Beckner - 10 years as Boulder police chief

Discussion in 'Justice for JonBenet Discussion - Public Forum' started by JC, Jun 22, 2008.

  1. JC

    JC Superior Cool Member

    http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2008/jun/21/beckner-marks-10-years-boulders-top-cop/

    Saturday, June 21, 2008
    By Christine Reid

    Police chief celebrated for his calming influence

    Calm. Cool. Collected.

    That was Mark Beckner, confronted by a gun-wielding mentally ill patient inside a narrow hospital hallway. The young officer — who is now Boulder’s police chief — talked down the unhinged man, convincing him to empty his revolver’s bullets onto the floor.

    “It could have gone many ways,†recalled Longmont police Chief Mike Butler, who was alongside Beckner that long-ago night when the two men were still just uniformed Boulder patrol officers.

    “It’s one of those situations when you hope the people with you are well trained and don’t overreact,†Butler said. “They say the things that need to be said and do the things that need to be done.â€

    Those same traits, say many who know Beckner , ultimately landed him the job as Boulder’s police chief in June 1998.

    And now, a decade later, Beckner remains at the helm of a department that has gone from being the butt of Jay Leno’s JonBenet Ramsey jokes to, this year, solving one of the city’s most notorious homicides, the brutal Susannah Chase slaying.

    Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle, who worked as a Boulder detective commander under Beckner before being elected, said his former chief’s leadership style is just what the department needed — a stable, calming force.

    “He’s not exactly a beat-the-chest, lead-with-saber kind of guy,†Pelle said. “ I think the police department has benefited from that over the years.â€
    According to national estimates, the average shelf life of a police chief is three to five years. This week, Beckner, 52, marks his 10th anniversary as Boulder’s police chief. In an interview, he said the key to his longevity has been a leadership style that exudes calmness and consistency.

    “Things are never as bad as they seem — or as good,†Beckner said. “That’s a good philosophy to me.â€

    In the spotlight

    Beckner was hired as a Boulder police officer right out of Farris State University in Big Rapids, Mich., in 1978, he was 22 years old. The future chief quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a manager in just four years on the job. He moved from working as a patrol officer — whose first assignment included patrolling the Pearl Street Mall — to detective, to internal affairs investigator to SWAT and patrol commander.

    Perhaps his biggest, or at least most visible, assignment was heading up the JonBenet Ramsey investigation nearly a year after the 6-year-old was found slain in her parents’ basement the day after Christmas 1996.

    Tensions with the Boulder District Attorney’s Office already had been building over differences in handling the case, Beckner said, and the media frenzy was in full swing, with tabloid journalists employing tactics such as following investigators home and using high-powered microphones to catch snippets of officers’ conversations.

    Taking over the Ramsey case wasn’t a decision Beckner made lightly. He talked it over with his family.

    “You’re in this business to solve crime, that’s what you do,†Beckner said. “What bigger challenge than that case?â€

    Later, when his son was in sixth grade, he told his father a story about a teacher discussing the Ramsey investigation and referring to the “clowns†running it.

    “‘That clown is my dad,’†Beckner said his son told the teacher. “We still laugh about that.â€

    Beckner put together a small team to work the case, and made himself spokesperson so that his investigators could focus on doing their jobs. He said he is proud of the work they did — even though it did not produce any arrests.

    They came close, Beckner said, but even though the case was turned over to District Attorney Mary Lacy in 2001 — at her request — he still is very guarded with information.

    Finishing a career

    The department’s black eye worsened in the spring of 1997 when three nights of riots rocked University Hill, and many accused police of not being prepared for the mayhem.

    When Chief Tom Koby stepped down the following year, Beckner applied for the vacant job, and, at age 42, beat out four fellow commanders for the post.
    Beckner’s first contract was for just two years, but was made permanent after that. He’s intent on finishing his career in Boulder.

    Recently departed City Manager Frank Bruno, who worked with Beckner for five years, called the city’s top cop a “fabulous chief†who focuses on his officers by offering frequent training and outfitting them with the newest policing innovations.

    “The notion Mark wants to stick around and want to finish out his career in Boulder ... would be wonderful for this organization and the community,†Bruno said.

    Beckner helped make a training facility for the department a reality in 2006, and a criminology lab with capabilities to process fingerprints and detect trace evidence was opened in 2004 despite budget woes.

    Beckner also plays a big role in the selection of new officers, Bruno said, and is committed to diversity and inclusion.

    “Mark is there throughout — from the recruit through the door to someone with 20 years,†Bruno said.

    Bruno stood next to Beckner on University Hill on Halloween 2004 when students rioted after a city permitted block party was shut down.
    “I felt a great deal of confidence,†Bruno said.

    One of Beckner’s greatest assets is not being afraid to say something didn’t go so well, and then focus on learning from the mistake, Bruno said.

    “He learns from those and really wants to grow, and encourages the men and women in the department to do the same,†he said.

