Philip Sullivan

December 1-7: Keith Sandford, Jacob Golden, Jared Palma

Andrew Fraieli

Andrew Fraieli

— 6 min read
December 1-7: Keith Sandford, Jacob Golden, Jared Palma
Welcome to my weekly sum-up. Every Monday I send out a short summary of the last week’s officers that have landed on Colorado’s Peace Officer Standards and Training public database of law enforcement misconduct and actions. They are not necessarily all actions that have happened in the last week, but those that have been added, and consist of any other context on the other I could find.

This past week saw a batch of decertifications after the POST Board's quarterly meeting, and a handful of resignations and criminal charges.

A few of these decertifications exemplify how the details the POST database does and does not include can obfuscate an officer’s actions, such as an officer being decertified for lying in an internal affairs report, but not stating the investigation was into their alleged sexual contact with an inmate.

Philip Sullivan (CO-115-037)

  • Employed by Aurora Police Department since January this year
  • Fired after being charged with assault and prohibited use of a weapon following a domestic violence arrest by Westminster Police Department
  • Other charges included third-degree assault, two counts of knowing and reckless child abuse, harassment, resisting arrest and multiple weapons charges.

Sources:

Thomas Janis (CO-3172-4757)

  • Resigned in lieu of termination for cause as a detective with Greenwood Village Police Department
  • Only last month received a credibility report for knowingly making an untruthful statement concerning a material fact
  • Previous agencies include: West Palm Beach Police Department, Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, and the DEA

Sources:

Shane Sloan (CO-1890-1001)

  • Charged with obstructing a peace officer, firefighter, emergency medical service provider, rescue specialist, or volunteer on Dec. 3 while employed by the Adams County Sheriff's Office
  • Currently employed still by the Adams County Sheriff's Office according to POST database
  • No prior actions
  • No known prior agencies

Sources:

    • POST Database

Keith Hoyle (CO-5447-9340)

  • Resigned in lieu of termination for cause as a Corporal with Cripple Creek Police Department
  • Employed at Cripple Creek Police Department since 2017
  • No prior actions
  • No known previous agencies

Sources:

Justis Reder (CO-6116-0062)

  • Resigned in lieu of termination for cause as a Corporal with Fountain Police Department
  • No prior actions
  • No prior known agencies

Sources:

    • POST Database

Zachary Douglas (CO-1941-5473)

  • Charged with second degree burglary, specifically “of an occupied structure or of a building being used for the operation of a commercial business,” on Dec. 4.
  • Previously a trooper with the Colorado State Patrol and employed by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation
  • No previous actions

Sources:

Cody Haggard (CO-242-014)

  • Charged with third degree assault as an officer with the Denver Police Department
  • No previous actions
  • No known prior agencies

Sources:

Taylor Bertsch (CO-6436-6310)

  • Entered into a deferred sentence agreement for one count of harassment from Oct. 7, 2024
  • Sentenced on March 7, 2025
  • Resigned in lieu of termination for cause as an officer with Alamosa Police Department on Dec. 5, concurring with decertification for the above conviction
  • No known prior agencies

Sources:

Karen Gillespie (CO-109779)

  • Entered into a deferred sentence agreement for one count of felony menacing on Jan. 29, 2025, and pled guilty to one count of harassment
  • Was not employed by an agency at time of offense, Sept. 8, 2024.
  • Decertified Dec. 5
  • No known previous agencies

Sources:

Timothy Johnson (CO-128310)

  • Pled guilty to one count possession with intent to distribute and one count of theft of $5,000-$20,000 on June 16, 2025
  • Not employed by an agency at the time of offense — July 4 and July 27, 2024 respectively
  • Decertified Dec. 5
  • Previously spent a year as a detentions deputy at the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office in 2005, Fountain Police Department for 12 years, and most recently Monument Police Department beginning in 2019 and acting as interim police chief in 2023

Sources:

Jared Palma (CO-135176)

  • Entered into a deferred sentence agreement for one count of sexual exploitation of a child, specifically a video of sexually exploitative material
  • Not employed by an agency at time of offense, Nov. 24, 2023
  • Decertified Dec. 5

Sources:

Keith Sandford (CO-7266-9387)

  • Entered a deferred sentence agreement for one count of assault in the second degree, specifically strangulation, and pled guilty to one count of assault in the third degree on July 18, 2025
  • Charges related to domestic violence
  • Employed by Empire Police Department at time of offense, Sept. 7 2023
  • Terminated for cause from Empire Police Department Sept. 8, 2023
  • Previously worked for Idaho Springs Police Department
  • Has had multiple convictions including third-degree assault, two instances of driving while ability impaired, providing alcohol to someone under 21, and leaving the scene of an accident
  • Decertified Dec. 5

Sources:

Richard Gzybowski (CO-135165)

  • Entered into a deferred sentence agreement for one count of assault in the third degree on April 8, 2024
  • Not employed by any agency at time of offense, Oct. 4, 2024
  • No known previous agencies

Sources:

William Hill (CO-107613)

  • Pled guilty to one count of harassment through telephone calls on July 10
  • Not employed with an agency at the time of offense, Aug. 13, 2024
  • No prior known agencies
  • No other actions

Sources:

Daniel Hook (CO-1252-4403)

  • Knowingly made an untruthful statement concerning a material fact or knowingly omitted a material fact during a Pueblo Police Department internal affairs investigation on June 12, 2025
  • Resigned in lieu of termination for cause on July 1
  • Pueblo told POST on July 28
  • Decertified on Dec. 5

Sources:

Jacob Golden (CO-045-709)

  • Arrested on July 15 for allegedly having sexual intercouse with a 27-year-old female inmate at Weld County Sheriff’s Office between July 12 and 14 
  • Charged with three counts of unlawful sexual conduct by a peace officer on duty, three counts of unlawful sexual conduct by a peace officer while making any show of real or apparent authority, one count of unlawful sexual conduct by a peace officer on duty involving sexual intrusion or penetration, and one count of unlawful sexual conduct by a peace officer involving sexual intrusion or penetration while making any show of real or apparent authority
  • Terminated for cause from Weld County Sheriff’s Office as a detention deputy on July 29
  • Credibility report issued on Aug. 13
  • Decertified Dec. 5 for knowingly making an untruthful statement concerning a material fact or knowingly omitting a material fact during an internal affairs investigation on June 12, 2025
  • Disposition hearing set for Jan. 5

Sources:

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