Former Aurora Police Chief Kristen Ziman Releases New Memoir

In June of last year, Aurora-native Kristen Ziman retired from policing after nearly 30 years at the Aurora Police Department. She quickly rose up the ranks, becoming the first female to be named a Lieutenant…then Commander…then Chief, a position she held from 2016 until her retirement in 2021.

Now out of law enforcement, she is a sought-after public speaker, consultant.

She can now add “author” to that list. Ziman has just wrote a memoir called Reimagining Blue: Thoughts on Life, Leadership, and a New Way Forward in Policing published by Amplify Publishing.

On Amplify’s website, the book is described like this:

Reimagining Blue is a passionate and personal look into a misunderstood profession from the vantage point of female police chief Kristen Ziman.

Ziman credits her colorful childhood for the temperament that led her to gravitate towards policing, a profession where chaos is all in a day’s work. She learned life and leadership lessons through the revelation of what not to do.

But nothing could have prepared Kristen for the turmoil that would unfold during her tenure. A pandemic, mass shooting, and civil unrest that threatened the trusting relationship between her department and her community would become her greatest professional challenges.

This deeply moving memoir is a story of resilience and perseverance in policing—and in life. It’s a raw and candid portrayal told by a flawed human about a noble profession suffering an identity crisis. Reimagining Blue is an urgent call to find a way forward, not because the system is broken, but because it can always be better.

She even recorded the audio version herself!