Springfield Announces New Police Chief Griffin

Description: The Town of Springfield Announced their Selection for their New Police Chief... Article Includes Chief Griffin's Introduction Letter...

Springfield Announces New Police Chief Griffin

As everyone knows, Chief of Police Clay Klipfel has been offered a job with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and will be exiting at the end of July. While we are deeply saddened to lose Chief Klipfel, we are grateful for everything that he has contributed to our community in the few years he has been here. We wish you nothing but success, Chief! 

The Board of Trustees started an exhaustive search for a new Chief and, after interviewing several candidates, the Board is happy to announce that the position has been offered to Chris Griffin, who has accepted. Welcome, Chief Griffin! We are excited to get to work with you! 

Introduction letter from Chief Griffin:

Dear Citizens of Springfield,

My name is Christopher Griffin, I am honored and excited for the opportunity to be your new Police Chief. I have had the privilege of calling Springfield my home since 2008. Over these years, I have deeply appreciated the strong sense of community and the shared commitment to making Springfield a safe and welcoming place for all.

Since moving to Springfield, I have served with the Baca County Sheriff's Office, dedicating my career to protecting and serving our community. Having been in law enforcement in this community for around 16 years, I am familiar with the community members, businesses, and local government officials. For approximately 14 years, I have served as a law enforcement supervisor, overseeing critical functions such as the Baca County Dispatch Center, jail, patrol, and investigation activities.

Throughout my career, I have pursued numerous leadership and professional development trainings to enhance my skills and stay abreast of the latest advancements in law enforcement. I have also gained valuable training and experience that allows me to be an instructor in numerous law enforcement disciplines. Being an instructor allows officers to partake in local training that is cost effective and keeps officers here where we need them. Through my administrative duties I have gained experience with all aspects of law enforcement budgeting, from drafting and implementing budgets to effectively applying them each year.

In addition to my local duties, I volunteered my time as a member of the 15th Judicial Drug Task Force for several years when it was operational. This role provided me with valuable skills in investigating illicit drug crimes and helped foster strong working relationships with other officers and agencies. We have all seen the impacts of Colorado's reduced drug crime penalties and the effects those have had on our community's youth and overall behavioral health. I look forward to working with the community, partner organizations and outside resources to address these issues and find effective solutions.

During my time in Springfield, I have seen the police department managed by different chiefs and have drawn from those experiences to determine effective strategies to propel the department forward. I hear the community concerns about Main Street traffic and have taken part in Main Street traffic studies in the past.  I believe my experience with these studies will allow us to improve Main Street traffic enforcement, especially during school zone enforcement periods.  

My tenure at the Baca County Sheriff's Office has been amazing, and while I was saddened to step away from that agency, I believe that my experience as an administrator at both agencies will help continue the strong partnership between our departments. This partnership is necessary to best serve the Town of Springfield as well as all of Baca County as it allows the agencies to quickly share resources and manpower during large scale incidents.

As your Police Chief, my primary goal is to ensure the safety and well-being of every resident, business, and visitor in Springfield. I am committed to fostering strong relationships with our community members, local businesses, and government officials. Together, we can address core concerns and work collaboratively to keep Springfield’s values alive.

Sincerely,

Christopher Griffin

Police Chief, Springfield, Colorado

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