A former Adams County sheriff pleaded guilty to felony and misdemeanor charges Thursday in Denver District Court in a scheme to falsify records to lie about the number of state-mandated training hours that he completed.
Rick Reigenborn pleaded guilty to felony forgery and two counts of second-degree forgery and first-degree official misconduct, the Colorado Attorney General’s Office said. The former sheriff received a 12-month probation for the charges. If he stays out of trouble during that period, his felony will be wiped from his record.
As part of his plea agreement, Reigenborn will no longer be eligible to serve as a peace officer in Colorado and he must write an apology letter to the employees of the Adams County Sheriff’s Office.
“We are committed to ensuring law enforcement integrity and that all law enforcement officers engage in necessary training,” Attorney General Phil Weiser said in a statement. “Former Sheriff Reigenborn failed to do that, undermined his professional obligations, and broke the law. We are holding him accountable for these actions and sending a message that we take violations of training requirements very seriously.”
Under state law, Colorado police officers are required to complete a minimum of 24 hours of in-service training, which includes at least 12 hours of skills training related to driving, firearms and arrest control.
Reigenborn was one of three former top officials at one of the state’s largest law enforcement agencies accused of falsifying records in order to meet the annual training requirements. All three were accused of signing various training rosters for classes they didn’t attend and submitting certificates to the Peace Officer Standard and Training, or POST, in an attempt to count the fictitious trainings toward their mandatory training hours, according to court documents.
The attorney general can bring criminal charges or impose fines if POST training standards are violated, under state law.
Former Undersheriff Tommie McLallen pleaded guilty in January to forgery and misconduct. Under a plea agreement, he was ordered to serve two years of probation and relinquished his right to serve as a peace officer in Colorado.
The case against former Division Chief Mickey Bethel is still pending in Denver District Court. His next court appearance is scheduled for June 13.