A year-long dispute between Boulder officials and leaders of the local NAACP chapter over the city’s new police chief took a fresh turn Wednesday when the city manager accused members of the civil rights organization of attempting to use blackmail to prevent the chief’s permanent hiring.

The Boulder city manager addresses concerns about the Boulder County NAACP's conduct during the mediation over Police Chief Redfearn's hiring.

Boulder’s city manager revealed Wednesday she has filed a complaint with the national NAACP against local chapter members over actions she called “unethical and unacceptable.”

The complaint escalates tensions between city leadership and members of the NAACP Boulder County over the hiring of the city’s police chief.

The city filed the complaint to the national NAACP after a local branch of the organization “threatened” to release a meeting transcript.