Doug Abraham, who retired last year as the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus police chief, has been hired as interim police chief at CU Boulder. The appointment is effective immediately, said Louise Vale, interim associate vice chancellor of integrity, safety and compliance.
Doug Abraham
Abraham has 42 years of law enforcement experience, most recently serving for 12 years as chief at Anschutz. He spent the bulk of his career with the Aurora Police Department, where he rose to the rank of division chief.
“Doug is extremely qualified to lead CUPD in the near-future as we continue to identify a permanent chief,” Vale said. “Doug is well-versed in higher ed policing and building relationships across campus. I want to thank Doug for coming out of retirement to take on this interim assignment.”
The university last month identified five finalists for the chief’s role and offered the position to one candidate. But he decided to stay in his current role. As such, the search for a permanent chief will continue.
Paula Balafas, who was a finalist for the chief position and served as interim chief for four months, will resume her position as CUPD commander.
“I would like to thank Paula for agreeing to step into the interim role on short notice earlier this year,” Vale said. “I look forward to continuing to work with Paula and build on the expertise and connections she developed across the campus and community as interim chief.”
