DENVER — Denver Police fired three officers in late July after, the department said, an investigation found they sent "disparaging" messages that joked about going to newcomer shelters for "target practice."
According to the department, the agency learned in April of disturbing messages shared in a group chat with officers who went through the training academy together. Through the investigation, DPD learned about the messages sent by the three cops.
The officers were terminated from DPD in late July due to "the abhorrent nature of the messages." The terminations were reported to Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) as required.
9NEWS interviewed one of the officers who lost a job, Rodrigo Basurto, in May 2023 for a story about a program DPD launched to teach recruits about the city's diverse population. The goal of the program is to expose recruits to the wide range of experiences and concerns of the people they will eventually serve.
Basurto, a longtime Denver resident who grew up in the Montbello area, told 9NEWS in 2023 the program would make him a better police officer.
"Not only make me a better cop but make me a better resident for Denver," Basurto said in the 2023 story. "The history of Denver, it's amazing, I learned a lot the past couple of days that I had no idea and I've been here pretty much my whole life."
DPD said other officers on that group chat will go through additional equity, diversity, and inclusivity training and Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE) training.
"The Denver Police Department is appalled by the subject of the messages, which are contradictory to the mission and values of the Department, and disrespect not only newcomers and our community, but also every other officer working to keep everyone in our community safe," the department told 9NEWS in a statement.