When David J. Felice stepped up as Durango’s new police chief last month, it meant a big change for the 52-year-old lawman who spent the bulk of his professional career with the Colorado Springs Police Department. As the deputy police chief in the Springs, he supervised 488 officers. Durango’s force tops out at 68 officers. Claire Martin, The Denver Post
Q: Technically, you’d retired from the Colorado Springs Police Department when you applied for the job in Durango. Had you planned to go back to work?
A: I retired because I’d decided to pursue opportunities elswhere. I’d been looking all over, but I’ve always been interested in Durango.
Q: Why Durango?
A: My brother and brother-in-law are both Fort Lewis College grads, and my brother-in-law’s nephew is a student there as we speak. When I was in the area, in the 1970s, I really liked the town, its layout and the community. When the Durango police chief position came open, it felt like it was perfect.
Q: And how do you anticipate shifting from a department with nearly 500 police officers to a department about one-tenth that size?
A: When you’re in a position of leadership, it’s the relationships and the partnerships that matter. You build on those, working one on one or in small groups. That’s applicable in any work environment, whether there are six people, 60 or 600.
Q: What are some of the ways you’ll establish that rapport?
A: I’m going to do what I’ve done throughout my career — spend the first couple of months meeting every person in the organization. I want to talk about what they see right, what they see wrong, and what keeps them coming to work every day. I want to develop trust before there are issues or agendas. Too many times, the first time you meet an employee in a large organization, it’s for disciplinary reasons. I want to establish rapport with community leaders and constituency groups, and find out what I can do as Durango chief to assist them in their jobs.
