New Chief concludes first week on the job

By Mitchell Byars

Staff Writer

When Maris Herold was named the next chief of the Boulder Police Department, she knew her first order of business would be getting to know a new department and city.

“I think the biggest hurdle is being an outsider and coming in, and trust issues with the police department,” said Herold, who was previously the police chief at the University of Cincinnati Police Department and before that was with the Cincinnati Police Department. “The only way you can overcome that is by meeting people.”

And so of course, Herold found herself starting her new job during a pandemic that has placed limits on face-to-face meetings and in-person interaction.

“Not ideal to start a new chief job in a pandemic,” Herold said of her first week on the job amid coronavirus restrictions.

But while it wasn’t exactly the scenario she envisioned when she was named to replace retiring Chief Greg Testa in early March, Herold has still tried to hit the ground running as best as she can.

“The staff and the community of Boulder have been phenomenal,” Herold said. “They made my first week a lot easier than it should have been.”

Even if the coronavirus restrictions have made it more difficult, Herold said getting to know the people in her department and community leaders is still at the top of her priority list in her first few weeks.

“That’s going to be my first priority, understanding the police department perspective and seeing what they think; at the same time I’m trying to understand the community perspective and reach out to as many community leaders as I can,” Herold said. “It’s very hard to do it in a virtual climate, but we’ll do the best we can do.”

While being hired as an external candidate means lots of new faces to remember, Herold also believes she offers the Boulder Police Department a fresh perspective.

Herold took over at the University of Cincinnati Police Department following the resignation of the prior chief amidst policy violations, and now finds herself taking the position in Boulder following a year that saw the department come under fire

See CHIEF, 2B

Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold poses for a portrait outside the Public Safety Center on Monday.

Matthew Jonas / Staff Photographer

for several interactions with black men and other accusations of officer force.

“The bulk of my career has been as a change agent in police departments, doing a lot of big, heavy lifting,” Herold said. “I always think it’s good to look at things with an outsider perspective, especially with my background in police reform.”

Herold said her work in police reform and community relations, along with her experience with both municipal and university policing, makes her a fit for the job.

“I think my background is perfect for the city of Boulder,” she said. “My whole background was bolstering police-community relations. Boulder seems like a great city to continue researching and working with different partners to develop crime prevention strategies.”

In addition to being an external hire, Herold is also the first woman to ever be named chief at the Boulder Police Department, something she takes great pride in.

“I think it’s important for the community, important for getting a different perspective and a different look at policing,” she said. “I also think it’s great for little girls to see women in important leadership positions.”

Herold’s own start in law enforcement wasn’t necessarily something she envisioned as a little girl, but something that came about from her work as a social worker after college.

“I got very frustrated with the bureaucracy of social work,” Herold said. “A lot of my supervisor staff, when I was a social worker, said I was such a good investigator, I would make a good police officer.”

Herold spent 27 years working in law enforcement in the Queen City, but with her family roots on the West Coast, she was ready for a new challenge and a move out of the midwest.

“I started in municipal policing, and I wanted to end my career in municipal policing,” she said. “Obviously the city of Boulder is a very attractive, progressive, innovative city. It just felt like the perfect fit.”

Herold said she was able to get a small taste of the Boulder life when she was house hunting before things started to shut down in mid March.

“I did get a lot of opportunities to have a lot of good food and walk around,” she said. “At least I got to see a little of the wonderful businesses of Pearl Street.”

Herold said she looks forward to the day she can get to know the city and its residents a lot better. But between now and then, she still has a lot of work to do.

“I feel really honored to be here, and I want to do a good job for the community, the police department and the city.”