Transitions: Broomfield's New Police Chief is a Familiar Face, A Trusted Leader

By Bette Erickson

Without a doubt, many of us in the community would say what we value most is to feel safe and respected. Broomfield’s new chief of police, Enea Hempelmann, understands that.

New Broomfield Police Chief Enea Hempelmann. Courtesy photo.

“I always try to be respectful; to treat people how I would want to be treated,” she explained when asked what has been an important career-long priority for her.

With little fanfare, but much excitement, Broomfield welcomed its first woman Chief of Police mid-Januarywith the appointment of longtime Broomfield City and County law enforcement officer Enea Hempelmann.

Having most recently served as Deputy Chief of Operations, Ms. Hempelmann has been with the department for nearly 25 years as an officer, detective, and detective sergeant. She has strong connections to the community and has earned support throughout the police department staff.

Born in Italy, Ms. Hempelmann spent time traveling to and from Italy to the United States as a youngster with her family, settling in Arvada when she was eight years old. She later graduated from Arvada High School and Metropolitan State College.

She says it’s her family that has kept her grounded and helped most prepare her for this next step in her career. This includes her mother and father, husband, and three daughters.

“With overwhelming support from the community and the Broomfield Police Department team, it’s clear Ms. Hempelmann has the skills, vision, and leadership to propel Broomfield into this new era of policing within our community,” City and County Manager Jennifer Hoffman said in a statement.

“Ms. Hempelmann’s position will be pivotal for our future as we remain a community committed to public safety, and continue to build a culture of compassion, inclusivity, and equity.”

Policing is a hard job, often made more complicated when others fail to recognize that the person behind the badge is someone’s mother, father, son or daughter, brother or sister. Like all other professions and personnel, our uniformed neighbors need to be offered grace.

During a community forum that included finalists Clint Nichols, the Commerce City police chief, and Mike Phibbs, the Auraria Campus police chief, Ms. Hempelmann discussed the need to seek community engagement, including the importance of community feedback.

“I care about what this community thinks and I want to know if there’s something this police department needs to do differently, if it’s not meeting the standard for our community,” Hempelmann explained. “The community sets the expectation of the police department, and that’s why this police department does so well, because it reflects the community.”

Ms. Hempelmann said she is looking forward to continuing the longstanding positive culture that our Broomfield Police Department has in place.

Just weeks following Ms. Hempelmann’s appointment, Tom Deland, who served the department for 37 years, 23 years as Chief of Police, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on February 1, 2022, leaving his wife, Linda, and son and daughter Joey and Michelle, and an entire community mourning.

Tom Deland served the Broomfield Police Department for 37 years, 23 years as Chief of Police before his retirement in 2014. Mr. Deland unexpectedly passed away on Tuesday, February 1, 2022, leaving his wife, Linda, and son and daughter Joey and Michelle, and an entire community mourning his loss. Courtesy photo.

“Our hearts are broken at the Police Department and across the city and county as we work to process this loss,” Chief Hempelmann said in a statement. “Chief Deland’s leadership impacted me personally, and so many of us, and his legacy will remain deeply-rooted in our department for years to come.” To be sure, Mr. Deland set a high standard for policing in the community.

Broomfield stated in a news-release that Ms. Hempelmann was the top-rated candidate in each forum and community panel conducted. Anyone who is fortunate enough to spend time chatting with her will readily understand why she was the top-rated finalist.

In her spare time Chief Hempelmann likes to spend time with her family, travel and “ … cook anything Italian.” She said that her Italian mother is an excellent cook and taught her well, including copying recipes simply from intuition and taste, with no need for printed instructions.

Previous Broomfield Police Chief Gary Creager announced his retirement last spring, having served in the role since 2014. Mr. Creager successfully ends a 40-year career in Colorado law enforcement.

For more information about the Broomfield Police department, including tours, drive-alongs, the citizen police academy, and other programs, visit www.Broomfield.org/POLICE or email bpd@broomfield.org.

Bette Erickson writes about people, places and events. Contact her at bette_erickson@hotmail.com.