Reimagine Policing

Reimagine Policing in Boulder

Plan
Design
Community Engagement
Implement

Current Phase

Implement

Project Overview

The Boulder Police Department, in partnership with other city colleagues, is working to make significant changes in the midst of local and national discussions around the need for reform in policing. The Reimagine Policing planning process will provide a framework for the department to do a broader and more in-depth examination of community input, use data-driven strategies to review current operations in the context of changing conditions, and determine future policing goals and strategies. This plan will be used as the roadmap for creating meaningful changes to public safety in Boulder.

Engagement Window IV: Refinement and Acceptance of Plan

This webpage highlights the process to create the Reimagine Policing Plan, leading up to its unanimous approval by City Council on September 7, 2023. To learn more about the approved plan, please visit our new Reimagine Policing Plan webpage.

August-September 2023 -- The Reimagine Policing Plan is finally here!! City Council unanimously approved the plan on September 7, 2023. You can access the plan in its entirety here: https://bldr.fyi/rp-reimagine-policing-plan.

In June 2023, the city received and released a report from National Policing Institute summarizing and sharing recommendations related to its engagement with community around the draft Reimagine Policing Plan.

In May 2023, the city released a summary report of engagement conducted in 2022 through its partnership with youth engagement partners Growing Up Boulder and Mayamotion Healing.

In April 2023, the city released a 10-page summary document that captures some of the key elements that will be included in the final plan.

The following links are to the draft plan, as reviewed by council:

In response to this feedback, city staff prepared the following slides to help the community understand the vision that has emerged through its input so far.

PDMP vision slides for web final.pptx by City of Boulder

Where We've Been

Engagement Window I: Values, Hopes and Concerns

The Reimagine Policing Plan is here! City Council will consider and vote on the plan on Thursday, Sept. 7. Check out this link to read the plan: https://bldr.fyi/rp-reimagine-policing-plan.

This window took place from June 8 - Aug. 3, 2021. Detailed information about Window I processes and results is included in the Window I Summary Report.

Summary Report: Engagement Window I PDF

Information from Engagement Window I was used to develop draft community values statements around safety and the role of police in safety; as well as draft focus areas to include in the forthcoming master plan for the City of Boulder Police Department. Each draft focus area also includes subtopics to be addressed during the remaining phases of the Reimagine Policing plan process.

Engagement Window II: Checking In

This was a check-in phase to give community members the opportunity to provide feedback about whether these proposed values and focus areas resonated with them. This feedback was evaluated and is guiding the ongoing work.

Summary Report and Documents: Engagement Window II PDF

Engagement Window III: Learning Together

During prior windows, we received questions about our police department and how it currently operates. So before we asked you to consider and help us prioritize potential strategies, we dedicated time to learning together.

This window featured a series of short explainers on relevant policing topics. The information on each topic was posted on the Reimagine Policing Engagement Hub on BeHeard Boulder and discussed at a Police Department Town Hall.

Engagement Window III was open from December 2021 through mid-July 2022.

Project Commitment

The city understands the importance of robust community engagement in creating a vision and Master Plan for the Boulder Police Department. As such, the project commits to the following: