Loveland Police Department Police Citizen Advisory Board

The community has been skeptical of the Loveland Police Department in recent years because of publicity brought on by events that reflect negatively on the agency. One of these events involved Loveland resident Karen Garner, a person with Alzheimer's disease who was injured during arrest, and a more recent account of a teenager assaulted by a uniformed police officer in a local park. The department has made changes, including the hire of Tim Doran as Chief of Police in January of 2023. 

As part of his campaign for transparency and accountability, Loveland Police Chief Doran and the Citizen Advisory Board meet monthly with the public at the Loveland City Council Chambers. 

Detailed minutes of these meetings and others, written by Loveland employee Kirsten McEwen, are available from the LPD. To compare all 7 of the police agencies of Larimer County, and any opportunity for citizen comment, find our Larimer County Law Enforcement Directory here.

Citizen Observer (and retired police officer) Veronica Olivas attended multiple meetings of the LPD’s Citizen Advisory Board. After following LPD for some months, Olivas had this to say: 

“In the estimation of this Citizen Observer, the Loveland PD has potential to show what change may be possible with what appears to be prodigious leadership after incriminating events by previous Loveland police officers.”

To follow the trajectory of this optimistic perspective, following are some of the observations by Olivas at these meetings (in chronological order). 

HIGHLIGHTS FROM POLICE CITIZEN ADVISORY BOARD - January 3, 2024 Loveland City Council Chambers

Present: Chair Bill Kurtz, Board members: Brittany Friar (zoom), Shana Garcia (zoom), Erin Gliva, James Holland, Alan Lipowitz, Lowell Marner, Glorie Magrum (zoom), Tina Schulte-Olesky, Merlin Thompson (zoom), Melissa Town Chief Doran, Bob Coleman, Lieutenant Ben Hurr, Councilor Troy Krenning Absent board members: none

Tara Hildebrand said that the information on the Victim Rights Brochure is overwhelming. She has spoken with the Sexual Assault Victim Advocate Center (SAVA) about assisting victims of a traumatic incident with training. She reviewed brochures provided by the National Association of Chiefs of Police and would like to learn more about victim services. Tara had initially stated that she was following up on a comment from a woman at the last meeting that the Spanish translation for the victim brochure had many spelling errors and that some of the community members did not speak English. The woman questioned how the outreach would be done for Spanish-speaking residents.  

Tara followed up to have others read the English brochure and the feedback was that if they were victims, the brochure would be overwhelming. She then had the SAVA staff read the brochures for trauma sensitivity and they agreed to make themselves available to assist LPD with SAVA brochures for victims.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM POLICE CITIZEN ADVISORY BOARD - Feb. 5, 2024 Loveland City Council Chambers

Present: Chair Bill Kurtz, Board members: Brittany Friar, Shana Garcia, Erin Gliva, James Holland, Alan Lipowitz, Lowell Marner, Tina Schulte-Olesky, Melissa Town (zoom) Chief Doran, Bob Coleman, Lieutenant Ben Hurr, Councilor Erin Black Absent board members: Merlin Thompson

Chief Doran had addressed complaints from the last meeting with these actions:

• The Chief assigned officers to reach out to business owners about their concerns regarding safety and unhoused people. One of the complainants from last month’s meeting thanked the chief for the positive interaction and increased patrol. The chief has officers on downtown foot patrol for overtime shifts as staffing and budget allow.
• Traffic enforcement was also increased due to awareness created by a complaint from the last meeting.
• The citizen requesting a police report on a dog shot by police was advised how to request the report from police records.
• Co-chair Friar said that the Board of Education expressed interest in educating parents about drug use in the schools.
• The Homeless Task Force received grant funding for a Street Outreach program with potential to address housing insecurity.

The board members are still brainstorming on how to best communicate with the community.

Chief Doran gave a presentation and update on the status of the police department since his arrival last January.  He offered diagrams, statistics, mission, values and statements which corroborate the tending of serious issues, recommended by the task lists from consultant firm Jensen Hughes, the Trust Commission, and the Loveland City Manager. 

Along with completion of recommended tasks, the agency received recertification from the Commission on Certification for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). Only about 5 percent of police departments have CALEA certification.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM POLICE CITIZEN ADVISORY BOARD - March 4, 2024 Loveland City Council Chambers

Citizens commented on these topics:

• The effect of the homeless population on businesses downtown 
• The outreach to Spanish speaking constituents in the 
• Trauma sensitivity for victims
• Traffic 
• Police department accountability

The members of the Citizen Advisory Board are brainstorming on how to dialog with the community on behalf of LPD.

One topic of discussion was about creating a police substation near downtown at the Foundry, but Chief Doran does not have plans to fully staff it. Instead, the plan is to staff events only.   

• Julie Dreifaldt, Community Liaison from One Chance to Grow Up,  reported on national and local statistics on the use of illegal drugs by youth. The rates of attempted and completed suicides among teenagers in Colorado have increased 600% since 2009. THC is the number one substance found in toxicology results of teenagers, particularly non-white male teenagers. Traffic deaths where drivers tested positive for THC increased 138% since 2013.
• The board discussed the need to publicize their meetings to overcome low attendance.
• A citizen having trouble obtaining a police report received advice on how to do so. Councilwoman Black volunteered to personally guide him through the process.
• Two Spanish language listening sessions were scheduled. LPD reached out to local organization Heart and Soul to assist in outreach to  local LGBTQ and BIPOC communities. The meetings were not recorded in either written or audio format per request of the Heart and Soul organization. This Citizen Observer was present at both events.
• Chief Doran and some of his staff met with some of the LGBTQ community members along with councilwoman Black on March 20 at 5:30 p.m. After a presentation by Chief Doran and staff, written questions from the audience were answered as time allowed. Doran and staff stayed after the allotted time to dialog with the community.
• A meeting with the BIPOC community occurred on March 28 at 5:30 p.m. The Chief and his staff gave a similar presentation, adjusted per feedback at the previous event. Spanish speaking officers were present along with a lieutenant who asked that the audience engage directly with the police rather than answering written questions. Again, the Chief and staff stayed afterwards to engage further with the community. 

For now, in the second quarter of 2024, the Loveland PD continues to demonstrate dedication in restoring public trust. Community groups may judge for themselves the success and duration of these efforts.

Go here for more detail on the Loveland Police Department’s Citizen Advisory meetings.