AURORA | Several Aurora police officers — including multiple high-ranking supervisors — are under investigation for spending hours on duty smoking cigars in a homemade cigar room at a city facility.
One supervisor was demoted amid the controversy, and several others are embroiled in the scandal — which has been dubbed “Cigar-gate” inside the department. Another supervisor retired from the department last year while the investigation was pending.
Multiple department sources, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing internal affairs investigation, said the officers spent hours smoking cigars on duty, usually on weekends, when there were fewer administrators around to oversee them. The officers were on the city’s dime and often in uniform at the time, sources said.
The officers had converted a space at the city’s fleet maintenance facility at East Ellsworth Avenue and Potomac Street into a sort of “smoking room,” a source said.
One source said that there is videotape of officers coming and going to the room that is part of the internal investigation.
Police officials will say little about the investigation. When asked about allegations that high-ranking officers were under investigation for smoking cigars while on duty, Chief Nick Metz, through a department spokeswoman said: “As is probably no surprise to you there are labor, employment and investigative processes in place that prevent me from commenting on an open and ongoing internal investigation. We are taking the investigation (seriously) and it is being conducted by our Internal Affairs Bureau. I do not have an expected completion date.”
Aurora City Councilman Bob LeGare, who chairs council’s Public Safety Committee, said he hadn’t heard about the controversy until asked for comment by the Aurora Sentinel on Monday.
But, LeGare said, with more than 700 officers, the department is bound to have a few who make mistakes. He said the incident sounds similar to other isolated cases like when an officer was accused of intentionally denting the hub caps on his police cruiser or when two officers were accused of tossing beer cans from their cruiser’s window while driving through Wyoming.
“It is not even close to being indicative of what’s going on in our department,” he said.
The investigation is reigniting a controversy between City Manager Skip Noe and five council members critical of his work. The five council members, all women, said last year they were treated unfairly by Noe. The other six council members have defended Noe.
On Monday, City Councilwoman Barb Cleland said she, like LeGare, hadn’t been informed about any investigation. In cases like this, Cleland said the city manager’s office should tell council about a possible investigation so council can field questions from constituents and the media.
“With city managers in the past we have been informed,” she said Monday. “They will let us know what’s going on so that if we get any questions we at least know what we are talking about.”
Councilwoman Sally Mounier, who like Cleland has been a critic of City Manager Skip Noe, said she was frustrated that council wasn’t told about a potential investigation.
“I sure as heck hate hearing about stuff from the Sentinel that we should be made aware of,” she said.
But Metz said he did inform council back in June that there was a “serious internal investigation on multiple individuals.” The email didn’t go into specifics because of the ongoing investigation, the chief said.
Monday, after news of the investigation broke, Metz said he sent that same email to council members to remind them.
Mayor Steve Hogan said he remembers Metz’s email from June. In cases like this, Hogan said he and city council won’t get details about an investigation until it is complete and the chief has made a recommendation about potential discipline.
“The chief let us know there was something going on a few months ago,” Hogan said. “Because these things are personnel matters we never get into specifics.”
So, officers are taking smoke breaks (something all city employees who smoke are allowed) and the harpies on the Council blame the City Manager. Is there a vending machine at City Hall where Cleland and Mounier could get some cognitive ability?
At most, the officers should be reminded not to smoke indoors, as someone might not like the smell.
Smoke “breaks” for hours at a time? Sounds like neglect of duty at best. Theft of taxpayer dollars. They should pay back every dime, at the very least.
Rarely do cigars take less than an hour to smoke. Most of the cigar community see relighting cigars as taboo. It also tastes terrible. This is not a cigarette break. Cigars take time, meant to be spent off the clock.
And on government property, smoking indoors is probably against the law.
Sounds like theft of taxpayer dollars, “spending hours on duty smoking cigars.” In other words, hours, not breaks.
I don’t think many know how long it takes to smoke a cigar. Cigars are not as popular as they used to be.
Except with police I guess 🙂
Every time I call the police about a illegally parked car or some such, they get out here within the hour, so to me, they’re doing their jobs.
