On September 7, 2023, Boulder City Council unanimously approved the Reimagine Policing Plan. The plan advances a progressive, community-based, policing approach known as Problem-Solving Policing, and is implemented through an organizational structure model known as Stratified Policing.
The goal of the Reimagine Policing Plan is to move the Boulder Police Department from a traditional model of policing -- one that has historically relied upon police response and enforcement after crime has occurred -- to a new approach that centers holistic problem-solving and crime prevention. The Reimagine Policing Plan will guide the Boulder Police Department's work in the months and years ahead.
The Reimagine Policing Plan reflects over two years of in-depth community engagement work, rigorous research and analysis about policing models and crime-prevention strategies from top academics and thought leaders in crime prevention fields, and evidence-based studies about innovative, effective, best practices in police work to support safe and thriving communities.
The city's sub-committee gathered research, data, and community input to inform the Boulder Police Department's planning process. The work of reimagining Boulder's policing model began in the summer of 2021 and concluded in the summer of 2023. The final plan was presented to Boulder City Council on September 7, 2023, and received unanimous approval from all nine council members.
Based on best practices in police reform and extensive community feedback gathered over the past two years, the City of Boulder has created a bold Reimagine Policing Plan. In the plan's introduction, former Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold writes: "It is abundantly clear that policing cannot continue as it is."
This plan seeks to transform how police serve and engage with the community. The goal is to move the department from a traditional model of policing that relies heavily on enforcement after crime has occurred to one that centers holistic problem-solving. We reimagine a policing model that emphasizes crime prevention and community-based solutions.
