trust and the need for innovative strategies in policing dominated the discussion.

The event was held in the City Council chambers and allowed citizens to interact directly with the candidates, who each presented their vision for leading the Boulder Police Department. The final decision on who will lead the department now rests with City Manager Nuria Rivera-Vandermyde.

Last week, the city announced its three finalists for the chief position: Steve Redfearn, interim chief of the Boulder Police Department, Leonard Redhorse III, deputy chief of the Navajo Police Department and Josh Wallace, commander of the Chicago Police Department.

The new police chief will oversee a budget of about $43 million and lead 280 full-time employees, including 190 sworn officers. There are currently 14 open positions in the department, according to a spokeswoman. The new chief will replace Maris Herold, Boulder's first female police chief, who was hired in April 2020 on the eve of nationwide protests calling for police reform and resigned in January 2024 to take on a new role as a consultant with the U.S. Department of Justice's Law Enforcement Knowledge Lab.

The Boulder Police Department addresses a wide range of public safety challenges, from managing rising numbers of violent crime reports to responding to fires and floods caused by climate change. The police department also enforces traffic laws as the city works to prevent traffic fatalities, especially among vulnerable road users such as bicyclists and pedestrians.

Over the course of an hour and a half, the candidates answered questions on broad topics such as community engagement, transparency, accountability and racial bias in policing. You can watch the entire forum here.

Some described 2020 and the killing of George Floyd as a turning point in policing that affected them personally and their attitudes toward the profession. The murder sparked a nationwide reckoning with racism.

“I look at everything that has happened since 2020 and the murder of George Floyd, and we talk about community goals,” Redfearn said. “The community has made it loud and clear that the way we have done things in the past is not working.”

“Citizen engagement is the key factor in the success or failure of a police department,” Redfearn added. “We have learned loud and clear once again that the way we have operated this profession is not working, particularly when it comes to historically excluded populations.”

Referring to the impact of 2020, Wallace noted, “This shows what happened and how we can help other officers who are not African American to understand what happened, why [the killing] has impacted the African-American community in this way and what we are going to do about it.”

Wallace explained that during attendance checks he had to “explain the pain and anger and that we will experience this every day when we take to the streets unless there are real reforms.”

Speaking about the evolution of policing, Redhorse said, “We can do better. We can create a balance between the power of law enforcement and the community they serve.” Redhorse added, “We don't need uniformed police officers to solve all of our problems.”

On the topic of homelessness, the candidates discussed how issuing tickets to people who cannot pay their fines exacerbates the cycle of homelessness and criminalization. All three emphasized the importance of working with other city departments and nonprofit organizations.

“There will always be people who say, 'No, I refuse your services,'” Redhorse said. “But the vast majority, according to the best studies, welcome this change.”

Wallace emphasized the need for a humanistic approach: “When the police and other city departments work together, we really need to take a very humanistic approach. You can throw all the resources you want at the homeless problem. But if they're not willing to accept the resources, what's our next option? Unfortunately, a lot of it comes down to enforcement, but that doesn't necessarily have to be the only option. I think if officers know their community and the homeless in it, that's where the dialogue should take place. What can we offer you? How can we offer it to you? What do you need? Then we can sit down with other city departments and discuss, 'Is this possible?'”

Redfearn recounted a similar experience: “An officer once asked me, 'I gave a man 60 tickets in one year. What's the point of giving him a ticket for the 61st time? Why would I do that?' And I said, 'That's a good question.' One of the things we introduced shortly after that was our frequent user program, which was created in the police force because we knew our officers were getting into impossible situations.”

A “high-utilizers” program aims to provide care and even housing to people who are regularly admitted or treated at Boulder Community Health Hospital.

“Issuing tickets and putting someone in jail is not going to solve this problem in the long term,” Redfearn said.

This change in leadership in Boulder comes as the police department continues to implement its Reimagining Policing initiative, which includes a focus on crime prevention by targeting hotspots – areas with high numbers of police calls.

Another key task for the new chief will be working with the recently revamped Police Oversight Panel, an 11-member volunteer group that reviews investigations into officer misconduct. The panel was created in 2020 after a city officer pointed a gun at an unarmed black college student who was picking up trash outside his home.

Interim chief Redfearn has held the post since January 2024, after Herold resigned to join the U.S. Department of Justice.

Redfearn, who served with the Aurora Police Department for 22 years, has both supporters and critics. His involvement in the case against officers accused in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain — a 23-year-old Black man who died after being violently arrested and given a powerful sedative in Aurora — has sparked controversy. Some members of the Boulder County NAACP have called for his resignation due to his ties to the Aurora Police Department, which has faced allegations of biased policing and excessive use of force. But other community members have dismissed those concerns, pointing out that Redfearn testified against his former colleagues after leaving Aurora. Redfearn, who is gay, has said he understands “what it feels like to be treated differently,” but acknowledges he doesn’t know what it’s like to be a person of color.

Deputy Chief Redhorse has served with the Navajo Police Department, the largest tribal police agency in the United States, for 18 years. He holds a bachelor's degree in history from Eastern New Mexico University and a master of arts in criminal justice from Arizona State University, the city said.

Commander Wallace has served with the Chicago Police Department for 25 years and is currently assigned to the Criminal Network Group, which oversees gang and drug operations. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Wallace has been cited in several court cases, including one for use of force, and has faced dozens of complaints, but none have been sustained. He holds a bachelor's degree in law enforcement management from Calumet College of St. Joseph and is a graduate of Northwestern University's School of Police Staff and Command.

The city has received 30 applications for the position and plans to conduct final interviews later this week.

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