Denver (CBS4) – Using a new law for the first time, the Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training Board on Friday revoked the certificates of six officers on duty for making false statements.
There are offenses ranging from dishonest handling of criminal justice records to lying during an affidavit or internal investigation.
The verdict is that those six former officers will no longer serve in a law enforcement capacity in the state of Colorado.
“Public trust is achieved when law enforcement officers act with honesty and responsibility,” said Attorney General Bill Weiser, who serves as chairman of the Post Board. “The majority of peace officials respect this belief that they put on their badge every day. Unfortunately, there are some officers who do not belong to this profession.”
The move comes as a result of the state legislature passing the Senate Bill 19-16 in 2019.
The bosses of the officers reported violations to the POST according to the law.
According to Lawrence Pacheco, a spokeswoman for the Colorado Attorney General’s Office, the six were not part of their portfolios when the POST board made its decision on Friday. All but one were terminated from employment at least eight months ago, he said.
Certified:
- Christopher Goble, a former Lone Tree police officer who deliberately made a false statement about an object truth or knowingly omitted an object fact during an internal investigation between September 11, 2019 and December 20, 2019.
- Richard Jones, a former Pueblo police officer, knowingly made a false statement about an object fact or knowingly omitted an object fact while testifying under oath on October 16, 2019.
- Christopher Dong, previously in the office of the Field Marshal, knowingly made a false statement about a material fact or knowingly omitted a material fact during an administrative investigation and / or disciplinary action on January 9, 2020.
- Russell Smith, a former El Paso County Sheriff’s office clerk, knowingly made a false statement about a material truth or knowingly omitted a material fact in an official criminal justice record between November 28, 2019 and February 3, 2020.
- Jeremy Kay, a former Delta Police Department officer, knowingly made a false statement about a material fact or knowingly omitted a material fact in the official criminal justice record on March 19, 2020.
- Laura Trailing, the former deputy head of the Arapahoy County Sheriff’s Office, knowingly omitted a factual statement or deliberately omitted a material fact in an official criminal justice record and an internal investigation on October 23, 2019.
Six officers each were given the opportunity to oppose the cancellation of one trial. One in six did not ask.
“Integrity is a cornerstone of the positive relationship between law enforcement officers and their communities,” said POST Director Eric Bauerge. “When personal peace officers violate this trust, it damages that relationship for everyone in the industry. We need to hold these individuals accountable and ensure they no longer serve as certified peace officers in Colorado.”
The board on Friday issued certificates to two more officers for criminal violations. Sarah Mary Strickland, an assistant deputy to the former Park County Sheriff, pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated robbery in Denver. Justin D., a former Durango B.T. officer. Moore pleaded guilty before a charge of misconduct and harassment from an incident in La Plata County.
Colorado withdrawals are included in a national database called the National Confirmation Schedule.