DENVER — Denver Sheriff Patrick Firman is expected to leave his position in the coming weeks, 9Wants to Know has confirmed with multiple sources.
Firman, who has headed the agency since 2015, could not be reached for comment Friday. Daria Serna, the sheriff department spokeswoman, told 9NEWS that she could not speak to Firman’s job status.
“We don’t have that info at the sheriff department,” Serna said. “The mayor is his employer, where questions should go towards. ... As of today, he’s still the sheriff.”
The expected departure, first reported by the Colorado Independent, comes in the wake of a series of controversies involving the department, which is responsible for operating the city’s jails and providing security at courthouses.
Just this week, the department fired a 46-year-old deputy after she was indicted on federal drug charges, accused of distributing cocaine and methamphetamine from a Lakewood apartment she shared with a convicted felon.
The department is also facing a lawsuit after a woman who was jailed on suspicion of identity theft gave birth to her son in a cell.
Diana Sanchez gave birth to her son in a cell at Denver County Jail on July 31, 2018, after Denver Health nurses and jail staff knew she'd been in active labor for hours, the 47-page suit alleges.
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