Transparency & Accountability

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The Edgewater Police Department strives to deliver trust and transparency, as they are critical components to any healthy, sustainable relationship. We want to partner with our community to make Edgewater a safe community! With that in mind, we want to make sure information is readily available about the topics of interest and concern to our community.

Review our information, policies, and accountability measures that ensure we are providing the best service possible. If you have questions, comments, or concerns, please contact Chief Sonstegard at ESonstegard@EdgewaterCO.com or 720-763-3040.

If you have a complaint about a specific employee or a specific contact, the first step is to report the matter to the police department. If you are not satisfied, or if you have a complaint about the police department as a whole, you may report the complaint to the 1st Judicial District Attorney's Office. The DA's office has the ability to investigate complaints of the nature. They may be contacted at: 1st Judicial District Attorney's Office. For complaints concerning a pattern and practice of behavior by a law enforcement agency, please file your complaint with the Colorado Attorney General's Office by using this form and selecting "Governmental Authority".

J-CRASH Policies & Procedures

The law enforcement agencies in the First Judicial District have formed a team of highly trained and skilled investigators, working under the authority of the District Attorney to investigate incidents in which any law enforcement officer within the Judicial District is involved directly or indirectly in an automobile crash resulting in the death or serious injury to a citizen or officer while acting under the color of official law enforcement duties. Utilizing a multi-jurisdictional investigative team protects the integrity of the investigation and provides an objective, dispassionate group that will remain independent as they thoroughly investigate the crash. The J-CRASH team can be called upon by any law enforcement agency in the 1st Judicial District to investigate in conjunction with the Critical Incident Response team when the need arises. This investigation is not intended to take the place of the involved agency’s Internal Affairs investigation. Both investigations can run simultaneously, but it is not the responsibility of the J-CRASH team to review compliance with departmental policies. All information received by the crash investigation will be turned over to the involved agency.

J-Crash Team Policy

Body-worn Cameras

Body-worn cameras (BWC) are valuable tools that provide an added layer of accountability for both law enforcement officials and the people they serve. In October of 2022, the Edgewater Police Department implemented a BWC program in advance of the state-mandated requirement that all municipal law enforcement agencies would have them by June of 2023. If you are interested in additional information about our BWC program, our department policy is listed below.

Body Camera

2024 EPD Body Worn Cameras Policy

CIRT Policies & Procedures

The law enforcement agencies in the First Judicial District have formed a team of highly trained and skilled investigators, working under the authority of the District Attorney to investigate incidents in which any law enforcement officer within the Judicial District uses deadly force, or attempts to use deadly force, against a human being while acting under the color of official law enforcement duties. The role of the Critical Incident Response Team will be to fully investigate the use of deadly force, typically through the discharge of a firearm by an officer(s), resulting in injury or death. At the request of the involved agency’s CEO, the Critical Incident Response Team may investigate other use of force situations resulting in deaths, in-custody deaths or other non-traffic situations involving injury or death where an outside investigation may assist in protecting the integrity of the case. This investigation is not intended to take the place of the involved agency’s Internal Affairs investigation. Both investigations can run simultaneously, but it is not the responsibility of the CIRT team to review compliance with departmental policies. All information received by the CIRT investigation will be turned over to the involved agency. For the purpose of maintaining transparency and to reduce conflict of interest, Critical Incident Response Team members from the involved agency should not be used for critical duties related to the CIRT investigation.

CIRT Information

Use of Force

The use of force by law enforcement personnel is a matter of critical concern, both to the public and the law enforcement community. Edgewater police officers make contacts on a daily basis in numerous and varied interactions and, when warranted, may use reasonable force in carrying out their duties. This is especially true with respect to overcoming resistance while engaged in the performance of law enforcement duties. The Edgewater Police Department’s core value of Professionalism emphasizes that “our employees show respect for the public as well as for each other.” Each use of force incident goes through a 3-tiered review process at the supervisory, command, and chief of police levels.

2024 EPD Use of Force Policy

2024 EPD Administrative Investigation of Use of Force Policy

Edgewater, CO

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