Former Broncos great has permanent physical impairments from playing days
Mike Harden, a former Denver Broncos defensive back for nine years, sat in his home office and laughed as he reflected on his playing career.
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Brian Maass has spearheaded CBS News Colorado's investigative unit for more than two decades. In that time, his investigations have held the powerful accountable, given voice to the voiceless and made a real difference in the lives of Coloradans.
His 2007 undercover investigation of deficient de-icing practices at Denver International Airport prompted re-training of hundreds of workers, firings, suspensions and multi-pronged federal and local investigations. Those reports received the Regional Edward R. Murrow award for investigative reporting in 2008.
His 2002 investigation exposing loafing cops at Denver International Airport led to retirements, dozens of reassignments and a heightened awareness of airport security.
Maass' exclusive 2004 interview with Army Pfc. Lynndie England made worldwide headlines as the woman at the center of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal told her story for the first time. The interview was honored with an Emmy award, as was his investigation into Denver cops double dipping and ignoring their primary jobs. He found top Denver police administrators working secondary jobs as school crossing guards when they were supposed to be overseeing murder, rape and kidnapping investigations. The reports led to a criminal investigation and sweeping changes within the Denver Police Department.
In 1999, Maass uncovered and exposed the story of how a Denver Police SWAT team broke into the wrong house and killed Ismael Mena, who never should have been in the line of fire. The investigation resulted in a perjury charge against one Denver patrolman and broad reforms in the way "no knock" search warrants are processed.
In 2019, the Heartland Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences inducted Maass into the "Silver Circle," a recognition of more than 25 years of journalism service.
Maass has won multiple Emmy awards, multiple "Best of The West" awards, the Regional Edward R. Murrow award for investigative reporting three years in a row, numerous Colorado Broadcast Association awards and a slew of other regional, state and local honors for his bold investigative reporting.
Just The Facts
Position: Your Investigator
Most memorable interview: Pfc. Lynndie England of Abu Ghraib notoriety
Role model: Garrick Utley, Bob Dotson
Dream Job: Forsberg to Sakic to Maass to knock off the Red Wings in 7
Job you would never attempt: sword swallowing
Alma mater: University of Colorado Boulder
Star sign: Gemini
Year hired: 1983
First TV Appearance: On a cold, icy live shot somewhere around Denver
Favorite story: Any that helped people make informed decisions
Why I'm a journalist: Love telling people something they don't know that is relevant to their lives
Hidden talent: Juggling
Hometown: by birth, Los Angeles. Since 1976, Colorado
Number of children: Two sons
Hobbies: skiing, hockey, running, cycling- anything outdoors
Favorite food: pizza, BBQ, carbs, sushi, stir fry, mexican, brownies --is that enough?
Favorite Musicians: Gruppo Sportivo, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Jimmy Cliff, John Prine
Number of siblings: Five
Number of pets: 1
Favorite sports team: Avalanche
Favorite vacation spot: Kauai, any beach, the desert or a mountain resort What one word describes CBS Colorado? Dynamic
Favorite word: gagoolio
Least favorite word: Sold out
Favorite sound: The sound of my sons excitedly telling me about their day, or the sound of them breathing deeply as they sleep.
What keeps me in Colorado: my family, friends, my neighborhood, my home, my work
What's the biggest risk you've taken? Repeatedly asking a news reporter at another station to go out for dinner. It all became worthwhile when she married me.
You can contact Brian by sending an email to yourreporter@cbs.com.
Mike Harden, a former Denver Broncos defensive back for nine years, sat in his home office and laughed as he reflected on his playing career.
With the city of Denver facing deep budget cuts this year, CBS News Colorado has learned that at least one city department has already implemented a hiring freeze and is actively discussing potential furloughs and layoffs for its workers.
Confirmation votes for the chief of the Denver Fire Department and three other public safety officials have been delayed indefinitely in what Mayor Mike Johnston's administration characterizes as "a typical part of the process."
For more than three decades, Joshua Trinidad, 41, has played the trumpet, feeling it has nourished him and saying it is now "part of my DNA."
Several Colorado lawmakers have introduced a bill to regulate dating apps and protect users from assaults, harassment and exploitation.
A man wanted in Arkansas for allegedly violating his probation in a 2017 murder case has twice been arrested and jailed in Denver since 2021, and both times, Denver authorities have had to release him from custody.
A squabble last Friday between outgoing Aurora Interim Police Chief Art Acevedo and a top-ranking official with the city attorney's office was apparently videotaped, shared, and has sparked speculation and conversation at Aurora City Hall.
A newer Target store in Denver's Lowry neighborhood is notifying shoppers that a 1% "public improvement fee" is being added to their purchases at the store located at 93 North Lowry Blvd.
A nonprofit is planning to construct a 60-unit apartment building at the corner of 13th Avenue and Colorado Blvd in Denver's Hale neighborhood.
Remi Cordova, 17, was set to make his first court appearance as an adult as he faces charges in the 2021 murder of Pamela Cabriales.
Brandon Michael Monroe, 39, pleaded guilty on Friday to vehicular homicide-DUI for causing the 2023 death of 16-year-old Karalynn Kincaid in Brighton.
The general manager of the Southlands Mall and his wife have been charged with obstructing an investigation and making false statements as police looked into the bizarre death of a retired police officer.
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, who said transparency would be a principle of his administration, is refusing to release anonymous surveys of Denver firefighters. The surveys sought information on how firefighters feel about their department leadership.
Two brothers, Grant and Greg Brunner, who died Nov. 28 in a murder-suicide case in Parker, were facing at least eight lawsuits accusing them of running a phony "fix and flip" real estate scheme.
The City of Loveland has agreed to pay a Windsor man $400,000 over a 2020 DUI arrest in which breath and blood testing indicated Elias had no alcohol or drugs in his system.