Welcome Interim Chief of Police John Camper

The Grand Junction Police Department is excited to welcome Interim Chief John Camper. Chief Camper will serve in this role for a period expected to last four to six months. During this time, recruitment for a permanent Police Chief will occur, with a selection anticipated by early next year.  Police Chief Bill Gardner announced on July 22 that he will be resigning from the Grand Junction Police Department effective September 4, 2009.

Chief Camper, who is a graduate of Central High School, joined the Lakewood Police Department in 1981. In addition to many years of patrol work, he has served as Public Information Officer, Crime Prevention Agent, and Crimes Against Children Detective. As a sergeant, he supervised patrol teams, Internal Affairs, and Theft Investigations. Promoted to Commander in 1999, he served as a Watch Commander and later directed the Communication Center. Appointed to Division Chief in 2004, Camper led the Support Services Division, and is now Lakewood's Chief of the Patrol Division.

Among many other projects over the years, Chief Camper has been heavily involved in Pursuit Policy, Sector Policing, Differential Police Response, Verified Alarm Response, and the formation of a charitable foundation designed to help Lakewood officers who are in financial need due to death, injury, or catastrophe. Chief Camper holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Business Administration, and is a graduate of the Senior Management Institute for Police.

In her announcement about the selection of Chief Camper, City Manager Laurie Kadrich stated, “This is an exciting cooperative venture for us. The City of Lakewood is an organization we have always worked well with, so it was natural for us to look to them for assistance. Chief Camper was chosen because of his extensive law enforcement management experience and his previous residency in Grand Junction. I feel confident he will bring with him the ability to keep our Police Department moving in the positive direction it currently is moving. As I have stated previously, selecting an interim Chief allows us time to effectively transition. The Department is running strong right now and I just don’t feel right about diverting either of our Division Chiefs from the very full plates they have. I am confident that bringing a capable interim Chief in to work with the very talented personnel we have will be a win-win for all and will help set the tone for a smooth transition to a new Chief next year”.

Updated Friday, February 5, 2010