Amid local and national calls for police reform, the Boulder Police Department has released its Reimagine Policing Plan, which outlines a set of new goals and strategies for the city’s force that are designed to minimize crime and arrests and reduce disproportionate effects on communities of color.

“It is abundantly clear that policing cannot continue as it is. This is true for police agencies throughout the United States, and it is true for the Boulder Police Department,” Boulder police Chief Maris Herold stated in the plan. “I believe the plan outlined through this document represents the transformation that policing needs to meet the expectations and values in Boulder and beyond, and as chief, I am committed to using this document as a touchstone for our department.”

The plan comes after the department conducted more than a year and half of community engagement and analysis. According to Herold, the core of the strategy is about transitioning to a proactive, problem-solving mode of policing rather than simply responding to calls. She stated that the goal is “reducing the likelihood of a crime” in the first place, and that the strategy should be “combined with a holistic governance approach.”

If the plan is adopted by City Council, it will also include other features such as a new performance metric system to help identify officer misconduct, heightened efforts to recruit offers from diverse backgrounds and a new online tool where community members can rate their interactions with Boulder officers.

The Reimagine Policing Plan is set to come before City Council for a public hearing and vote on Sept. 7. Anyone interested in testifying in person or virtually at the public hearing must sign up in advance at bit.ly/3OSxVJk. The registration form will open at 8 a.m. Sept. 1 and close at 2 p.m. Sept. 6. Night-of registration will not be allowed.

More information about the plan is available at bit.ly/3P8R1wj.

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