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Monday, January 27, 2014

Criminal Justice Quote: The Berthoud Police Department: One of the Worst

     The police department in Berthoud, Colorado is so dysfunctional and mismanaged that town leaders are considering disbanding it, according to an in-depth article in the Fort Collins Colaradoan….The paper reported terrible morale, poorly secured assault rifles that aren't necessary for routine police work, and broken or poorly maintained equipment at the eight-officer department. [Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith] submitted a confidential report to the Berthoud town board detailing the department's myriad problems…"It has been reported that Chief Glenn Johnson was most often found in his office focused on computer work, or was absent much of the time he was scheduled to be at work," Sheriff Smith reported.

     "As a matter of fact," Smith wrote,  the evidence suggests a serious lack of control existed. The examples of outdated reference materials, clutter, disorganization, and the poor state of the evidence room and failed evidence procedures indicate that the chief did no walking around his department facility, or if he did, he ignored obvious inefficiency and problems."

     The Sheriff's office also found Chief Johnson hired officers who were unqualified and who displayed "warning signs of inappropriate and sometimes illegal behavior." He also found squad cars with bald tires, oil leaks and broken laptops. And he found that Johnson purchased several fully automatic "machine guns" from the military that are typically only used by SWAT units. Berthoud, with a population of about 5,000, does not have a SWAT unit….[Thank heavens.]

Greg Campbell, "Report: Scandal-Plagued Colorado Police Department is a Disaster," The Daily Caller, January 22, 2014




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