Broomfield narrows search for next police chief down to three candidates

The search for Broomfield’s next police chief has been narrowed to three candidates.

Police Chief Gary Creager announced in June that he will retire on January 11, 2022 after 40 years in law enforcement. He has been the head of Broomfield since 2014.

The city and county want to hear local residents’ feedback on the final three candidates: Antonella ‘Enea’ Hempelmann, Broomfield Assistant Operations Manager, Clint Nichols, Commerce City Police Commissioner, and Mike Phibbs, Auraria Campus Police Commissioner and Head of Campus Safety.

Antonella ‘Enea’ Hempelmann

Antonella ‘Enea’ Hempelmann (Broomfield Town and County / Courtesy Photo)

According to her biography, Hempelmann served Broomfield for nearly 25 years. She has worked as a patrol officer, school helper, and detective in the investigative department and served as a sergeant for patrols, investigations, professional standards, and community matters. As a commander, she oversaw the patrol and special operations division while leading the SWAT-CNT team, the peer support team and the solutions committee.

“She led teams of sworn and non-sworn employees to identify and implement the core values ​​of the department,” says her biography. “Over the course of her career, Deputy Chief Hempelmann has built a reputation for building relationships with her colleagues, employees, civil servants, law enforcement partners outside of the police force and other Broomfield Town and County employees.”

As a manager, she heads the Operations Bureau Patrol, Special Operations and Investigations department. She was named Officer of the Year and Supervisor of the Year, the biography says.

She holds a bachelor’s degree from the Metropolitan State University of Denver and graduated with honors from Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command, where she served as Vice President.

“Deputy Chief Hempelmann will continue to serve the citizens of Broomfield and the staff of the Broomfield Police Department by fostering a culture of teamwork, respect and service while implementing modern police philosophy and practice,” said her biography. “As a boss, she is passionate about developing strong leaders across the Broomfield Police Department who will serve the community for years to come.”

Clint Nichols

Clint Nichols (Broomfield Town and County / Courtesy Photo)

Nichols began his law enforcement career with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department in 1992 after an honorable discharge from the United States Marine Corps. During his tenure in Las Vegas, Nichols served as the Robbery / Murder, Professional Crime, and Violent Crime Department Commander, as well as a Police Explorer Advisor, Crisis Negotiator, Community Police Overseer, Range Master, and Part-Time and Academic Trainee. his biography is.

In 2015, he retired from Las Vegas to join the Commerce City Police Department as a police commander. He has been the Chief of Police at Commerce City since 2017.

“As chief of police, he successfully led the organization through the Ministry of Justice; collaborative reform process, introduced body-worn cameras, developed a transparent advertising process, carried out a legally compliant use of force in the 21st

He has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a master’s degree in business administration with a focus on leadership and influence. He has completed the Police Executive Research Forum, the Senior Management Institute for Policing Program, and received Certificates in Public Leadership from Harvard Kennedy School of Government and Public Sector Leadership at Cornell University.

“Clint’s education and extensive police experience have made him a committed change agent and people manager,” says his biography. “He is a forward-thinking, visionary executive committed to providing the leadership and direction necessary to advance the achievement of key goals and objectives in community law enforcement. He is passionate about the impact that proper law enforcement can have on the community. “

Mike Phibbs

Mike Phibbs (Broomfield Town and County / Courtesy photo)

Phibbs has nearly 30 years of public safety experience. He commanded and served as the sub-sheriff of Summit County Jail, and served as Elizabeth City Police Chief for eight years and was asked to serve as the city’s assistant manager several times, according to his biography.

In his current role, he is the police chief and head of campus security for the largest and most diverse campus in the state with nearly 45,000 residents.

“Mike is a leader in the law enforcement field in Colorado and has chaired the Legislative Committee of the Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police for the past eight years and recently retired from eight years as a governor’s agent on the Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training Board “, Reads his biography. “Mike was recognized as a pioneer in policing by the Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police and received the Pat Steele Award for his longstanding professional and ethical contribution to law enforcement and the people of Colorado.”

He holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy with an emphasis on law and society from the University of Colorado Boulder and a master’s degree in executive leadership / criminal justice from the University of Colorado Denver. He graduated from FBI National Academy 241st grade and has completed executive education, the bio reads.

Residents are encouraged to ask questions of the three candidates ahead of the upcoming Community Forum, scheduled for December 9th, 6:00 pm-7:30pm at the City Council Chambers, 1 DesCombes Drive. Questions can be asked through the Broomfield Voice Portal until noon on December 3rd. Please visit broomfieldvoice.com/recruitments for more information.

Following the forum, community members will be able to provide feedback on the three candidates through the same Broomfield Voice page through December 12th at 5:00 p.m.

According to the job advertisement, the police chief will “report to the city and county council and work closely with all city and county authorities, parishioners, religious organizations, non-profit organizations and our regional partners”.

“As a visible community leader, the police chief will demonstrate and uphold the basic tenets of community police – that is, position the department as a department that prosecutes ‘with and within the community’ rather than ‘policing the community’” the listing reads. The annual salary range is between $ 175,000 and $ 200,000. More information is available at Broomfield.org/ChiefOfPolice.

The city council decided in September that the police chief no longer has to live within the city and county limits.

“With recent and future battles over recruitment and retention in law enforcement, it is time to reassess the residency requirement,” the meeting’s memo said. “The change in residence requirement allows employees to expand the potential pool of applicants when hiring a new police chief, ensuring that the city and county can attract and retain the most qualified police chief regardless of where they live.”

Broomfield narrows search for next police chief down to three candidates