LOVELAND, Colo. (KDVR) — An appointment has been made ahead of the controversial departure of Loveland’s sitting police chief, who will leave after overseeing the department responsible for the aggressive arrest of a senior citizen with dementia that subsequently led to calls for regional police reform.
Chief Bob Ticer is departing the department on April 2 and heading to Arizona, where he accepted the role of chief of the Prescott Valley Police Department. According to LPD, the seat he leaves behind is being filled, on an interim basis, by Deputy Chief Eric Stewart.
“I am humbled to be selected to bridge the gap between outgoing Chief Bob Ticer and the next chief of the Loveland Police Department,” said Stewart.
Stewart has been with Loveland Police since March 2017 and has a 37-year-long career that kicked off in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. He teaches nationally on the Fourth Amendment and instructs classes nationwide in the International Association of Chiefs of Police’s Leadership in Police Organizations and First-Line Leadership courses.
Once he takes the role, Stewart will be pushing the LPD accountability process, launched in January, to help regain the trust of the public going forward.
“It’s not lost on me that this department has critical work to do in order to strengthen public trust and to better communicate about the professional service the overwhelming majority of our police officers and professional staff provide in Loveland,” explained Stewart.
Coinciding with this appointment is the launch of the hunt for the next permanent police chief, which will involve a third-party recruiter.
The Loveland Police Department has faced public ridicule since body camera footage of the forceful arrest of Karen Garner was released to the public, triggering a backlash. The footage showed Garner being confronted aggressively by officers Austin Hopp and Daria Jalali in June of 2020.
Additionally, one of the officers can be heard saying, “Ready for the pop? Hear that pop,” suggesting that he knew that the 73-year-old with dementia was injured during the altercation. The City of Loveland would eventually arrive at a $3 million settlement with Garner and both officers have since been released from the department and face charges.