The Professional Standards Division is comprised of four sections. These are the Internal Affairs Section, Public Affairs Section, Planning and Compliance Section, and the Evidence and Impound Section.
Internal Affairs Section
- Investigates serious complaints or allegations of misconduct by police officers and civilian employees.
- Monitors and maintains investigative records of less serious allegations of misconduct.
- Responds to officer involved shootings on a 24-hour, on-call basis.
- Provides oversight to the destruction of narcotics and contraband.
- Monitors the department’s Early Intervention Program.
Public Affairs Section
The Public Information Officer (PIO) functions as the official department spokesperson.
- Coordinates media interviews of department personnel and disseminates official police press releases.
- Responds to the scene of serious police related incidents of an emergent nature to assist news gathering agencies in performing their functions.
- Coordinates the use of social media for the dissemination of information.
- Coordinates with internal and external PIOs to include the fire department, city communications, airport, and transit during significant incidents.
Community Relations Unit (Under the direction of the PIO)
- Develops programs to foster communication between the police and the community.
- Maintains contact with various groups and organizations in the community that could assist CSPD in recruiting.
- Regularly participates in meetings with various community groups or individuals to identify concerns with police policies or practices.
- Oversees the Police Cadet Explorer program.
- Community Relations Web Page
Planning and Compliance Section
- Locates external funding opportunities and develops grant proposals.
- Oversees the implementation of grant awards.
- Coordinates the department’s research activities.
- Analyzes the impact of proposed legislation on police operations.
- Researches options for improvements in police service delivery and policies.
- Audits department operations to ensure organizational units conform to approved policies, plans, procedures, laws, and regulations.
- Ensures compliance with the Commission of Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) accreditation standards.
- Learn more about the department's accrediting body, the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.
Evidence and Impound Section
Evidence Unit
- Custodian of evidentiary items seized for use in criminal cases, as well as found property.
- Maintains integrity and preservation of evidence items in the condition in which they were seized in accordance with retention policies outlined in the Colorado Revised Statutes.
- Researches criminal cases and facilitates release of evidentiary items with proper release authorization.
- Releases personal property to rightful owners. Unclaimed items may be disposed of by sale or public auction, destroyed, put to City use, or donated to an appropriate charitable organization or person. Unclaimed money is transferred to the City general fund.
- Transacts items to officers/detectives, the District Attorney’s Office, City Attorney’s Office, outside and federal agencies and labs for court and testing purposes.
- Intake of evidentiary and property items range from 40,000 to 70,000 items per year. Disposition ranges from 18,000 to 40,000 per year.
- Learn more about the Evidence Unit.
Impound Unit
- Custodian of all evidentiary vehicles seized for use in criminal cases, as well as vehicles impounded for non-evidentiary reasons (abandoned or with no owner present or available to claim).
- Stores and maintains approximately 1,000 – 1,200 vehicles at any given time, over half of which are on evidentiary hold.
- Inspects incoming vehicles, researches owner registration, and notifies owners of vehicle impoundment as required by law.
- Facilitates auctions of unclaimed vehicles. These are conducted monthly through public online title auctions, as well as no-title auctions where vehicles are sold for scrap.
- Impounded vehicles regularly exceed 5,000 per year.
- Learn more about the Impound Lot.
2019 Highlights
Going into 2019 the Impound Unit went through a very intense process with the City Auditor to help areas where the unit could be more efficient and provide better internal and external customer service. One major recommendation was for the department to purchase a special front-end loader that would allow vehicles to be easily raised and moved without the need for a contract tow service. In early 2019 the front-end loader was purchased. This permitted the staff to completely realign the impound lot which allowed for more cars to be stored without the purchase of additional land. In addition, the front-end loader is saving tax payers and vehicle owners' money by eliminating the need for paying a tow service to move cars in the lot.
The audit process also guided the Impound Unit toward making the auction process an on-line function. This move toward an on-line process is more citizen friendly and saves employees time that can be best used on other services.
In July, 2019, 14 CSPD Cadets attended the annual Law Enforcement Regional Explorer Conference in Gunnison, Colorado. The CSPD cadets took home 11 awards in a variety of categories. As a team, the CSPD Cadets were also awarded the “Spirit Award.” The “Spirit Award” is voted on by all the explorer program advisers, and is presented to the law enforcement agency that demonstrates exemplary work as well as displays the best teamwork, character, work ethic, and attitude.