In this episode of Murphy's Law, host Murphy Robinson sits down with one of his closest friends and a leader who's shaped policing far beyond Colorado's borders: Colonel Matt Packard, Chief of the Colorado State Patrol since 2017. Murphy opens by calling him one of the best friends he has in the world, and the conversation that follows moves from Packard's own origin story — a childhood fascination with the FBI that led to an accounting degree and, eventually, a patrol car — through the full scope of what the State Patrol actually does, the culture that makes Colorado troopers a national standard, and a hard, emotional conversation about the two troopers shot in the line of duty just weeks before this recording.
Packard traces his path back to his mother's job at a museum that shared a building with the Golden police department, a family friend in the FBI, and a high school tour of the Denver FBI office that hooked him. He earned an accounting degree from the University of Northern Colorado — a deliberate, marketable path toward federal law enforcement — before deciding he wanted to drive a patrol car first. Twenty-six years later, he's still at it, having risen from state trooper to captain overseeing the hazmat section, to major, to colonel of the entire agency. Murphy and Packard spend real time on the Patrol's less-visible work: its hazardous materials response team, its aircraft fleet (which flies enforcement missions, ferries the governor, and transports hospital staff for time-sensitive medical procedures), and the two distinct roles Capitol-based troopers now play — uniformed security and, increasingly, dignitary protection and threat investigation for elected officials.
Some of the most striking material comes from Packard's account of leadership under pressure. He and Murphy first worked closely together during 2020, coordinating COVID-19 staffing and response alongside the George Floyd protests, and Packard credits that shared crisis with cementing their partnership and the State Patrol's relationship with Denver. He also opens up, at Murphy's prompting, about the moment two of his troopers were shot during a traffic stop near Woodland Park — both are recovering and have been released from the hospital — and the on-camera statement he gave afterward: "If you come for my troopers, I'm coming for you." Packard describes the anger behind those words, and the fact that he made zero outside phone calls that morning because the response from neighboring agencies, counties, and federal partners simply happened on its own.
Key Themes & Takeaways
A People Profession, Not a Tech Solution. Packard is candid that tools like drone-as-first-responder programs and AI-driven verification systems are additive, not a replacement for an officer showing up in person. He argues public trust in policing depends on visibility and face-to-face interaction — something no technology, in his view, can substitute for.
"If You Come for My Troopers, I'm Coming for You." Packard walks through the shooting of two Colorado State Patrol troopers during a traffic stop near Woodland Park in August 2026 — both are expected to recover — and the raw, unscripted statement he gave afterward. He describes the anger behind it and the immediate, unsolicited mutual-aid response from neighboring agencies and federal partners.
Capitol Security and the SurePass Partnership. Building on a prior Murphy's Law conversation with Senate President James Coleman, Packard details how identity- and authority-verification tools like SurePass now screen who's entering the Capitol and what they're legally allowed to bring in — closing gaps that had let firearms go unnoticed at security checkpoints.
Leadership Is Hiring People Better Than You, Then Getting Out of the Way. Asked how he manages an agency spanning five field districts, hazmat response, an aircraft fleet, and Capitol security, Packard credits his executive team and a leadership philosophy built on delegation, trust, and tolerating decisions he wouldn't have made himself.
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