Denver Auditor Blasts Mayor For 'Foot-Dragging' On Investigation
DENVER (CBS4) - Denver's auditor claims the sheriff's department is interfering with his investigation into the troubled department.
In a letter obtained by CBS4, Dennis Gallagher tells Mayor Michael Hancock his office is running into behavior he describes as "obstructionist."
Gallagher said the city's refusal to provide the information violates the city charter and municipal code, and also "flies in the face" of the mayor's commitment to cooperate with the auditor's office.
"Frankly we have encountered recalcitrance, foot-dragging and what I can only describe as obstructionist behavior on the part of some members of the Sheriff's Department as we have tried to conduct our audit," Gallagher writes.
He also said he wonders "what some people want to hide."
The sheriff's department has come under fire after numerous allegations of abuse and mismanagement inside the Denver County Jail. The sheriff stepped down this summer amid the tumult.
The city's attorney said the requested information is being gathered, but some can't be released because of legal reasons.
Interim Sheriff Elias Diggins, Manager of Safety Stephanie O'Malley and Nicholas Mitchell, an independent monitor, also received copies of the letter.