Editorial

When former Arapahoe County Sheriff Pat Sullivan was arrested on November 29, 2011, for providing methamphetamine to a young man in exchange for sex, people throughout the Cherry Creek Valley and Colorado were shocked. But there was one group that could not have been less surprised — law enforcement agencies throughout the Front Range. They knew what Pat Sullivan was up to for years, if not decades, and had done little or nothing about it. The 1989 Sheriff of the Year did not have a secret double life, but instead was open and notorious about his drug lifestyle and his preying on vulnerable, young, gay males.

 

Present Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson has set up a 22-person task force to look into the potential crimes that might have been committed by the former sheriff. The task force includes investigators from Denver and the South Metro Drug Task Force as well as his Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Department. But who is investigating whether Grayson Robinson and the various metropolitan law enforcement agencies were either negligent or complicit in allowing Pat Sullivan to lead a life of crime with apparent immunity. Robinson was Sullivan’s undersheriff and in large part owed his job as sheriff to Sullivan. Law enforcement and the Arapahoe County DA will undoubtedly throw the book at Sullivan but many will wonder whether that is to ensure that no one looks at how Sullivan got away with his crimes for so long.

 

In the early 1960s, thanks to Rocky Mountain News reporter Al Nakkula and Denver Post reporter Zeke Scher, it was exposed that dozens of Denver police officers were, on a regular basis, robbing businesses in Denver. Initially Denver’s top police brass said it just one rogue cop, Art Winstanley, who was responsible. But because of the press and a tough judge the Denver Police Department could not totally cover up how extensive the corruption was. Eventually 53 Denver cops were arrested and 45 sent to jail for those crimes. But not one officer above the rank of patrolman with the exception of one sergeant was arrested. It was believed that the rings could not have existed for so many years involving so many police officers without the awareness and involvement of all ranks, but detectives and command officers managed to skate free as they helped orchestrate and control the investigation. Is history going to repeat itself?

 

The question is whether Sullivan would have ever been arrested at all absent the fact that KHOW radio host Tom Martino and his investigator Jonathan Elinoff came to the police on November 14, 2011, and informed them of what they knew and that they intended to take the story public. What Martino and Elinoff didn’t know was that every police agency in the Denver metropolitan area already knew all about Pat Sullivan’s activities. For example, in January 2011, the West Metro Task Force composed of seven different law enforcement agencies in Jefferson and Gilpin counties had an informant tell them that Pat Sullivan was exchanging drugs for sex. The Task Force says it set up a buy/bust sting for Sullivan based on information from the informant. Sullivan drove to the drug house but had a young companion go in and buy the drugs. Since Sullivan did not go into the house the investigation was terminated.

 

In March 2011 an informant e-mailed Boulder DA Stan Garnett outlining Sullivan’s drug activities. Garnett passed it on to an investigator who presented it to the South Metro Task Force which is composed of 13 law enforcement agencies in Arapahoe, Douglas and Elbert counties. Once again apparently nothing was done. In the summer of 2011, a former Denver detective informed the Denver Police Department about Sullivan’s criminal activities and he was surprised that Denver also did not apparently follow up.

 

In September 2011 Dillon Grilley reported to the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s office that Pat Sullivan was at his house trying to get his two roommates re-addicted to methamphetamine. He told Sullivan that he had called police, and Sullivan allegedly responded, “You want the police. Well I am the police.” He then flashed a badge he carried as a deputy Arapahoe County Sheriff. Present Arapahoe County Sheriff Robinson simply wrote to Sullivan on September 26, 2011, saying his credentials in his possession from the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office were “revoked” and he no longer had any authority as a peace officer associated with the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office. The implication of the letter was that the retired Sullivan did in fact have authority as a peace officer in Arapahoe County. Sullivan just ignored the letter and never turned in his credentials. Robinson did nothing about it until after Sullivan’s arrest. The letter to Sullivan seems strange on its face. Why didn’t Robinson want to get Sullivan’s side of the story? Why did he believe the uncorroborated statement of a single person unless Robinson was already well aware of Sullivan’s activities?

 

It was only after Martino and Elinoff were about to break the Sullivan story did the police act with any alacrity. An outside independent person or group needs to look at what local law enforcement knew and when did they know about Pat Sullivan’s criminal activities. The Arapahoe County Commissioners should demand it. If they don’t, you can assume that the Pat Sullivan scandal involves a great deal more concerning law enforcement than just Pat Sullivan.

 

— Editorial Board