And who doesn’t need an hour break, in between writing up illegally parked cars? Dangerous, filthy hard work writing tickets…..
Perhaps we should wait and see, ‘ya think? Supposing an hour is just that, why hell, how long have we waited for Lerner’s emails and of course there’s Hillary….
The NYPD had little “break” rooms throughout the city. If the NYPD cops would’ve just patroled like they were supossed to, crime would’ve gone way down in NY in the 1980″s
NY was lucky. Denver had cops in patrol cars that broke in and robbed places back in 1980s. Whole ring of them. When they were busted, crime rate went down, until crips and bloods initiated gang fights in the neighborhoods. They had migrated from Los Angeles when it got bit hot for them.
It was in the 60’s. It may have happened again in the 80’s, not sure.
I retired from Air Force in Nov 76, moved back to house wife and I bought in 1963 and kept when moving in 1965, to Texas. Remember the red barn on Colfax that was built for Pizza Parlor, games, and hanging out for young folks. Became a gun sales with straw buyers, lot of fast cars at night, and Ken Buck was involved at State Attorney office in investigating and putting stop to it. Lot of commotion in Aurora at that time with young folks from Denver thinking Aurora was a shooting gallery. We seniors walked the halls of Aurora Shopping Center, until the punks made it dangerous, even having some shootings in and around it. Nights on Aurora streets then was screaming sirens, in 1980 I bought next door property, when couple looked at it, coming to door and windows in Oct to yell at two teenage sons in car. Yelling “cut that out”, “don’t do that”. We had sold house in Ohio that had become problem with Ohio laws favoring tenants, over owners, on demands for updating to more modern stuff (expensive and managers not that good then). Did not want that couple for next 3-4 years, and needed to invest funds from sale. So I was aware of problems, when police arrested young punks from HS, coming to fuss with Central HS punks, watching them arrest students breaking into working family homes near us. Reason I appreciated police cars in front of house day and night during that period. Around 2000 we had illegal aliens (8 houses of 16 in my block). American life, you know?
Hey Frank, …Thanks for the memory of the red barn, I remember it when I was a kid …I grew up down in Park Hill/ Denver, …I remember the early seventies and the area back then, It was a beautiful place at one time and just plain good people around. I remember when you were able to actually walk across Colorado Blvd too, …actually walk! Times sure have changed in Colorado huh! I’m now doing battle out here in Aurora as you can see. It’s too bad some people havn’t figured out that life is much easier if you just plain do what’s right. Well, take care Man.
Thanks for the comment. Wife and have seen a lot of changes in Aurora, Denver, and whole metro area. She was born in Denver 1935, in little red brick house at the intersection where Martin Luther King Blvd. splits going toward Denver. Had a very large weeping willow tree in front yard, with very long walkway from Elizabeth Street and 32d.Ave, to the house. Met her in 1951, we married in 1952.
Transferred to Lowry in 1963, when we bought in Aurora, very small town , with Altura just east of us. Taught at Lowry AFB 1963-65, declared surplus and went to Perrin AFB, TX where I managed MAP program for Greeks and Turks , to learn F102A Delta Dagger Interceptor. If you visit Wings over the Rockies, on 1st Ave. Old Lowry, you will see one of those on display, which we trained on in 1959-60 when I returned to Lowry to retrain into Avionics.
Wife and parents use to drive from their house to the Dutchboy doughnut shop on Colfax on weekends and that was long drive then. I remember the McDonalds in Aurora, when 12 hamburgers with 2 cheeseburgers in bag was a dollar. And White Castle had good burgers. Rode the trolley for nickel, 3 cents if token used. Turn around was at Quebec and Colfax, with transfers to other sections of metro area.
You did not indicate when you were born, but we look at Aurora and its growth, and wonder about that. Where did all these people come from, for all our cities to grow like this? Was even fun to take full day and enjoy the mountains Oh well, life moves on. Too many do not have the memories of Denver and Aurora as we do. (note: will add I was born in Ohio 1929, in November. I did not cause the stock market crash of October).
