School photos preserve cherished memories of young men killed in crash
A state championship. A hug between best friends. A proud older brother holding his little sisters while teammates celebrated.
Watch CBS News
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.
A state championship. A hug between best friends. A proud older brother holding his little sisters while teammates celebrated.
Nearly three out of every four written comments submitted to the Colorado Department of Transportation during the early public review of its proposed Bus Rapid Transit project on Colorado Boulevard oppose the idea.
A man who stopped to help victims of a devastating motorcycle crash instead found himself handcuffed, jailed and accused of driving under the influence -- despite repeatedly asking officers to administer a breath test that he believed would prove his innocence.
For Billy Hailey, his release was a day he had been waiting for and working toward for 20 years. Now, he is unexpectedly back in custody after the state says it miscalculated the date.
The City of Denver is giving itself stronger enforcement tools to hold owners of neglected and derelict properties accountable, including significantly larger fines for those who fail to comply with city orders.
A man who stayed at a downtown Denver hotel last summer says he woke up to bats flying around his room — and that one of them bit him. He has now filed a lawsuit against the hotel.
A Keenesburg police officer pleaded no contest to reckless driving and reckless endangerment stemming from a 2025 crash on Interstate 25 that the Colorado State Patrol said he caused -- and then fled from.
An internal Denver International Airport memo obtained by CBS Colorado appears to corroborate key details of a closed-door meeting that city officials have been publicly disputing.
The Colorado State Patrol has concluded one of its troopers, Amber Garcia, used excessive force when she tasered a driver seven times in 35 seconds in 2024 in Saguache County.
Brandin Kreuzer, the man whose 50-year prison sentence for shooting a sheriff's deputy was commuted by Colorado's governor, says he is ashamed of the violence he committed as a 19-year-old.
Construction on a much-anticipated 10-acre entertainment district in Glendale has come to a halt, with the developer and the city accusing each other of being responsible for the project going off the rails.
An Aurora fire lieutenant will remain demoted after he and a fellow firefighter ran an Aurora police sergeant off the road with a fire truck last year.
A confidential investigative report commissioned by the City of Denver alleges a high-ranking Denver police division chief was "severely abusive."
The City of Denver and the parent company of the Denver Post have reached a tentative agreement to resolve a major lease dispute over the iconic downtown building that bears the newspaper's name, CBS News Colorado has learned.
Glendale city leaders are forcefully opposing Colorado's proposed Bus Rapid Transit project on Colorado Boulevard, warning the plan could dramatically worsen traffic for drivers while delivering only modest transit gains.