Randy Boehm, who has served with the Columbia Police Department since October 1976, has been hired as manager of security for MU Health Care. He begins his new job on July 7.
When Boehm became chief of the Columbia Police Department in 2000, he said his first priority was to enhance the department’s community policing and step up communication with Columbia’s neighborhood associations. He also wanted to deal with staffing and space issues.
Highlights of Boehm’s career:
— October 1976: Joined the Columbia Police Department as an officer.
— 1997-2000: Served as the commander of the Special Tactics and Response Team, now the SWAT team.
— Oct. 1, 1999: Became the interim police chief when Chief Norm Botsford left.
— Oct. 27, 1999: Withdrew his name from consideration for chief and accepted a job as assistant chief with the MU Police Department. He said he would start when a new Columbia police chief was found.
— March 8, 2000: Resubmitted his name to be considered for chief.
— March 16, 2000: Officially named chief.
— Dec. 18, 2002: Named Missouri Police Chief of the Year by the Missouri Police Chiefs Association.
— 2002: Helped establish the Columbia Police Foundation, a tax-exempt organization to provide support for the police department through events and major gifts.
— May 25, 2004: Mary Ratliff, president of the Columbia chapter of NAACP, asked Boehm to consider establishing a civilian review board to “increase the accountability and integrity of the police department.”
— June 20, 2004: Boehm said a civilian review board was not necessary for the investigation of former police Officer Steven Rios or for the police department in general. He said, “I don’t believe the current system is broken.”
— Feb. 10, 2005: Boehm was chief when Officer Molly Bowden died of injuries after being shot during a routine traffic stop on Jan. 10. Capt. Sam Hargadine said Boehm had spent the whole week with Bowden’s family at their home. Boehm said “losing a fellow officer is certainly like losing a family member.”
— May 2005: Boehm had to testify as a witness in former Columbia police Officer Steven Rios’ murder trial.
— December 2006: A three-month study by the MU Center for the Study of Organizational Change found that Columbia police officers were unhappy. Boehm said he was surprised by findings that employees were afraid to make suggestions. Communication problems between the top and lower-ranked employees were listed among the reasons for dissatisfaction.
— Dec. 20, 2007: In a meeting with Columbia’s Civilian Oversight task force and ACLU lawyer Dan Viets, Boehm again argued against the need for a civilian review board for the police department.
— April 2008: Boehm said he applied to be security chief of the University Hospital and Clinics. Capt. Brad Nelson said Boehm had not submitted a resignation to the Columbia Police Department as of April 17.