[Update: 10:35 a.m. Friday, Sept. 6]: Stephen Redfearn will be Boulder’s new police chief, the city announced in a Friday morning press release. Redfearn has served as Boulder’s interim police chief since January, and the promotion is effective immediately.
The release addresses criticisms and calls to resign from members of the NAACP of Boulder County due to Redfearn’s involvement the night of 23-year-old Elijah McClain’s killing in Aurora. McClain, who was Black, died after police restrained him using a now-banned chokehold and paramedics injected him with a lethal dose of ketamine. Redfearn was a captain on duty that night, and changed the call type in dispatch records from “a suspicious person” to “an assault on an officer.”
“Redfearn has shared publicly that he has reflected deeply on that case – and learned from it,” the press release stated. “In September 2023, he testified for the prosecution against the officers indicted in McClain’s death. As interim chief in Boulder, he implemented a new practice where both the original call type and any updated potential information will be maintained in the records for full transparency. Any change will require supervisory approval.”
[Editor’s note: This story and its headline was updated Friday, Sept. 6 with the news of Redfearn’s selection. The originally published story is below.]
2 of 3 picks for Boulder’s next police chief have drawn citizen complaints
Interviews are complete for three finalists vying to become Boulder’s next police chief. The salary range for the position is $181,861 to $246,048.
The search began when Maris Herold, Boulder’s first woman police chief, resigned in January after accepting a position with the Department of Justice’s Law Enforcement Knowledge Lab. Three finalists were selected after a nationwide search that drew about 30 applicants, according to a city press release.
The finalists are:
Stephen Redfearn, who has been Boulder’s interim police chief since Herold’s departure. He joined BPD in 2021 as deputy police chief after 22 years in Aurora’s police department. The NAACP of Boulder County has previously called for Redfearn’s resignation; the city’s response at the time said they had “complete confidence” in him. Redfearn was a captain on duty the night of 23-year-old Elijah McClain’s killing and served as a witness in the subsequent trial. McClain, who was Black, died after police restrained him using a now-banned chokehold and paramedics injected him with a lethal dose of ketamine.
Leonard Redhorse III, who is currently deputy chief of police for the Navajo Police Department, where he has served for 18 years. Redhorse has been a criminal investigator, senior police officer, sergeant, lieutenant, captain and commander over the course of his career.
Josh Wallace, who currently serves as commander of the Criminal Network Group for the Bureau of Counterterrorism for the Chicago Police Department. He has served on the department since 1999. According to Civic Police Data Project, a journalism nonprofit based on the South Side of Chicago, Wallace has 47 allegations of misconduct, more than 97% of other officers, though only one has been sustained. The most recent complaint was in 2016, according to the database. He also has 10 use of force reports, more than 76% of other officers. However, he also has more honorable mentions, including awards for crime reduction and life saving, than 75% of other officers.
City websites and press releases did not specify when the position will be filled.
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