Maris Herold, the City of Boulder’s first female police chief who was hired in April 2020, on the eve of nationwide protests for police reform, has resigned.
Herold will start a new job as an adviser with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Law Enforcement Knowledge Lab, a resource center for law enforcement agencies that launched in 2022 with the goal of “identifying and disseminating fair and effective policing practices and technical assistance,” according to the center’s website.
She will move on to the new job on Jan. 22, the city said in news release this week.
“It has been an honor and privilege to serve the Boulder community and the outstanding professionals who serve within the Boulder Police Department,” Herold said in the news release. “I am humbled by the opportunity to serve my profession at a national level and continue to promote the importance of fair and effective policing.”
Herold told Boulder Reporting Lab in a text message that she has resigned as police chief and has no plans to return to the city after her two years with the Department of Justice. Sarah Huntley, a spokesperson for the city, said Herold will remain a city employee during her assignment with the federal government. Huntley said the Department of Justice will provide the city a reimbursement for her salary and benefits. She said the city manager plans to conduct a nationwide search before naming an ongoing chief.
Herold began her law enforcement career as an officer at the Cincinnati Police Department in 1993. She was the City of Boulder’s police chief during the tragic events of March 22, 2021, when a gunman at King Soopers killed 10 people, including one officer. During her tenure, the department sought to recruit a more racially diverse police force amid national hiring struggles.
She has been credited for her work on “problem-oriented policing.” The policing strategy is based largely on identifying crime patterns, addressing root causes and relying on community engagement. She was a sergeant with the Cincinnati Police Department in 2002, when the department reached a legal settlement with the ACLU of Ohio known as the “Collaborative Agreement,” which specifically required the department to implement problem-oriented policing. The settlement stemmed from a lawsuit alleging racial profiling and excessive force against Black people.
In the City of Boulder, she helped launch a two-year effort to craft a long-term plan to “reimagine policing.” The plan focuses on “prevention and problem solving,” primarily by targeting hotspots in the city where officers receive a disproportionate number of calls.
She headed the city’s police department during the rollout of the city’s first Police Oversight Panel, a group of volunteers who review complaints of officer misconduct and advocate for reforms. The panel was created in 2020, the year after a city officer drew his gun on an unarmed Black college student who was picking up trash outside his home.
In 2023, city officers fatally shot two people: a 36-year-old man on May 25 during a domestic violence incident and a 51-year-old woman on Dec. 17. The woman allegedly pointed what was later revealed to be a replica gun at someone and failed to comply with police commands. Prior to last year, the most recent fatal police shooting involving City of Boulder officers was in 2016.
Deputy Chief Stephen Redfearn, who was hired September 2021, will serve as interim chief. Previously, Redfearn served with the Aurora Police Department for 22 years. Recently, he received both praise and criticism after he was subpoenaed by state prosecutors to testify in the case against the officers charged with the killing of Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man who died in 2019 in Aurora after he was forcibly arrested and given a powerful sedative.
“I am genuinely humbled and honored to be entrusted with this new role,” Redfearn said in a news release. “Together, we are uniquely positioned to model a positive path forward with policing that is equitable, effective, and in partnership with the community.”
Update: This story was updated on Jan. 12 with additional details regarding the terms of Herold’s resignation.
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What? She will remain an employee of the City during her 2 year appointment with DOJ? And the City continues to pay medical benefits, workers comp insurance, pension, etc? She has no plans to return to Boulder! Just cut the tie on Jan 22! Let DOJ pay all the fringe expenses for however long she “works” for them.
The DOJ is paying her salary and benefits through a reimbursement process with the City of Boulder. This is now reflected in the story. — BRL editors