“It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool,” goes the old saw, “than to speak and remove all doubt.”
Now adding himself to the long list of public figures who have failed to heed this ancient wisdom is Stephen Redfearn, chief of the Boulder, Colo., police department. On Sunday afternoon, addressing reporters regarding the terrorist attack that had occurred in the city about two hours earlier, Redfearn said, “It would be irresponsible of me to speculate right now on motive and other things.”
Bear in mind that as Chief Redfearn spoke, videos of the shirtless suspect shouting about Palestine while his victims writhed in pain nearby had already been circulating online and seen by perhaps millions of people. Bear in mind also that the victims of the attack had gathered in that spot, as they have since October 2023, to call for the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Surely, Chief Redfearn was aware of these facts as he faced the cameras Sunday afternoon.
“The FBI is already calling it a targeted terror attack,” said a reporter. “Would you also refer to it as a terror attack?”
The chief wouldn’t give an inch. “We are not calling it a terror attack at this point,” he said. “Again, it’s way too early to speculate motive. I know there’s a lot out there on social media, but I ask people to give us just a little bit patience while we work through a really complex scene.”
Yes, the crime scene was complex, and in the early stages of an investigation, one must be careful about making definitive statements that may later prove to be erroneous and thereby jeopardize a prosecution. But it is not “speculation” to cite what the suspect said during the commission of the crime, nor is it “speculation” to reveal the affiliation of the people targeted for attack. This is especially so at a time when, on college campuses and elsewhere, calls for “bringing home the intifada” can be heard with such alarming frequency and even more alarming results.
Related: Colorado Terror Suspect Wants All ‘Zionists’ Dead. Pam Bondi: Not So Fast.
It was less than two weeks ago that Israeli embassy staffers Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim were murdered in Washington, D.C. by a man who shouted “Free Palestine” as he was being arrested.
So, yes, the intifada is here, a fact that Chief Redfearn has an obligation to acknowledge, no matter how unpopular such an acknowledgment might be in his community. Boulder is an almost comically liberal city, where in 2024 voters chose Kamala Harris over Donald Trump by more than a 2-1 margin, and where, we may assume, there is widespread support for the fictional country of “Palestine.” Surely Redfearn spoke with his political patrons before facing reporters on Sunday and was told to tiptoe around the issue, which, despite the FBI having already acknowledged the obvious, he dutifully did.
In most cases, police chiefs are more politicians than police officers, and one suspects this is so in Boulder. Redfearn may be a capable police administrator, but no one would have a prayer of ascending to the chief’s job in the Boulder Police Department without demonstrating a willingness to hew to the leftist orthodoxies in vogue at City Hall.
Chief Redfearn’s career bio can be seen on the city of Boulder’s website, and it conforms with a general rule I’ve observed in over 40 years in law enforcement: The longer the bio, the less the actual experience. He boasts of his academic degrees, his participation in various training programs, and his time spent as the department’s “LGBTQ+ police liaison.” It is a bio that working cops will recognize at once as that of a career climber, a guy who probably has a big mirror in his office and who has endeavored to impress those above him on the chain of command while all but ignoring those below.
Antisemitic attacks like those in Boulder and Washington, D.C., will likely increase in the coming months. Responding to them will be a challenge for the leaders of America’s police departments. How many of them will be up to the task?
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