Colorado police officer disciplined after confronting innocent woman over a package theft

A police sergeant from the Columbine Valley Police Department, who wrongly accused a woman of stealing a package in the southern part of the Denver metro area, will now face disciplinary action. The town's chief of police sent a letter of reprimand to Sgt. Jamie Milliman this week.   

The letter states that Sgt. Milliman was rude, dismissive, and did not de-escalate the situation. Chief Bret Cottrell said in the letter obtained by CBS Colorado, "Such behavior undermines public trust, negatively impacts team morale, and does not reflect the values of integrity, respect, and professionalism that this department holds."

Milliman will now have to complete a training course.

CBS Colorado has also learned Jamie Milliman, also known as James Milliman, was let go from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office in 2013. A spokesperson states that he failed to take reports from citizens as required by policy, failed to read Miranda rights to a juvenile before questioning, and failed to complete paperwork also required by department policy. 

The Columbine Valley police chief's action follows Chrisanna Elser's story, first shared by CBS Colorado Investigator Karen Morfitt. Eler's doorbell camera captured the entire exchange with the officer on her porch in which Milliman accused Elser of stealing a package from someone else's front door. And Elser's Rivian truck would also later prove her innocence.

"You know why I'm here," Columbine Valley Police Sgt. Jamie Milliman said to Elser at her front door. She felt she was already guilty in the eyes of the police.

"You know we have cameras in that town," Milliman said. "You can't get a breath of fresh air in or out of that place without us knowing, correct?"

It started as an attempt to confirm whether Elser's truck, a green Rivian, was the same vehicle seen driving through the town of Bow Mar, and quickly escalated.

"It went right into, 'we have video of you stealing a package,'" Elser said.

Milliman showed her photos of her truck entering and leaving Bow Mar, and that he had video of her committing the theft.

"Can I see the video?" Elser asked.

"If you go to court, you can," the officer replied. "If you're going to deny it, I'm not going to extend you any courtesy."

Elser later found the theft video herself, posted on the social media site Nextdoor.

"When I saw it, I said, 'sure, it's far away, somewhat the same silhouette,'" she said. "But nobody hopped into a truck, and I think she was significantly younger than almost 50."

She said what happened next was even more concerning.

"It became my job to prove my innocence," Elser said. "And I thought it was supposed to be the other way around."

On her doorstep, the officer issued a summons, without ever looking at the surveillance video Elser had.

"We can show you exactly where we were," she told him.

"I already know where you were," he replied.

Her Rivian -- equipped with multiple cameras -- had recorded her entire route that day.

"On Sept. 22, I definitely drove through Bow Mar and went to my tailor," she said.

It took weeks of her collecting her own evidence, building timelines, and submitting videos before someone listened.  

Finally, she received an email from the Columbine Valley police chief acknowledging her efforts in an email saying, "nicely done btw (by the way)," and informing her the summons would not be filed.

The Letter of Reprimand was dated Nov. 11.  The incident happened on Sept. 27.