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Broomfield police report falling crime rates, expansion of mental‑health response and new public programs
Summary
Chief Hempelman told the Broomfield City Council the city’s property and violent‑crime rates have trended downward through the first half of 2025, and BPD is expanding co‑responder mental‑health responses, a blue‑envelope accommodations program, and targeted enforcement against street‑racing and repeat retail theft.
Chief Hempelman delivered a department update to the Broomfield City Council reporting year‑over‑year declines in property crime and very low violent‑crime rates in Broomfield.
“Our violent crime continues to be very low here in Broomfield. About 1 person is a victim per 1,000 resident on violent crimes,” Chief Hempelman said while reviewing Colorado Bureau of Investigation data that compared 2023, 2024 and the first two quarters of 2025. He noted robbery was extremely rare (about 0.06 victims per 1,000 residents) and larceny remains the largest property category.
Deputy Chief Mark Cadell, who oversees investigations and patrol operations, described upgrades to investigative capacity, including new digital forensics software used in a recent homicide prosecution, regional partnerships that produced indictments in a liquor‑store burglary ring, and expanded evidence and storage capacity. Cadell said the communications center exceeded national benchmarks, answering 99.7% of 9‑1‑1 calls within 15 seconds in 2024.
Cadell and Division Chief Roger Plunkett highlighted programs aimed at mental‑health responses and reentry. The department’s co‑responder (B‑Corps) team handled 353 behavioral‑health calls in the first six months of the year, a 41% increase over last year, and responded in person to more than 70% of those calls, officials said. Plunkett described detention‑center participation in a competency‑court program (cited in the presentation as House Bill 241355) to improve outcomes for inmates with serious mental‑health needs.
Council members asked about community concerns and enforcement. On street racing, Chief Hempelman said BPD has increased targeted patrols, worked regionally to gather intelligence so officers can intercept meetups, and is engaging private property owners to discourage use of parking lots for large gatherings. “We’re doing everything we can to have them go somewhere else,” he said, describing coordination with city prosecutors and judges to ensure cases are documented and prosecuted to reflect concerted group activity rather than isolated traffic infractions.
Councilmembers also praised the department’s blue‑envelope accommodations program, which provides a simple identifier residents can present to officers—along with short training for officers—so staff know when a person needs communication or sensory accommodations. Officers will receive departmentwide training on the program in the coming weeks, officials said.
On property‑crime hotspots, commanders told council that regional shopping centers (including Flatirons Mall) and large retail anchors continue to account for many larceny reports; the department runs a bait‑bike program and said its patrol and bait operations remain active. Officials also reported no significant complaints following July 4 enforcement at Commons Park; staff said debriefs found the event went smoothly and public feedback was positive.
The presentation closed with a warning that some budget pressures come from outside the city: staff described a $1,260,000 increase in the 17th Judicial District district attorney budget allocation that Broomfield must help fund, and said the city will reevaluate and recommend a revised estimate as part of its upcoming budget discussions.
The council thanked the department for the update; no formal action was taken at the study session.
