Final Aspen police chief candidates meet with public

On Wednesday evening, the five finalists for Aspen police chief met with three-dozen members of the community at the police station.

The finalists are vying to replace Chief Richard Pryor, who retired in December after 29 years with the department. The shoes to be filled are widely acknowledged as large. 

The finalists include two current Aspen police leaders and three outside contenders and includes three women and two men. 

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Each gave brief remarks at the station’s community room and then mixed informally with people who wanted to meet them and perhaps ask questions. This is part of a week of formal and informal interviews leading to City Manager Sara Ott choosing one at the end of the month, subject to the City Council’s approval.

Here’s a quick rundown of finalists and their answers to the question: What makes you uniquely qualified to be Aspen’s next chief of police?

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Linda Consuegra

Current: Assistant chief of administration for Aspen Police Department and previous interim chief.

“I believe that I can do a great job because I have been doing a great job for the last 23 years,” she said. “I know the community, I’ve been part of the community, I’m involved in the community, and I will continue to do the same thing and be able to understand and evolve as this community evolves, as well. I will continue to provide the customer service that we have been accustomed to and just listen to our community and continue to face the challenges that bring us together.”

Kimberly Ferber

Current: Operations commander with the Sterling Police Department and previously state of Colorado law-enforcement coordinator.

“I have extensive executive law-enforcement experiences in the greater Denver Metro area,” she said. “I have worked nationally for the Transportation Safety Institute, and I’ve worked for the governor’s Highway Safety Office, where I collaborated with all the law-enforcement partners across Colorado. Now, I’m in a rural policing environment for the City of Sterling and as the operations commander. It’s a good combination.”

Bill Linn

Current: Interim police chief and assistant chief of operations of the Aspen Police Department.

“I’m uniquely positioned with the knowledge and understanding of what our community wants of the police department,” he said. “I’ve met with numerous community organizations to tell us what they thought. I’ve worked deeply hard on this issue. I’m working to better the department right now. I’m not waiting for anything in this mix of things.”

Charlie Schoepflin

Current: Commander of the Administrative/Support Operations Bureau with the Commerce City Police Department and previous commander of special operations with the Commerce City Police Department.

“I think the diversity of the community that I grew up in with the things that I’ve been able to deal with and the challenges that we face, good and bad, being exposed to such a variety of issues and problems, I think that gives me a leg up on a lot of people that have maybe been in smaller areas,” he said. “Having that exposure, dealing with large-scale events or issues and crimes, even losing one of our officers, you learn to pull people together, you learn to work around those things, and you learn to advance.”

Laurie Scott

Current: Assistant chief of police for the city of Loveland. Previous a police captain with the Omaha Police Department.

“I come with 30 years of experience under my belt, and that 30 years has been diverse,” she said. “I have focused on leadership, and I focused on community, and how do I give back? All those things I know without question are important to Aspen. I’ve been to some of the best leadership trainings in the country and in the world. I’ve attended the FBI National Academy. I’ve attended the senior management of Institute of Police. I think that’s invaluable.”

The deadline for community questions and comments is Monday, March 13, at 10 a.m. Visit aspen.gov for more information.