The Golden Police Department is searching for a new chief of police after Joe Harvey stepped away from his 40-year career.

Harvey, who served as the chief starting in 2023, officially announced his retirement on Feb. 16 in a news release by the city of Golden.

The chief initially stepped away from the role on a temporary leave Jan. 21, the same day Stephen Geer was sentenced to 13 years in prison at the Jefferson County District Court for the death of 33-year-old GPD Ofc. Evan Dunn.

Dunn’s death was the first on-duty death in the history of the GPD, stretching back to 1940.

“When my wife asked me what had happened, all I could do was cry,” Harvey told the court at the sentencing hearing. “I could tell it was bad and I felt helpless and scared.”

The incident occurred around 5 p.m. Nov. 6, 2024 when Geer — a former Colorado School of Mines mechanical engineering professor — crashed into a vehicle parked at another crash on Highway 58.

Dunn and his partner, Ofc. Bethany Grusing, were attending to the first crash.

Geer entered the scene in his Mazda CX9 and crashed into a vehicle, pinning Dunn and Grusing under a car for 35 minutes. Dunn was pronounced dead at the scene and Grusing was taken to a nearby hospital with facial fractures.

“Their uniforms will forever be stained with the blood of their teammates,” Harvey said through tears. “All they could do was hold Evan’s hands, telling him it would be OK. Letting him know they were there.”

While Harvey did not say whether the sentencing had any direct effect on his leave and subsequent retirement, he mentioned the tragedy in his retirement letter.

“Over the past 20 months, I was challenged to lead through many difficult situations, including the in-the-line-of-duty death of Officer Evan Dunn,” Harvey wrote. “While my career has brought me success and great joy, it has also come at great sacrifice personally and professionally.”

Harvey added that he initially requested the leave of absence to focus on my “personal wellness and to reflect upon my future,” but after consideration, decided to step away from the role permanently.

Harvey served communities in Douglas County, Greenwood Village and for over 11 years in Golden.

“His leadership in Golden was marked by a deep commitment to officer wellness, community trust and professional standards in policing,” the city said, adding that Harvey prioritized the health and well-being of the members of the department and worked to “foster a culture grounded in dignity, respect, compassion, empathy, fairness and impartiality.”

In a 2025 interview with The Denver Gazette, Harvey spoke about his leadership tactics, saying, “Make no bones about it. We are vehement in how well we protect this community. But every member of that community wants to see a happy, healthy police officer come to their house.”

Now, Harvey will work with the department to find his replacement. Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Mike Hendershot will continue to serve as Interim Chief of Police.

“Honestly, his vision is one that law enforcement departments across the country could learn from and model. I hope he returns to lead,” resident Amity Joyce wrote on a Facebook post regarding his retirement. “And if he doesn’t, then I hope his legacy of values continues among his officers.”