Ken Koch named CU Boulder police chief
Ken Koch has been named chief of police for the , Vice Chancellor for Infrastructure and Safety David Kang announced today. Koch, who has served as deputy chief for the past two years, will serve as chief effective immediately.
“I am pleased with the direction that CUPD is heading and Ken has been instrumental in that leadership,” said Kang. “Through his vast experience combined with his time here at CU Boulder, he is well-versed in campus policing.”
In addition to his CU experience, Koch is a former chief of police with more than 25 years of law enforcement service in Flagstaff, Arizona, and Taos, New Mexico, where he worked with campus police as a part of his municipal duties. He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the Northern Arizona University and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy.
During his time at the University of Colorado, Koch has been the deputy chief of support services where he has supervised the administrative positions within the department, including training, records, dispatch and professional standards bureau. Koch has been instrumental in boosting the campus active harmer response training in which more than 2,000 students, faculty and staff have participated. Koch has also served as incident commander for many high-profile campus events and been heavily involved with CUPD’s radio upgrade project.
Koch will report to Melissa Zak, who was recently promoted to the new position of assistant vice chancellor of safety after serving as CUPD chief for three years. CUPD has a budget for 46Ěýsworn officers and its divisions include patrol, investigations and events and emergency management.
“I am excited to continue to build on what Chief Zak has started and to continue to nurture relationships that have already been created with our campus and community constituents,” said Koch. “I look forward to meeting with campus stakeholders in the coming months and hearing their ideas on how we can make CUPD an even stronger campus partner.”
Koch is an avid cyclist who has competed in the Buffalo Bicycle Classic and many road races in the Boulder County area.