Hours over what time period? Two hours over a weekend shift? Five over a week? I guess the investigation will show, but my point is that the couple council members blaming the CM is asinine. “Double, double, toil and trouble….”
But they will do/say anything t get rid of the CM
Isn’t the City manager supposed to work with elected city council? Or is it more like a King with subjects sort of government in Aurora?
Actually, the CM is subject to the Council. Earlier this year the Noble Aurora Gals tried to get him fired, and were outvoted. Some have it in for him, and evidently now expect him to brief them on every administrative incident that occurs in the city. Let the investigation by APD play out, let delegatory supervision work, and quit blaming the CM for every little thing. This is indeed a little thing.
Doesn’t sound like this CM is subject to the council….
wow. Here we go again. Had a reporter on Denver Post who used to patrol the donut shops to see how long police cars stayed there. Kind of brings a tear to the eyes, to know there is somebody on city payroll who is keeping eye on the police. Since my maple tree had to be removed from front yard as dangerous, I miss the police car there doing their paperwork, since that ensured I had security in daytime. And my night light on front of house, did the same. Was reassuring to know my block had security, day and night. (note: Also realize paperwork is cut down now, with the computers in cars.)
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“It is not even close to being indicative of what’s going on in our department,” This might be indicative though… https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00SX6JIL0?ie=UTF8&redirectFromSS=1&pc_redir=T1&noEncodingTag=1&fp=1
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I think I’ll pass on that “police” editorial
Gotta love how everyone acts like they never slacked at work. Considering the crappy nature of being a cop, who cares if they smoke during their down time as long as they respond to dangerous calls. The liberal pole riders of Aurora need to get a job. Save America……end welfare
If allegations are true, you’re ok with HOURS of down time? And you’re ok with their taking over a room in a city facility and turning it into a smoking lounge? Seems like if they’re claiming public property like that, and somehow the city is ok with that, a rental might be in order. Policing is about a lot more than ‘responding to dangerous calls’. I don’t think you need to be a liberal to be offended and upset by this.
Did you see what he calls the elected women in city council? Makes me sick.
Take some Pepto
The what of aurora? Shame on you.
I’m sure since they’re upper echelon they’ll be slapped on the wrist. If it were a patrol officer–another story. Gotta love the brass. However, if I were the chief, I’d hand out cigars to my officers and let em light up on occasion.
Officers take smoke breaks, the APD investigates, Skip is informed about the investigation and the Noble Aurora Gal Society on council is upset Skip doesn’t tattle-tale to them? There’s no crime here, at best a laxity of supervisory oversight best handled administrativly.
Hello everyone, it’s good to see these comments! Have
a look at my Linked in page (Poe Weaver/ Linked in), …The Aurora police
department has covered up my larceny case on me (Twice now) for persons of
interest in my case who know my local law enforcement officials personally,
…The Mayor was contacted after they shut the case down on me back on 1-5/7-15
without so much as any notification whatsoever, …the Apd immediately called
me the next day saying the case is being re-opened/ continued, so I thought (As
it was “pending further information and further information submitted to
them again/ 3 times now the proof, facts and evidence given them) and the Apd
continued to cover it up a second time …never going to the source of where my
property was found on eBay (See my linked in page, …my property is shown/
located on eBay and pictured in Persons of interest’s homes I had recently
obtained the original listings of, …my property on eBay (The backgrounds
matching) , …matching the surfaces in these peoples homes. These people named
in the report from day one! They covered it up from the get-go! And still are,
…The good Mayor and the rest I have contacted have stood by as this atrocity
continues, …Two State of Colorado reps/ officials who were contacted
afterward have also stood by after receiving all the information! Covered up
the whole way! If anyone knows a decent attorney who takes on cases as such,
someone who stands up for what is right, …and hopefully at this point will
work with me on a contingency basis, as they took every last nickel I had,
ruining my life and business along with it, …Please refer them my way it is
greatly appreciated. Thank you, Take care. Mr. Weaver