By Pam Regensberg, Camera Staff Writer
November 6, 2002

His colleagues have called him a "health nut," a man whose daily exercise routine could send
some into cardiac arrest.

The public may remember him as the blond, lean detective trying to find JonBenet's killer.

After more than 20 years with the Boulder Police Department, Tom Wickman, 49, is crossing
the Continental Divide to become the police chief at the Frisco Police Department.

Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner said Wickman's impending departure will be a loss for
Boulder and the department. Wickman begins his new job Dec. 1.

"He leaves with a lot of experience," said Beckner. "He brings a lot of integrity and honesty to
the position."

Detective Barry Hartkopp, who worked under "Wick" on the SWAT unit and in the detective
bureau's Major Crimes Unit, said you always know where you stand with Wickman.

"He speaks his mind ... not always tactfully," Hartkopp said.

But, after he tells you why he is right, he added, Wickman asks about your family and your
well-being.

Wickman is one of three commanders leaving the Boulder Police Department in the next three
months. Detective Cmdr. Joe Pelle was elected Boulder County sheriff on Tuesday, and Cmdr.
Tom Kilpatrick is retiring.

Wickman, a Nederland resident, is leaving a department that covers a city of nearly 100,000
people and is headed to a town of about 3,100. He will manage 14 officers and three staff
members.

Frisco, where the population more than triples during the ski season, has a Wal-Mart and a
Starbucks.

"It'll be an adjustment," Wickman said, adding it is a great opportunity for him and his family.

However, the area will allow him to maintain his routine — cross-country skiing five nights a
week, swimming and biking.

During his years in Boulder, he investigated murders, sexual assaults and supervised the
JonBenet Ramsey murder investigation. He was sworn in as an investigator during the grand
jury's probe into the December 1996 slaying of the 6-year-old girl.

Although the murder case took years of time away from his family, he said it is one crime he
would like to see through to the end. About a year ago, Wickman spent two nights watching
home videos of events he missed because of work.

Yet he remains dedicated to finding the girl's killer.

"If I had to do it over again, I'd do it," he said.

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