Three Boulder Journalists on SUPRESSION of news by Boulder Police and Council
May 2nd
Boulder Colorado May 2, 2026 Boulder Channel 1 News Feature These are excerpts from 4 boulder journalists who cover crime. They have been hog tied by Boulder Police department and Boulder city council.
Steve Lynton is a retired News Reporter who write about city news on Nextdoor He has covered crime and war and city beats for over 30 years. He is a seasoned news reporter Yup, Todd is not only “Boulder’s independent crime journalist”–he is, in fact, the only person in Boulder who provides regular reporting on criminal incidents in this city, perhaps the most fundamental requirement of news coverage in a municipality. That’s because Boulder is a news desert.
The Daily Camera only reports what BPD’s PR reps choose to post in their occasional news releases. Once in a while, the Camera also publishes details from a police statement that’s eventually been entered into jail or court records as a result of a criminal proceeding. Broadcast media also only report BPD’s news releases.
As for Boulder Reporting Lab, it’s not a news organization; it’s a “progressive” advocacy organization and, therefore, does not cover crime or criminal justice proceedings. Stacy Feldman, who runs BPR, considers criminal activity to constitute “negative” news, unworthy of mention on her advocacy website. In contrast, Todd does the basic reporting that the media ought to be doing. He obtains incident reports as soon as they become available and reports what he finds on Nextdoor.
Todd also visits the scenes of some criminal incidents and attaches photos of what he observes. He used to report on incidents from scanner traffic. But Redfearn has cracked down on public information and shut off access to scanner traffic. Redfearn also has instituted a system designed to delay and obstruct the release of incident reports and other public information.
This is a city marked by illegal encampments, drug trafficking, overdose deaths, assaults and other criminal incidents, many of them stemming from addiction and mental illness. Downtown shops and restaurants face vandalism and shoplifting. Still, only Todd can be counted on to report news of these recurring incidents. We can observe the mess left by those encampments. But only Todd reports the details of the criminal incidents linked to the encampments and occurring in other neighborhoods.
Todd Root writes Boulder Police Scanner reports. He has been denied access by Boulder police Department, thanks for your comment. I weigh what information to share very carefully for various reasons, including possible harm to those involved. Sometimes I cut stories altogether because it’s just too risky, particularly for the victim(s).
I am happy to answer questions about my thought processes in this regard. The police department doesn’t release reports related to incidents which are still under investigation. However, in some cases, releasing light details – such as that a robbery occurred and police were responding – can convey what happened without compromising anything sensitive. Absent that, we often see broad guesses and speculation from the public, which is also problematic.
I do pull arrest affidavits, as you describe, but I prefer the final police reports because they contains more information, particularly info added after the initial arrest. It is unfortunate that it can take a lot longer. And of course arrest affidavits are only available in cases where someone was arrested.
You are correct that most crimes pose no threat to the public. However, that’s not the only reason to share information about them. There’s also conveying a picture of what the police deal with, since there are people who hate the police based solely on their ideology. And often, public sympathy is the only justice the victim ever sees.
You can view all my past reporting, which I am slowly compiling, here. Let me know if you see information included which you feel is possibly harmful: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRiz7uN7tH7qTCRaiA0TH2keaSjv1S_jbOubCjX5FwHNhTR1TRKIFuup88TWye2PpohnHs20oGKOt9R/pub If you don’t like reading this content, reading it is, of course, optional. If you’re opposed to my doing this work at all, go talk to the Boulder Progressives. This was their idea. They wanted to learn all about this city’s criminal underbelly from me and have never reconsidered that.
Rob Smoke has been a writer for The Daily Camera He writes about Boulder police chief.
When they did the “public interview” process at council chambers with the 3 “finalists”, his presentation was absolutely horrible — every word out of his mouth was a piece of stale cheese — seriously…every single sentence and phrase was something he rehearsed in the shower a very long time ago.
Precisely zero interesting stories about his career or life or anything. I challenge anyone to watch the video and tell me different…outside of a few corrupt council members who undoubtedly knew the outcome before the interview.
He also wouldn’t account for his behavior regarding the police arrest and killing of a young person of color in Aurora, Elijah McClain (in 2019), where he generated a report containing blatantly false information about the suspect’s behavior.
The results highlight the workings of the standard political “buddy system”. If Mark Wallach or Matt Benjamin need a favor from the police, there’s always a guy ready to assist. This circumstance came up over the summer where a young activist drawing with chalk on a sidewalk (it washes off in the rain, people), somehow got arrested for it and in another incident was charged with assault for having a heated conversation with Matt Benjamin and his wife at the Farmer’s Market.
