Colorado's Failure to Police its Police
Colorado has long prided itself on its strong law enforcement standards, but a bombshell investigation by the Colorado News Collaborative has discovered major gaps in the state's oversight of its officers.
Through a series of loopholes, mistakes, and inadequate safeguards, bad cops have, in some cases, been able to remain certified law enforcement officers and continue serving in trusted public safety positions.
The investigation, led by a team of reporters across four Colorado media organizations, found that the state's Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) board has shielded the identities of officers accused of wrongdoing, allowing them to move from job to job without facing consequences. This is a major concern since Colorado officers need POST certification to make arrests in the state.
The Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) board is run and managed by Democrat Attorney General Phil Weiser.
Moreover, the state's efforts to increase police accountability have fallen short. One of the major reforms implemented after the 2020 murder of George Floyd was the creation of a public database, but the investigation revealed that the information in the database is often incomplete and inaccurate. The officers involved in high-profile misconduct cases, such as the death of Elijah McClain, have no disciplinary history listed in the database.
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POST also relies on local agencies to report bad behavior, which often doesn't happen, and the state does not impose sanctions on those that fail to report. This lack of oversight casts doubts on whether the state is truly keeping the public safe.
But it's not just about bad cops getting a free pass. In some cases, officers can keep their certification even after displaying alarming behavior.
One example is Denver police officer Shane Madrigal, who allegedly bragged about shooting a carjacking suspect 16 times and watching "his face fall apart." Although he resigned while under investigation for other inappropriate comments, his disciplinary record remains clean in the POST database. This raises serious concerns about the state's ability to hold officers accountable for their actions.
A 2019 state law has allowed officers to lose certification for untruthfulness, resulting in 53 officers being decertified for falsifying records, lying under oath, and more. But even that process has its flaws, as exemplified by Sgt. Aaron Laing of the Colorado State Patrol, who was only decertified after reporters questioned the delay in his case.
As Colorado continues to grapple with issues of police accountability and transparency, more must be done to ensure that only the best and most trustworthy individuals are hired as law enforcement officers.
As Rio Blanco County Sheriff and POST board member Anthony Mazzola stated, "If we're going to make law enforcement more professional, and if we're going to make the state of Colorado safer, we need to hold these people accountable."