Panel delays co-chair election until new members are seated; recruitment timeline set
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Summary
BoulderPolice Oversight Panel members agreed to keep current co-chairs in place until after new panelists are appointed, and staff outlined the 2026 recruitment and training schedule for incoming members.
The Boulder Police Oversight Panel voted to retain the current co-chairs (Suzanne and Soledad) until the city manager appoints new panel members and the full panel has its first meeting, after members raised concerns about election timing and continuity.
Panel staff reported that recruitment for the 2026 panel is open through Jan. 25, with advisory-committee selection planned the following week, interview notifications around Feb. 11, interviews on Feb. 21 and city manager appointments expected March 6. Mandatory training dates for newly appointed panelists were listed as April 4 and April 10.
Several members argued it would be preferable to delay the co-chair election until new members have been seated so that those new members can participate in the election process. A motion to extend the current co-chairs' service until after appointments and the first full-panel meeting passed with majority support.
Panelists also discussed using the forthcoming five-year review and training window to address procedural questions such as election timing, onboarding content and whether the co-chair election should occur mid-year to align with onboarding. The chairs said they would follow up on logistics and timing via email and add the subject to the five-year review agenda.
Next steps: staff will continue the recruitment timeline and the chairs will confirm a plan for when to hold co-chair elections once the city manager has finalized appointments.
