Denver Police Chief Skips $110K Abuse Report, Promotes Accused Commander

Taxpayers footed the bill. City officials buried the results. The accused walked away with a promotion. In Denver, that is what passes for accountability.

A confidential 66-page investigative report obtained by CBS Colorado alleges Division Chief Magen Dodge created a bullying, abusive work environment that left officers suffering panic attacks, ulcers, hair loss, anxiety and depression. The city commissioned the investigation, spent over $110,000 on it, then refused to release the findings to the public.

The Report That Denver Tried to Hide

Former U.S. Attorney for Colorado Robert Troyer conducted the independent investigation. His conclusions were damning. Troyer found that Dodge created an abusive, bullying work environment and tormented subordinates in front of their peers. One officer described the command culture as willing to destroy each other for their own ends.

The report alleges Dodge threw boxes at an officer trying to transfer. Multiple witnesses said she repeatedly called officers a slur that investigators described as her go-to description. Another allegation states she ordered a subordinate to keep working while on leave caring for his wife after cancer surgery.

Officers reported severe consequences. Hair loss. Ulcers. Panic attacks. Sleep deprivation. One male lieutenant told investigators Dodge just about destroyed him. He said some days he could barely bring himself to put on his uniform and later sought psychological counseling.

One commander told investigators that Dodge described her leadership philosophy this way: cut people's heads off, put them on a pike, and parade them around the office.

No Accountability, No Consequences

The report was completed five months ago. No disciplinary action has followed. Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas admitted he has not even read it.

When pressed by reporters, Thomas said he is interested in the investigation and hopes it comes to a conclusion so we can move on. He acknowledged hearing concerns about Dodge's leadership for five or six years but said he never witnessed troubling behavior firsthand.

Just because somebody says they don't like somebody's leadership style, I don't think that warrants conducting an investigation, Thomas said.

But this was not a personality dispute. This was a formal investigation by a former federal prosecutor documenting severe and pervasive workplace abuse. Thomas did not request that investigation. He promoted Dodge instead.

Promotion While Under Investigation

Two years ago, Thomas promoted Dodge to division chief of administration and support, one of the department's highest ranking positions. He approved her attendance at the FBI National Academy, a prestigious leadership course requiring candidates to be of good moral character, even while the outside investigation was underway.

Thomas acknowledged that people had concerns about Dodge exacting revenge if promoted. He did not believe that would happen, so he promoted her because he thought it was appropriate.

A Pattern of Government Dysfunction

This is not Dodge's first clash with the department. In 2019, she filed a sexism complaint against DPD and walked away with a $280,000 settlement from the city. She accused former Chief Robert White of making crude and demeaning remarks. The city cleared White of any wrongdoing but paid Dodge anyway.

Now, former Denver Police Real-Time Crime Center director Philip Martinez says the report validates years of complaints. Martinez resigned five months ago, alleging Dodge undermined his authority and blocked him from disciplining employees.

This is an executive leader in the police department, Martinez said. Where is the public trust? If you can't be trusted internally, how can you be trusted externally?

Martinez believes the city refused to release the report because there is damning information that would make the city and some individuals not look good.

Double Standards and Broken Trust

The report also examined allegations involving Dodge's husband, Denver Police Sgt. Justin Dodge. Investigators concluded the couple manipulated, intimidated and interfered with a subordinate's participation in an Internal Affairs investigation. Investigators wrote that Sergeant Dodge was not truthful in his interview.

When CBS Colorado filed an open records request for the report, Denver's Department of Public Safety refused to release it, claiming the potential harm in disclosing the report outweighs the public interest.

The public interest in a $110,000 taxpayer-funded investigation into workplace abuse by a high-ranking public official apparently comes second to protecting the officials involved.

Chief Thomas has forwarded the report to the Denver Sheriff's Department for review. He says he is respecting the process by not reading it. If the allegations are accurate, he says, they would constitute misconduct.

Americans deserve better from the officials who wear the badge and the politicians who protect them. In Denver, the system is protecting itself instead of the people it serves. That is not accountability. That is a cover-up.