Executive Leadership
State Patrol Chief
Colonel Matthew C. Packard
@ColPackard
Colonel Matthew C. Packard was appointed as the ninth Chief of the Colorado State Patrol in December 2017 by then-Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper.
Colonel Packard began his career with the Colorado State Patrol in 2000. Over the course of his 25-year career, he has served in and led a wide range of specialized and executive functions, including accident reconstruction, homeland security, hazardous materials, criminal investigations, executive security, communications, training academy, media relations, and budget management. His diverse experience across these critical areas has provided him with a broad perspective on both the operational and strategic priorities of the agency.
Colonel Packard has been an active member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) since 2012. In 2019, he was appointed to the IACP State and Provincial Division (S&P) Board of Directors. He was later elected General Chair of the division, serving a two-year term on the IACP Executive Board from October 2022 to October 2024. In October 2024, he was elected as the IACP’s Third Vice President, positioning him to serve as IACP President in October 2027.
In 2025, Colonel Packard was also appointed Chairperson of the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), further advancing his impact on professional policing standards at the national and international levels.
Colonel Packard is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Center for Public Safety School of Police Staff and Command (Session #357) and the FBI’s National Executive Institute (Session #43). He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Northern Colorado.
Executive Command Staff
Each Executive Command Staff member brings a vast array of knowledge and dedication to the Colorado State Patrol. The organization is comprised of the Chief of Staff and three Lieutenant Colonels. It is organized into two regions, each region is commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel. A region is comprised of several districts and branches, or with specific sections within the organization of the Patrol.
Chief of Staff
Sarah Allen
In June 2020, Sarah Allen was named the Colorado State Patrol’s first Chief of Staff, making her the first non-sworn member of the executive command staff in the agency’s history. A member of the CSP since 2008, Sarah has experience in the field of organizational administration, strategy development and implementation, long-term budget planning, communications, project management, and intelligence analysis. Sarah has been an integral part of the CSP’s strategic planning process and has facilitated the agency’s change management efforts based on both leadership expectations of performance as well as employee and public opinion survey results.
Sarah received a Bachelor of Psychology and Masters of Forensic Science from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs and a Graduate Certificate in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Sarah currently holds a project management certification and is a member of the Project Management Institute (PMI).
Region 1 Commander
Lt. Colonel Barry Bratt
Lt. Colonel Barry Bratt has more than 30 years of experience in law enforcement and currently serves as the Region One Commander for the Colorado State Patrol.
Lt. Colonel Bratt has previously served as the District Four Commander where he oversaw Patrol operations for Northwestern Colorado, which includes 11 counties with a combined population of over 304,000 people and nearly 23,000 square miles. Prior to that, he was the District Five Commander in Southwestern Colorado, which is comprised of 17 counties with a combined population of 219,000 people and over 23,000 square miles. He has also served as the Captain of the Patrol's Homeland Security branch, the Troop 4C Commander in Glenwood Springs, the Sergeant in charge of Motorcycle Operations, and as Trooper in both Motorcycle Operations and Troop 1D in Adams County.
Prior to the Colorado State Patrol, Lt. Colonel Bratt worked for the Westminster Police Department.
Throughout his career he has had the opportunity to manage and supervise a multitude of special events ranging from small community events to large gatherings encompassing multiple days and locations to include, the 2002 Olympic Torch Relay, Presidential escorts, Air Shows, the inaugural running of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge in 2011, and the 2015 World Alpine Ski Championships.
Lt. Colonel Bratt currently serves as the Chairperson of the Colorado Law Enforcement Memorial Committee. He has been a past President of both the Western Colorado Peace Officers Association and the Four States Peace Officers Association and is the past Chairperson of the State Traffic Records Advisory Committee. He has served as a subject matter expert for the NHTSA Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria 3rd, 4th, and 5th editions, as well as the NHTSA Model Performance Measures for State Traffic Records Systems. Barry also chaired the Strategic Highway Safety Plan, Data Emphasis working group in 2014. He has served as part of the Northwest Incident Management Team as an Incident Commander as is State of Colorado Certified as a Type 3 Incident Commander. Barry is a graduate of Session 263 of the FBI's National Academy and Northwestern's School of Police Staff and Command.
Region 2 Commander
Lt. Colonel Brandon Means
Lt. Colonel Brandon Means began his career with the Colorado State Patrol in June 2004 after serving in the United States Marine Corps. He worked as a civilian in the Patrol’s Support Services Section before attending the CSP academy in January 2006. He was initially stationed in Boulder County before serving as the Lead Drill Instructor at the CSP academy. He was promoted to Sergeant for the Evidence Section and later transferred to the Executive Security Unit to lead the Governor’s protection detail in October 2018. In this role, he was first promoted to Captain of the Executive Security Unit in 2020. He was later promoted to serve as the first Major of the newly established Executive Security Branch in 2022. Then, in 2024, Means was later promoted to Lt. Colonel and assigned Region 2, including metro Denver Field Operations, the Communications Branch, Headquarters and the Executive Security Branch
Lt. Colonel Means has played a critical role in the advancement of the agency’s evidence management systems, upgrading security measures at the state capitol and developing new teams within the agency, which includes the CSP’s K9 EOD program, Counter Threat and Protection, Special Tactics and Response teams, the Counter Assault Tactics Team, and the CSP’s Special Operations and Response Team. Lt. Colonel Means has held many leadership roles throughout the organization, providing him an advantage in understanding the intricacies of business processes across the Patrol.
Lt. Colonel Means has served as an instructor for the CSP’s Academy in the areas of physical fitness, Defensive Tactics and Arrest Control, and driving; he served as the regional vice president for the National Governor’s Security Administration and was one of the founding board members of the Colorado Fallen Heroes Foundation. Lt. Colonel Means has been recognized with two Distinguished Service Medals for events in 2020.
Lt. Colonel Means is a Colorado native who served in the United States Marine Corps and enjoys training and coaching Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Region 3 Commander
Lt. Colonel Joshua Downing
Lt. Colonel Joshua Downing began his career with the Colorado State Patrol in July 1998. His first duty station was in Golden, Colo.. He later served as a Trooper and Corporal in Weld County, was promoted to Sergeant and then Captain both in the Hazardous Materials Section, promoted to Major of the Staff Services Branch, and then transferred to the Training Services Branch. On February 1, 2018, Downing was later promoted to Lt. Colonel and assigned Region 1 which includes field operations and the Communications Branch.
Lt. Colonel Downing has played a critical role in the advancement of technology, policy, training and accreditation for the Colorado State Patrol. Lt. Colonel Downing has held many leadership roles throughout the organization, providing him an advantage to understanding the many intricacies of business processes across the Patrol.
Lt. Colonel Downing has served as an instructor for the Leadership in Police Organizations (LPO) program, a chairman for the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance Level VI program and held numerous other positions on committees that have a national impact on the law enforcement community. Lt. Colonel Downing was recognized with the Citizens Appreciate State Troopers (C.A.S.T.) Award in 2002, and is an alumni of Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, Colo.
Lt. Colonel Downing is a Colorado native and married with two children. He enjoys spending time with his family, friends and coaching football.