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Week of December 8, 2022
JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 11 | SPORTS: PAGE 16
VOLUME 18 | ISSUE 25
Arvada Police Chief Link Strate announces retirement Link Strate retiring from APD after 35 years; Ed Brady named interim chief BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Arvada Firefighters were served free Thanksgiving meals thanks to Chow for Champions, organized by Arvada City CouncilCOURTESY PHOTOS member Lauren Simpson.
Chow for Champions deliver Thanksgiving meals to 90 Arvada first responders Annual food drive for first responders working on holidays enters third year BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Arvada first responders working on Thanksgiving were treated to free meals during their shifts, thanks to Chow for Champions, an annual effort to provide meals to Arvada police officers, firefighters and emergency medical service providers on Thanksgiving and Christmas. This year’s Thanksgiving Day delivery effort saw 90 meals — provided for the first time by the Arvada Hilton Garden Inn, which joined the program this year as a catering partner — SEE MEALS, P2
Chow for Champions volunteers gather in the Hilton Garden Inn lobby before heading out to deliver Thanksgiving meals.
After 35 years with the department, Arvada Police Chief Link Strate announced his retirement on Dec. 1, effective Dec. 31. APD Deputy Chief Ed Brady — who was a finalist for the position along with Strate when the position was last available in 2018— will begin serving as Interim Chief on Dec. 5. A graduate of Northern Arizona University, Strate’s tenure with APD began in 1987 and spanned his entire professional career. He began as a patrol officer and worked his way through the department’s ranks, becoming a motorcycle officer early in his career and earning promotions from sergeant to commander to deputy chief. He was named chief on June 2, 2018, succeeding now-Deputy City Manager Don Wick, who was chief for 10 years. “It has been my greatest professional joy to serve as an Arvada police officer these past 35 years,” Strate said. Over the course of his career, Strate worked to advance the JEFFCOM Regional Dispatch Center and Jefferson County Regional Crime Laboratory, encouraging the collection of DNA evidence to prosecute crimes that typically went undetected. He also helped lead the Jefferson County Critical Incident Response Team, which investigates officer-involved shootings. The last two years brought scores of tragedies to the department. The Olde Town Arvada shooting in 2021 claimed the life of Arvada Police Officer Gordon Beesley, and APD Officer Dillon Vakoff was killed while responding to a domestic violence call earlier this year. Arvada City Manager Lorie Gillis praised Strate’s leadership of the department during trying times and his involvement in the community. ”Over the past two years, through tragedy and healing, he has brought SEE POLICE, P3