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Hello Boulder,
I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable Independence Day holiday and I hope that everyone has been able to take some time and enjoy the beautiful summer weather!
June was a very busy month for us, and July appears to be shaping up to be just as busy. Not only was June busy with events, but we have seen an increase in major calls for service recently, and I want to acknowledge that any uptick in violence is concerning. We are evaluating the data and when we are able, working on our prevention strategies. I want to thank our staff for their quick work in several recent major cases where the suspects have been quickly arrested and taken to jail.
The community is an essential part of us being able to police effectively, so please keep reporting things to us that are of concern and letting us know if our service falls short in any way.
One priority for us this summer is community engagement. We are focusing on getting out of our patrol cars and into the community. One way we are doing this is with our new e-bikes. We have several e-bikes in service and our officers are using them to talk to you more easily and be more present in areas conducive to crime. We also just hosted a bicycle patrol class where several officers became bike certified. Hopefully, you will see our officers in the downtown corridor and on the creek paths soon. When you do, please say hello!
Speaking of community events, National Night Out will be here before we know it. This is a fun evening where we will be out in the community to meet all of you, bring our equipment and gear to show off, and answer your questions. This year, National Night Out will be on Tuesday, August 6th, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Foothills Community Park at 800 Cherry Avenue. Follow our social media for more updates.
I also wanted to share that you can ride along with a BPD officer and experience firsthand what they experience during a shift. The feedback I have received has been overwhelmingly positive and many have shared that they had no idea the complexities of the things our officers deal with. It's really not like what you see on TV! If you are at least 18 years old and meet the requirements, we would love to have you come spend some time out on patrol with us.
On a final note, I'm excited to share that we're getting so close to full staffing. We had 13 new recruits start with us on Monday and they will be heading off to the academy next week. With their hiring, that will bring us up to 180 sworn officers, which is just 11 officers shy of full staffing. As you've seen, we're quite busy and when we're fully staffed, we can better engage and protect our community.
Thank you for your continued participation and support. I hope that your July is filled with fun and time with family and loved ones. We are here if you need us!
Steve Redfearn, interim police chief