FEDERAL HEIGHTS, Colo. — One detective at the Federal Heights Police Department was in charge of more than 90 cases in 2022. A memo from the 17th Judicial District Attorney's Office obtained by 9NEWS suggests that workload and a lack of staff meant the department failed to properly investigate serious felony cases.
In April, the interim chief at the time, Mike Domenighini, expressed concerns about the department's police work on multiple cases. One of his biggest concerns, according to the memo by the district attorney's office, was the number of sexual assault and sexual assault on children cases that had been open for a substantial period of time.
The DA's office reviewed more than 200 open cases filed in 2020, 2021 and 2022. The review included sex assault investigations and other crimes against persons or crimes-of-violence allegations.
During those years, the department had two detectives assigned to investigations. From 2020 through 2022, their workload included about 600 cases. In 2022, one detective was assigned 92 cases.
"For any department that is an incredibly high number," former Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey said. "When you are down to two detectives it is awfully hard to get this job done."
The two detectives were not allowed to work overtime, according to an Oct. 31 email from 17th Judicial District Attorney Brian Mason to Federal Heights PD. Mason wrote that inability to do so makes the city less safe.
Prosecutors said they found a lack of investigation into serious felony crimes and a lack of follow-up with victims of serious crimes.
Federal Heights is making an effort to reach out to the victims involved in the cases mentioned in the DA's report, according to city manager Jacqueline Halburnt.
The DA's office found some cases should or could have been presented to them for charging decisions. Prosecutors said it was unclear why that never happened.
One of those cases involved an elementary school in 2021 reporting a student had been sexually assaulted by her cousin. Another sex assault case from 2022 identified a potential suspect as an Air Force lieutenant.
According to the memo, Domenighini wrote an email to the district attorney's office in June to tell them he prepared a grant request for a full-time sex assault investigator to be hired in 2024. His email said the department lacked the resources to complete investigations in a timely manner, and the department had an "enormous" backlog in sex assault filings.
"I think it is an incredible understatement to say they were woefully understaffed," Morrissey said. "They were incredibly understaffed."
Mason has referred his office's findings to the Colorado Attorney General's Office and the Colorado Department of Criminal Justice Office of Victims Programs "for potential further investigation and review."
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