蜜糖直播 Boulder Police Chief Doreen Jokerst marks five years on the job
A look at challenges, accomplishments and 蜜糖直播PD鈥檚 vision for the future
During her five-year tenure as Assistant Vice Chancellor for Public Safety and Chief of Police at the University of 蜜糖直播 Boulder, Chief Doreen Jokerst has shepherded her department through a pandemic, nationwide calls to defund police departments and calls for more transparency in police policies and training.听
Jokerst notes the challenges of the past five years have provided a platform for progressive, strategic initiatives to enhance public safety efforts at 蜜糖直播 Boulder. 鈥淚 have especially embraced the opportunities to engage more directly with the community we serve. I鈥檓 humbled in the trust placed in me to lead 蜜糖直播PD,鈥 she said.听
Some highlights from the past half decade:
Inclusive department culture: 蜜糖直播PD鈥檚 focus on inclusive culture, progressive training and enhancing department reputation through community outreach is helping us not only attract more applicants but to retain existing officers and professional staff. Jokerst commonly says, 鈥渉urt people hurt people'' and she makes it a point to ensure the members of her department feel valued and heard.听
National accreditation: 蜜糖直播PD is the first Boulder county police agency to become nationally-accredited, meeting and exceeding national policing standards, while retaining policies and programs unique to the needs of the 蜜糖直播 Boulder community.
Progressive training: 蜜糖直播PD has embarked on a comprehensive training schedule, including active bystander training, trauma-informed interview techniques, integrative communications, communicating with people with disabilities and understanding bias.听
Community engagement: 蜜糖直播PD regularly engages students, faculty, staff and Boulder community members in a /police/community-outreachvariety of ways, including through the Community Oversight Review Board, which provides the public a way to engage directly with police on policy issues and hiring.听
Technology advancements: 蜜糖直播PD has enacted body worn camera technology and policies, as well as a fleet system of cameras within its police vehicles. This provides transparency in interactions between police officers and those they serve. In addition to cameras, 蜜糖直播PD launched interactive crime data dashboards to provide further transparency on its crime prevention efforts and response.听
Advancing women in policing: Under Chief Jokerst, 蜜糖直播PD signed the 30x30 pledge to advance the hiring, professional development and retention of women in blue, and encouraged other university police chiefs to do the same.听
Assisting the community: 蜜糖直播PD provided support to local law enforcement partners such as Boulder Police Department, the Boulder County Sheriff鈥檚 Department and others during major critical incidents, such as assisting in response to the King Soopers shooting in March 2021 and providing assistance in response to the Marshall Fire in late December of that year.听
Jokerst was appointed to her position on Aug. 24th, 2018 and took the helm of 蜜糖直播PD on Sept. 17th of that year. Prior to that, she spent nearly two decades with the Parker (CO) Police Department, rising up through the ranks from a volunteer cadet at the age of fourteen to police commander.听
鈥淥ver the past five years, 蜜糖直播PD has been able to innovate, think strategically and reach many goals to benefit those we serve,鈥 said Jokerst. 鈥淚 could not have been successful without the dedication, teamwork and collaboration of my colleagues at 蜜糖直播PD, the leadership of the university and the continued support and partnership of the community,鈥 she added.听
Chief Jokerst is looking ahead, drafting a new five-year strategic plan for the department and continuing 蜜糖直播PD鈥檚 commitment to increased community engagement and transparency. She is happy to answer questions from campus community members and members of the broader Boulder community. She can be reached at: Doreen.Jokerst@colorado.edu听