Public safety

Directors asked about drills and safety staffing. Staff said each school holds two lockdown drills a year, elementary schools hold monthly fire drills, and students can opt out for individual training. Sullivan said school safety advocates are district employees and not police officers, and that the district uses behavioral threat assessment.

Brendan Sullivan and Carissa presented the safety update. They reported 11 school safety advocates, more than 27,000 calls for service, about 0.5% of discipline referrals reaching law enforcement, and 92% favorable student responses on safety. They also reported 1,450 doors upgraded, more than $1 million and $800,000 in grants, and 280 training hours.

Police acknowledged the department is understaffed but said officer effectiveness on bike theft is rising and the work will not stop. Matt Benjamin asked about ebike theft and bait bikes, and police said they use bait ebikes in hotspot areas without giving tactics. Police said targeted operations led to two arrests in six operations.

Staff described an existing 20-year-old office building that is for lease or purchase and could house the police department. They estimated renovation at $30 to $50 million, about $90 million less than a new building at the Municipal Service Center site. It could take about two years instead of five to seven. Staff said any choice would require trade-offs, because no new money exists. Council members asked about selling the current building, bond flexibility, and lifecycle cost. No decision was requested.

Haley O'Donnell asked for an annual performance report on the drone as first responder program. The city manager said staff supports accountability and will create a dashboard for drone use.

IT said the county camera network supports the jail, elections, the coroner, and building security. Commissioner Stolzmann said much of it is required by state law. Commissioner Levy said these are operational needs, not mass surveillance. A Sheriff scheduling system for about 430 employees was also supported.

Taishya Adams proposed shifting part of police overtime to mental health partners. After housing staff explained the CARE program was retooled because it averaged under one response a day, with a soft relaunch by end of 2026 and fuller dispatch by mid-2027, she withdrew the amendment. The budget adds three police lieutenants for $552K.

Commissioners discussed stakeholder ideas for larger multi-year and capital grants. Loachamin wanted proposals from attorneys and finance staff and a survey to see how widely the idea is held. Stolzmann said fire districts own their capital and they should not open the door broadly, but a consensus request from districts and the sheriff, such as a shared helicopter, could be brought forward by letter.

“I don't think we should just open the door wide open quite yet.”

Staff presented the emergency services sales tax grant program: six rounds since 2023 have awarded $6.5 million, about $5 million to fire districts and $1.5 million to search and rescue. The largest categories were radios and communications at about $2 million, then vehicles, station upgrades and life-saving equipment. Examples included dual-band radios, a fixed-wing drone for Boulder Emergency Squad and a new Hygiene fire station.

Council Member Kaplan asked whether people cited for open drug use, harassment, or blocking business entrances downtown are held accountable at rates comparable to traffic offenders. Judge Khan said most of those complaints (harassment, theft) are actually state court charges outside municipal court's jurisdiction, and that comparing traffic to trespass case outcomes would be misleading given different legal frameworks.

“a lot of those are harassment charges or there are theft charges, shoplifting charges... Those are all state court charges”

Judge Khan said parties near CU have grown much larger and louder than in the past, sometimes with staged bands and a thousand attendees, straining police, prosecutors, and the court. Deputy Chief Hardcop described the party registration program, in which hosts get a warning call before receiving a citation, and said compliance has dropped this year after being strong from 2022-2025.

“we're not seeing that same size anymore. They're big parties. They're amplified music parties with DJs, with stages, with rock bands”

Municipal Judge Jeff Khan explained the court handles only low-level charges (not felonies or drug offenses) and that citation numbers for unhoused defendants were roughly comparable in 2025 and 2026. He described the voluntary community court program, through which 271 cases were dismissed over two years after defendants completed tasks like counseling, while people who don't engage accumulate warrants (over 800 issued in 2025).

“271 cases were dismissed in the last 2-year period uh as a result of someone completing either one or more tasks”

Police oversight panel co-chairs Lizzie Friend and Bill de la Cruz told council that process changes over the past year added gateways that route most complaints away from panel review, with only one panel review completed in the last six months, causing frustration among panel members. They are hopeful the pending five-year ordinance review (due mid-to-late October) will restore panel involvement and add transparency requirements.

“we've only completed one panel review in the last six months”

Independent Police Monitor Sheri Dea presented 2025 complaint data: 149 total allegations, 18 sustained, and eight cases where she or the oversight panel disagreed with the chief's discipline decision. She described new case categories like 'performance and conduct' created in 2025 to route lower-level concerns away from formal misconduct review.

“In 2025, there were a total of 149 allegations... 18 allegations that were sustained”

Council Member Marquis asked about the CARE team's status. Staff (Redford and HHS's Kurt Firnhaber) confirmed the co-responder CARE program that operated without police was changed this budget year, eliminating a dedicated fire position, while a separate mental health clinician crisis team continues and still sometimes needs police backup.

