BOULDER, Colo. – Interim Boulder police chief Stephen Redfearn was selected from three final candidates and named as the department’s permanent new chief this week.
Announcing the decision Friday, Boulder city manager Nuria Rivera-Vandermyde said the nationwide search led to 30 applications which was narrowed down to the three candidates.
Redfearn has served in the Boulder Police Department for three years and has acted as interim chief since the beginning of this year. Joining Boulder’s police force in 2021 as deputy chief, Redfearn has 25 years of “policing-related public service,” said the release.
“I have watched Steve take on the challenges that face his profession with heart, strategic thinking and a clear understanding that policing needs to change,” said Rivera-Vandermyde in a news release. “I believe he is uniquely positioned as our next chief. Steve understands the importance of establishing deep relationships with the community we all serve, and I am confident he will both lean into the promise of Reimagine Policing and make it a reality.”
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Redfearn has experience as a 911 dispatcher and later worked for two decades in the Aurora Police Department, rising through the ranks from a patrol officer to a division chief, according to the city.
Redfearn was a captain in the Aurora Police Department during the 2019 detainment and death of 23-year-old Elijah McClain, a Black man whose name became a rallying cry during protests which led to sweeping police reform in Colorado and the eventual prosecution of APD officers and Aurora Fire Rescue paramedics.
Redfearn, who at the time was a night shift duty captain and not on scene when the violent arrest happened, did respond “after the incident took place” and eventually testified for the prosecution on APD policies and protocols in the trials against Aurora officers Randy Roedema, Jason Rosenblatt and separately Nathan Woodyard.
“Then-Captain Redfearn responded after the incident took place and called for the multi-jurisdictional Critical Incident Protocol to be implemented based on what he learned and McClain’s condition,” according to the City of Boulder. “He has been criticized by some members of the Boulder County NAACP for a subsequent decision to change the call type in dispatch records from “a suspicious person” to “an assault on an officer.” Redfearn has testified that he took this action based on what he was initially told at the scene and in accordance with a common policing practice to update records to reflect the most serious call type possible,” the news release continued.
In July, the Boulder County NAACP held a criminal justice town hall in which members raised “significant issues” with Redfearn’s past in APD and possible promotion in Boulder.
Darren O’Connor, chair of NAACP Boulder county Branch Criminal Justice Committee said during that meeting “this is about educating you all about who is our interim police chief and what are the qualities we want in a police chief – and why he ain’t it.”
Along with concerns around Redfearn’s ties to the Elijah McClain case, O’Connor raised issues with his alleged response to a 2020 violin vigil held to remember McClain in which video showed officers in riot gear “spraying the crowd with pepper spray,” reported ABC News.
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The City of Boulder added “Redfearn has shared publicly that he has reflected deeply on that case – and learned from it.”
In the release, the city said as interim chief, Redfearn changed Boulder police protocol to record the information citing the original type of call “and any updated potential information will be maintained in the records for full transparency.”
“I admire Steve’s courage and integrity in standing up for what is right. He has demonstrated that accountability matters. This includes remaining open and reflecting deeply in the midst of criticism, which at times as been vitriolic and personal, as well as taking concrete steps to address policing protocols that can lead to community distrust," said Rivera-Vandermyde. "During his time in Boulder, Steve has stood steadfastly as a supporter of reform, and I am proud to name him as our next chief.”
Redfearn, as a sergeant in APD, also responded to the mass shooting at Aurora’s Century 16 Theatre in July 2012 in which 12 people were killed.
“He took a leadership role in overseeing the triage and transport of multiple victims as well as the apprehension of the killer. Redfearn was credited with saving multiple lives that night,” said the release.
“I am honored to be able to lead the talented officers and employees of the Boulder Police Department as we work collaboratively and pro-actively with our community to make policing equitable and effective in its core mission,” said Redfearn in the news release. “We often think about our role ‘to protect and serve,’ but we also have an opportunity and an obligation to prevent harm. We’ll do this through a re-evaluation of our policies, best-practices training, a focus on employee well-being, and absolutely, a renewed commitment to engaging with community. That is what policing is about.”
The other two finalists for chief included Leonard Redhorse III, who currently serves as Deputy Chief of Police in the Navajo Police Department and Josh Wallace, Commander in the Chicago Police Department.
Maris Herold, Boulder's first female police chief — who was hired in 2020 — resigned earlier this year.
Redfearn’s promotion as Boulder’s new police chief is effective immediately.
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