    Great hires

    Beckner’s friend Butler, who has been chief in Longmont for the past 14 years, says on any given day, there are hundreds of police chief jobs available across the country. But he and Beckner have opted to stay in their communities.

    “There is a richness there that is very satisfying to us as people,†Butler said. “You begin to see things blossom you started years ago.â€

    Since Beckner has been chief, every homicide in the city has been solved. And his department this year made an arrest in the 10-year-old Chase slaying after DNA analysis identified a suspect in the University of Colorado student’s death. Diego Olmos Alcalde currently is being prosecuted on first-degree charges.

    Above all his accomplishments, Beckner said his greatest is puttg people who do great jobs — and letting them do those jobs well.

    He’s helped with about 100 hires at the department, and added about 30 people to the staff.

    “I’ve very proud of that,†he said. “They’re the ones who determine if I look good.â€
     
  2. RiverRat

    RiverRat FFJ Sr. Member Extraordinaire (Pictured at Lef

    Thanks, JC - it sure does feel like ten years have passed with Mr. Close but No Banana.......
     
  3. koldkase

    koldkase FFJ Senior Member

    :floor:

    That was my exact reaction: They came "close".... :laffbig: Guess we know who THAT must have been, since nobody else has ever been under the umbrella...unless you count PERV Karr as "close".... And I'm sure the SBTC--Stupid Boulder Trio of Clueless, Smit/Tracey/Lacy--do. :stupid1::stupid1::stupid1:
     
  4. zoomama

    zoomama Active Member

    Hey,

    If he says he solved every homicide case since he has been chief...ummmm aren't we missing one there? Coming close isn't solving it or is it?
     
  5. JC

    JC Superior Cool Member

    Yeah, but I don't think Karr was in the picture during the time he was talking about.

    "Beckner put together a small team to work the case, and made himself spokesperson so that his investigators could focus on doing their jobs. He said he is proud of the work they did — even though it did not produce any arrests."

    "They came close, Beckner said, but even though the case was turned over to District Attorney Mary Lacy in 2001 — at her request — he still is very guarded with information."


    So I wouldn't count Karr.
     
  6. JC

    JC Superior Cool Member


    I'm not sure, but I think he means every homicide case committed during his administration, Zoomama.
     
  7. Voyager

    Voyager Active Member

    Beckner's confusing statement...

    Reading between the lines, perhaps Beckner was stating that they did solve the Ramsey murder crime. They most likely DO have enough evidence to prove that the murder(s) were not intruders, that the murderers/conspirators were John, Patsy, or Burke Ramsey. But most likely their evidence does not provide them with proof of which of the three was responsible for the actual death or if it was a combination of one of the three administering the blow to the head and another responsible for the strangulation while another wrote the ransom note and did the cover up...

    So they may very well have solved the case, but not been able to make an arrest for lack of specifics in bringing these suspects to a realistically prosecutable trial that could be won.

    In his own way, I think that is possibly what Beckner is putting out there publicly. :hourglass

    Voyager
     
  8. sboyd

    sboyd Member

    There must be something in the water. Nobody is embarrassed about anything. Not even when his son says his father is one of those clowns. Unfortunately, the teacher was right, but Beckner fails to address that only saying they came very close. What an :(:(:(:(:(:(:(.
     
  9. JC

    JC Superior Cool Member


    He had to be embarrassed! I'd bet the teacher was, too!
     
  10. JC

    JC Superior Cool Member


    It feels like ten years to me, too! Voyager expressed my thoughts.


     
  11. DeeDee

    DeeDee Member


    This pretty much says it all, and I couldn't agree more.
     
  12. Show Me

    Show Me FFJ Senior Member

    I feel old!!!

    Yeah Beckner knows exactly who killed JB....but the killer is dead now.
     
  13. The Punisher

    The Punisher Member

    Maybe so.

    What struck me is that he said that the case was turned over at Lacy's request. I wonder how THAT round of negotiations went. The twisting-the-arm kind, you know?
     
  14. Elle

    Elle Member

    Thank you JC for posting the above article. It was good Beckner's department made an arrest in the 10-year-old Susannah Chase murder on January 27, 2008. It bothers me this *******, Diego Olmos Alcalde, 38, has had ten years of freedom while that beautiful young girl lost her life. Where's the justice in this world?

    Between reading this and Tom Miller's excerpt from Chapter 1 on FFJ from his book "JonBenet Ramsey: Prostitution of Justice" I am getting through the wee hours of the morning. Wish I had the whole book. It doesn't half ring of the truth. Makes me want to read more. Like Barbara stated in her post, this is the book I want.
     
  15. heymom

    heymom Member

    “He’s not exactly a beat-the-chest, lead-with-saber kind of guy,†Pelle said. “ I think the police department has benefited from that over the years.â€
    According to national estimates, the average shelf life of a police chief is three to five years. This week, Beckner, 52, marks his 10th anniversary as Boulder’s police chief. In an interview, he said the key to his longevity has been a leadership style that exudes calmness and consistency.

    Means the guy has no cajones whatsoever. Obviously.
     
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