Department History
The department was founded in September of 1949 by then President Robert Stearns. The establishment of the variously labeled "Campus Police, Campus Security Police, and Security Force" was prompted by two campus murders in the preceding nine months. Theresa Foster was killed during the winter of 1949. In a much publicized case Joe Sam Walker was subsequently arrested and convicted for Foster's murder. Walker was sentenced to 80 years to life. Walker's guilt was the topic of much controversy at the time. Due in part to some doubts about his guilt Walker was pardoned by the Governor in the late 1960's.
In June of 1949 CU student Roy Spore was beaten and thrown into Boulder Creek where he drowned. Spore, at the time of the attack, was apparently trying to protect his girlfriend from a "sex fiend" who appeared out of the dark. The assault occurred below Sewall Hall. This murder remained unsolved until 1956 when a former Engineering student walked into a VA hospital in Los Angeles, CA and confessed to the murder.
Newspaper accounts indicate that the force initially consisted of the new Chief, Richard Stratton, three patrolmen and a daytime traffic officer. The officers were equipped with a 1949 Ford "prowl car" complete with radio. Officers were commissioned by both the city and the county and each new hire had to be approved by the Boulder Police Chief and the Sheriff.
The "crime wave" of 1949 gave way to the relatively calm period of the fifties and early sixties. CU's next major crime occurred in 1966. Elaura Jean Jaquette, a music student, was raped and murdered in Macky. Joseph Morse, the janitor, was subsequently arrested and convicted for the crime. The investigation was run by Boulder PD but included Detectives from Denver PD. At the time CU had no detectives. The Boulder PD force of that period was smaller than our department today.
The later sixties and early seventies also brought a period of campus unrest, much of it related to the war in Vietnam. Protest marches, building occupations, riots and bombings all occurred on campus. In 1974 the Police Department itself was bombed.
In 1970 Chief Stratton retired and was replaced by John Towle. Towle had started as a patrolman in 1957 and had worked his way up through the ranks. The seventies saw the establishment of the detective division and a crime prevention unit. During this period the department took over the investigation of all crimes on campus including the most serious ones. Prior to this Boulder PD had investigated most of the major felonies occurring on campus.
The eighties were marked by the murder of a student in family housing and the smothering death of a newborn infant in Williams Village. In 1984 Debra Boyd was beaten to death by her ex-husband. He was arrested at the scene and subsequently convicted of Second Degree Murder in a plea bargain. He served six years and has been released. In the 1985 baby death, a student pled guilty to Child Abuse Resulting in Death. She received probation and counseling.
The mid-eighties were also marked by protests against the CIA and apartheid in South Africa. Several demonstrations led to mass arrests in excess of 500 people in one case. In 1986 the demonstration turned into a riot. Before the day was through over 150 officers from CU, Boulder PD, Boulder SO and the State Patrol were involved. At one point the rioters appeared to be gaining the upper hand and a call for help was put out. Troopers ran hot from as far away as Limon and the Eisenhower tunnel to assist.
John Towle retired in 1991. Jim Fadenrecht, a Captain, succeeded Towle as Chief. Fadenrecht started with the department in the seventies as a student employee, eventually rising to the top. Fadenrecht's tenure coincided with the move to the new Police and Parking building. Prior to this the department had been housed in a variety of basements across campus, starting in Macky then Wardenburg, 914 Broadway and finally the Armory.
Jim Fadenrecht retired in January of 2005. Chief Fadenrecht was succeeded by Joe Roy who had served the department for almost three decades. Prior to being named chief, Joe was a captain and was in charge of the Parking and Transportation Services Department.