If there’s one thing that’s true about any of this, it’s likely that… regardless of prior standards, we all need to lower our expectations when interacting with City of Boulder police officers. The whole “leading by example” thing is out the window.
Boulder’s Shadow: Echoes of San Francisco’s Zombie Streets
May 1st
Boulder May 1 2026 from Boulder Channel 1 NEWS A viral video from San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood has horrified viewers nationwide, showing rows of drugged-out individuals frozen in unnatural poses, swaying listlessly amid filth, fentanyl pipes, and open degradation. Posted by street documentarian JJ Smith, the clip captures what many call the “start of the apocalypse”—a once-vibrant downtown reduced to an open-air narcotic wasteland. Commenters lament billions wasted on failed “compassion” policies, voters’ role in enabling it, and how harm reduction has become a death sentence. SFPD notes enforcement gains since 2023, yet overdoses remain among the nation’s highest per capita.
Boulder, Colorado—often romanticized as a progressive haven with its Pearl Street Mall, Flatirons backdrop, and liberal ethos—suffers a parallel fate. Fentanyl’s arrival has devastated the city’s homeless population of roughly 450-800. Autopsies reveal fentanyl in numerous deaths, often mixed with methamphetamine, creating “zombie-like” states reminiscent of SF. Reports describe users nodding out near Boulder Creek by the library, administering Narcan to each other in makeshift camps, and public drug use turning scenic paths into hazard zones.
Like San Francisco, Boulder’s policies—emphasizing housing-first approaches, limited enforcement, and services drawing outsiders—have turned it into a magnet for drug-related lawlessness. Comments on local forums and social media mirror SF’s: frustration over unchecked encampments, business impacts, and taxpayer-funded failures. Overdoses spiked in early 2025, with fentanyl and meth deaths rising sharply despite some county-wide declines. Residents report seeing disoriented individuals in “trance-like” states, pants down, belongings strewn, echoing the Tenderloin horror.
Both cities highlight a national pattern: well-intentioned progressive experiments prioritizing “compassion” over accountability enable addiction, deter tourism and business, and erode quality of life. SF Supervisor Matt Dorsey hopes to “turn off the magnet.” Boulder faces the same choice—ballot-box realism or continued decline into visible decay. Without tougher enforcement, treatment mandates, and borders on enabling, idyllic Boulder risks becoming another cautionary tale of streets lost to zombies.
Boulder Channel 1 News Editorial: Time to Fire Police Chief Stephen Redfearn – Boulder Deserves Better
Apr 29th
April 29 2026 By Jann Scott Boulder, long celebrated as a progressive, open community that values transparency, accountability, and trust between citizens and law enforcement, now faces a serious leadership crisis at its Police Department. Chief Stephen Redfearn must be fired immediately. His decision to encrypt police radio communications and deny broad news media access to scanner traffic represents a dangerous step toward secrecy that misjudges the very character of this city. dailycamera.com He als denied access to this very news org and individual crime reporters
Redfearn claims encryption protects officer safety and prevents criminals from monitoring movements. These concerns echo national trends, yet in Boulder’s context, they ring hollow. The department offered a handful of select outlets costly encrypted radios tied to restrictive contracts that limit real-time reporting and expose media to liability—conditions major outlets like the Daily Camera rightly rejected. Public scanner access, a longstanding tool for journalists to alert the community to unfolding events like emergencies, fires, or incidents, has been curtailed. Redfearn’s team insists this enhances inter-agency coordination and privacy, but the move effectively hides real-time police activity from the public eye.
This isn’t transparency; it’s control. Boulder residents expect open government, not a department that decides what the press—and by extension, the people—can know in the moment. History shows scanner listening rarely compromises operations but frequently empowers timely, accurate reporting that holds everyone accountable. By restricting it while promising “dashboards” and delayed releases, Redfearn underestimates Boulder’s sophisticated, engaged citizenry that demands real oversight, not curated narratives. bouldercolorado.gov
Redfearn’s tenure has been marked by controversy, including past scrutiny from his Aurora days and local tensions over oversight and community relations. Boulder’s crime picture is mixed—property crimes have declined in recent years, yet residents still grapple with theft, safety perceptions, and calls for balanced policing. A chief who prioritizes encryption over partnership misreads this town’s ethos of openness. Progressive Boulder rejects opacity; it thrives on sunlight. boulderreportinglab.orgCity leaders must act now. Replace Redfearn with a chief who respects Boulder’s values—someone committed to genuine access, not restrictions dressed as safety. Our community deserves policing that builds trust through visibility, not walls. Fire Chief Redfearn before more damage is done to the public’s right to know.Jann Scott, Boulder Channel 1 News. Voice of reason in Boulder since 1989.
