Fort Collins Police Chief Retires: Harrison Calls It Quits After 14 Years

By Mike
Fort Collins Police Services announced that Dennis Harrison submitted his resignation Wednesday afternoon, after serving 14 years as Chief of Police.
“After a series of discussions with my supervisor and some others, I have decided that change will happen in the near future,” Harrison wrote in an e-mail sent throughout the agency, “I will retire from my position as Chief and from almost 38 years in this field.”
Although Harrison is retiring from Chief of Police of Fort Collins, he will be exploring options in the region and around the community.
Fort Collins police officers were surprised by the spontaneous e-mail they received Wednesday afternoon.
“It was just out of the blue that he would retire like that,” said Sergeant Marcus Collins, “most of the time when someone retires from this line of work, especially from that high of a position it is usually known throughout the agency for months in advance.”
Many local law enforcement officers wondered what the true reasons were behind the unprompted retirement. Some believed that it was due to the perjury indictment of Lt. Jim Broderick and his involvement as lead detective in the over-turned case of Timothy Masters.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he was forced out by his superiors,” said a former Fort Collins Lieutenant, “mainly due to the allegations of Jim Broderick and the Timothy Masters settlement.”
Lori Diggs, former dispatcher, said, “Harrison was a good officer and achieved great things. He always looked out for the best interest of the agency.”
Harrison’s tenure in leading the department is much longer than what is typical for that position. Most police chiefs tend to be replaced every few years when new city council members get elected.
City manager Darin Atteberry said that a police Captain will take over as interim Chief for the next three to six months while the city decides how they will conduct themselves in hiring a new Chief of Police.