To: Mayor and Board of Trustees of the Town of Kremmling
April 22, 2020
When I was hired to be your police chief, I believed that you hired me for my qualifications, experience, my philosophy on true community policing, building partnerships with our citizens, but importantly, my integrity to lead by example by doing what an honest police officer is expected to do.
I took an oath to protect every-one’s rights, protect the weak from wicked, and to stand between those that wish to commit harm and our community. And it is because I did just that which is why I believe we are finding ourselves in this position. So, I write to you now to provide the context and direction that my attorney and I had intended to communicate as demonstrated by his February 21, 2020 letter.
In July of 2019, I had a face to face meeting with the appointed District Attorney, Matt Karzen, regarding my concern about the culture of the District Attorney’s Office using Brady as a weapon to punish, silence, and ruin good law enforcement officers careers just because they have spoken out against them or because they did not get along with them, as well as other procedural and ethical viola-tions that were taking place in the DA’s office.
Following that meeting, DA, Karzen initiated a series of inves-tigations into me seemingly aimed at disqualifying me from office. The first one conducted, at his request by the Colorado Bureau of Investigations (the “CBI”), was based upon an unfounded com-plaint by a former employee who had been dismissed the year prior. However, despite being cleared of wrongdoing by CBI, DA Karzen’s office issued a scathing letter which I believe was intended to prompt adverse employment action against me as the Chief.
Subsequent to the issuance of that letter, I sent DA, Karzen an e mail outlining several potential Colorado Rules of Professional Conduct violations that I believed he, his office staff and the attor-neys that he supervises may have committed. Noting that, based
on the issues raised and that DA, Karzen had a duty under 8.3 to report professional misconduct to the Colorado Supreme Court to be independently investigated. In response, DA Karzen categorically informed me that my accusations had no basis, ending the internal investigation into his office and turning instead to investigating me with the apparent intent of trying to disqualify me from office.
Shortly after receiving that response, DA Karzen began mak-ing inquiries into my time as a County Magistrate back in 2009, while insinuating that I should be placed on a brady list for that past and unrelated conduct. From there, he initiated the investigation which resulted in the charges I face. This time however, he did not utilize CBI who previously cleared me and acts as an independent in-vestigatory body, he relied on the Frasier Winter Park Police Depart-ment. A move that to me indicates his desire to shop for an outcome he could influence. As a result, I have been charged with offenses that, if sustained, would disqualify me from being a law enforcement officer throughout Colorado.
I wish to tell you that I am con-fident in the criminal justice sys-tem in that I believe I will prevail in the end on all of those charges that seem to have been brought to silence me in my adherence to eth-ical, community policing practices. The precise task that you hired me to do. While I understand that DA Karzen has advised the Town that he will take no action in a case wherein I am involved, I do not believe that to be the case as doing such would amoral and politically catastrophic for him by turning a blind eye on victims while unleash-ing lawlessness in our communi-ties. Lastly, in an effort to clear my name in this case where the DA has publicly challenged my character for truthfulness, I submitted myself to and passed a polygraph exam-ination. The results of which I am willing to share.
So, I ask this, do not let the Office of the District Attorney dictate the decisions that are made by this body in the interest of the Town. Reinstate me in my full capacity as the criminal process continues to run its course. Or bring me back in a purely administrative capaci-ty wherein my focus would be on internal operations and personnel management. Thank you for your time and consideration,
Jamie T. Lucas
Chief of Police
