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.
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.
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
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.
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,
