Firestone announced Thursday that town officials have selected David C. Angelo as the newest chief of police.
According to a Firestone news release, Angelo’s first day on the job will be Jan. 10. He will oversee a growing department of 33 sworn officers and four civilian staff members.
In a phone interview Thursday, Angelo said he grew up in Littleton and is a graduate of Columbine High School. Coming back to Colorado, he said, has always been a goal.
For the past 27 years, he has worked for the Houston Police Department and will be wrapping up his role as property division commander in the next week. He’s also served in numerous other leadership roles with the Houston Police Department, including commander of the special victims division and commander of the large patrol division, where he supervised about 300 personnel. He also has served as a lieutenant, sergeant and officer.
“I was interested in becoming a police chief, but not just any police chief — it had to be the right fit,” Angelo said. “I thought (Firestone) is the right fit for me based upon my experience, my training. I’m blown away that I got the call that I’m the next chief of Firestone.”
Since July, Deputy Chief Bryce Borders has been serving as the interim chief of police for the Firestone Police Department. Borders was appointed after former Police Chief David Montgomery announced that month that he would be retiring, following an investigation earlier this year that revealed police policy and procedural concerns.
Looking ahead to when he takes on the role early next year, Angelo said he first hopes to work with the town to fill critical roles within the police department, including a commander position and administrative sergeant position.
Getting to know the town he will be working to protect will also be a goal early on in his new role, Angelo said.
“I will be riding the streets a lot early on all three shifts, getting to know the officers, getting to know the supervisors,” Angelo said, adding that he will also work to develop a relationship with the board of trustees and other department directors, as well as Firestone residents.
“I want to get out of the police station and be seen and avail myself to the community,” Angelo said.
In the news release, Angelo emphasized the importance of community partnerships.
“I strongly believe a police department must engage and partner with the community, thereby establishing trust. Without trust, the police cannot effectively do their jobs,” Angelo said in the release. “Building trust internally within the police department and externally with the community and other stakeholders will be the cornerstone of my leadership practice.”
The release said Angelo was selected from 60 applicants, following a national recruitment process. He was among half of those who applied to the job and live outside of Colorado.
The release said the hiring process involved two rounds of initial screenings, telephone, and in-person interviews. Three finalists were interviewed by an external peer panel, a panel of sworn Firestone police officers, the town manager, and the board of trustees.
Town Manager A.J. Krieger said the town received “a great response” to fill the role and was fortunate to have an experienced pool to select the new chief from.
“At every stage of the process, David’s experience and professionalism shone through. We intentionally engaged in a thorough, thoughtful, and comprehensive process and sought the input and expertise of internal and external stakeholders,” Krieger said in the release. “There’s no doubt in my mind David is the right person to lead this Police Department into an exciting future.”
Firestone Mayor Bobbi Sindelar echoed this.
“The Board of Trustees is thrilled to have someone of Mr. Angelo’s caliber leading our Police Department,” Sindelar said in the release. “As a board, we were impressed by his experience, professionalism, and commitment to earn Firestone residents’ trust.”
Before his work for the Houston Police Department, Angelo served in the United States Air Force and was honorably discharged. Angelo has a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice and a master of science degree in strategic leadership, according to the release.
“I’m encouraged,” Angelo said. “I’m excited about getting up to Colorado in January and hitting the ground running.”