“that team went out and still had to call a police officer based upon people's behaviors”

Council Member Winer asked what can be done about open drug use in public seen by residents. Redford said a 2017 state law downgraded public drug use from an arrest to a summons, and jail capacity remains limited, though he is working with the DA and municipal court to escalate consequences for repeat low-level offenders.

“in 2017, uh state law was changed where if we see someone using meth, fentanyl, heroin, crack cocaine in public... that used to be an arrest. That's a summon.”

Council Member Speer asked about the new Boulder Community Connect program, in which businesses and residents can voluntarily share private camera feeds with the new public safety information center. Redford explained it lets dispatchers verify in-progress crimes (e.g. confirming a robbery alarm is real) before committing officers, similar to a 22,000-camera program in Atlanta.

“it's not a we don't watch them proactively. it's only when there's a need for us to do so”

Redford presented crime data showing property crime and most person crimes down over five years, but assaults rising, including assaults on officers. Proactive policing is up: 17% more directed patrols, 32% more pedestrian contacts, and 27% more traffic stops compared to the three-year average, even as calls for service have dropped slightly.

“we've had 17% more directed patrols this year, 32% more proactive pedestrian contacts, 27% more traffic stops”

Chief Steve Redford said BPD is authorized for 190 sworn officers but is down 12, with nearly 30 of the 178 filled positions not deployable due to training or injury leave. He said the department has lost 118 officers since 2021 (35 in 2021 alone) and 17 more in 2026, and that 50% of patrol officers now have under five years on the job.

“we've had 17 officers with an average of nine years experience each”

Gold Hill resident Chris Hill said two businesses are drawing large crowds and causing traffic, parking, and noise problems beyond what the small town can handle. Commissioner Stolzman said residents should call the sheriff's non-emergency line for noise enforcement, and Commissioner Levy said Code Enforcement has opened an investigation.

Mayor Pro Tem Winer asked why photo radar enforcement is being eliminated. Staff and Police Chief Steve Redford said the program's costs outpaced its revenue and the department will use officers on patrol instead, prioritizing complaint-driven neighborhoods.

The budget adds $552,000 ongoing for three new police lieutenant positions to supervise each watch, supporting the reimagined policing plan, plus funding to replace firefighter breathing apparatus and continue firefighter health screening.

A downtown resident asked council to adopt a bear-management policy similar to Durango or Aspen, saying 911 told him Boulder's policy is that bears roam freely, and urged a bear hotline and enforcement against attractants like unsecured trash.

A resident described 15 noise complaints on his block in one year that do not appear in city data, and said police gave only a warning after students set a bonfire. Staff (Nuria/Jen Ross) said they collect noise violation data and reach out to rental property operators as complaints approach the nuisance-ordinance threshold, but this data is not routinely reported to council; council member Matt Benjamin asked staff to verify what happened with the bonfire warning.

Matt Benjamin asked about the city's maximum fire suppression capacity. Mike Chard said first-response engines can protect about 5 homes in the first 20 to 30 minutes, county mutual aid raises that to about 15, and regional mutual aid can reach 35 to 40 homes within one to two hours.

Heather Staer described state Initiative 85, which would raise felony penalties for fentanyl offenses, remove some Good Samaritan protections, and mandate treatment for certain drug felonies. Nicole Speer later said the district attorney, sheriff, and several current and former Boulder County legislators oppose it because it could impose an 8 to 32 year sentence on a first offense.

“basically treated the same way as a high level drug trafficker”

Speaker Peggy Dera asked the board to promote the 2025 Gun Violence Prevention and Parents of Students Act on secure firearm storage. Board President Rajpal noted BVSD already adopted a gun-safe-storage resolution in 2021 and regularly sends BeSMART messaging, so no new resolution was planned this year.

County Attorney Kevin McCaffrey asked the board to approve representation for two Sheriff's Office employees sued by a former detainee, one for alleged medical malpractice and one for alleged denial of a kosher meal. He said the investigation found both employees acted within the scope of their duties and in good faith.

Boulder Association of Firefighters president Brian Marin said the union negotiated the collective bargaining charter amendment directly with city leadership instead of pursuing a signature petition, calling it a win-win that gives firefighters a guaranteed seat at the table.

Staff proposed reducing the Juvenile Assessment Center from a 24-hour secure model to 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. hours, cutting three staff and $400,000. Loachamin and Levy asked for a workgroup with the Impact Partnership before any change, worried about who handles youth crises overnight. The board asked staff to return with more analysis instead of counting the full savings now.

“Boulder County will still need an after-hours juvenile response system.”

Council member Adams said she has been waiting seven months for a public safety update that council approved in January and was supposed to occur twice a year, citing it as an example of items getting delayed on the agenda.