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Glendale Police internal affairs investigation alleges sloppy police work; criminal investigation underway

9NEWS has learned a number of Glendale Police officers were the subject of an internal review that found, among other things, officers throwing away evidence.

GLENDALE, Colo. — Nearly a quarter of the sworn police officers in the Glendale Police Department have turned up on the wrong end of an internal affairs investigation that found, among other things, improper destruction of evidence and evidence collection that compromised at least one criminal investigation.

A Glendale Police captain, in a written summary of the internal affairs investigation obtained by 9NEWS, confirmed sustained IA violations of six of his department’s 27 sworn officers.

The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office has launched what it calls a “criminal investigation,” and a spokesperson for the 18th Judicial District Attorney said that investigation involves at least two officers.

Because none of the officers has been criminally charged, 9NEWS has elected not to name the officers. Except for confirmation from the Glendale City Manager that one of the officers is “off the streets,” the employment status of the officers is not known.

Multiple 9NEWS attempts to reach the Glendale Police Chief have gone unreturned.

The allegations, spelled out in the six-page summary, outline at least a pair of criminal cases that resulted in improper evidence destruction. In both cases, an evidence technician with Glendale Police found evidence – including a counterfeit $50 bill and a small amount of marijuana and prescription pills – thrown into a trash can.

In one case, the report says, “As a result of throwing away property/evidence that the suspect was in possession of at the time of his arrest, the Department needed to notify the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office and all the charges against the suspect had to be dropped.”

This is a developing story and 9NEWS will update this story when we learn new information.

To contact the reporters on this story, email chris.vanderveen@9news.com and aaron.adelson@9news.com.

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