Sex, Drinking On The Job Led To DPD Firing
By Brian Maass
DENVER (CBS4)- A Denver police sergeant has been fired after being accused of drinking while in uniform, randomly leaving his loaded gun in a bar, lying and leaving his off duty job to have sex; behaviors Denver's Department of Safety described as "disgraceful."
But in an interview with CBS4, former Sgt. Tim Delsordo, 46, called his firing "flabbergasting to me. It's pretty disheartening."
He called some of the accusations untrue but conceded others- like leaving his off duty job to have sex- true.
"It happened."
According to the Nov. 16 termination letter obtained by CBS4, Delsordo's problems stemmed from his working off duty at Charlie's, a gay bar on East Colfax.
Denver police officers can be paid privately to work "off duty" where they typically wear their uniforms and work at bars, nightclubs and other establishments acting as private security. On multiple occasions, employees and customers at Charlies told investigators Delsordo would drink alcohol while in uniform and wearing his gun while he was working security at the bar.
"I never consumed alcohol while I was in uniform working off- duty at that bar- ever," Delsordo told CBS4 in an on-camera interview. He said anyone who said he drank in uniform was mistaken. "I never did that and if they're saying that, they're lying about it."
On several occasions, bar employees say at the end of his shift, Delsordo would doff his uniform, gun and gun belt, stash them behind the bar or in the bar's coat check area, and begin drinking. Delsordo insisted while he never drank in uniform, he had left his loaded service weapon in unsecured areas of the club.
"That was a very bad decision right there. There's no excuse for it. Some things you own and I own that and I did that."
On another occasion, employees claimed Delsordo left his uniform shirt, gun belt and gun behind a bar located on Charlie's patio. Equally as aggriegous, another patron said that on occasion, Sgt. Delsordo would drive to the bar while he was "on patrol" and "drive his police vehicle to Charlie's bar to get a drink, so it would be parked outside."
Delsordo said that was untrue. "I didn't drink on duty," Delsordo said.
He said DPD internal affairs investigators relied on flimsy evidence to terminate him.
As part of the internal investigation into Delsordo, investigators say they found that in a six-week period last summer, while on duty, Delsordo "had spent 478 minutes at Charlie's while in an on-duty capacity."
He responded by saying superiors had ordered him to stop by the nightspot frequently following the Orlando shooting rampage in June.
"I do feel like I'm one of the good guys. People would say to me, 'You're not like any other cop we've met.' I loved going to work every day. I had front row tickets to the greatest show on earth."
One bartender told investigators that he had served the sergeant alcohol multiple times while Delsordo was in uniform.
"I thought it was extremely odd that he was off duty, with an alcoholic beverage in his hand, while he was handling a firearm. That's obviously not safe," said Tyler Hochalter. "Alcohol and firearms don't mix very well."
Delsordo insisted the bartender was simply wrong, "That anyone would think that of me was devastating to me."
The General Manager of Charlie's, and other current employees, did not respond to messages left by CBS4. However in an online petition, dozens of regular bar patrons said they had never seen Delsordo drink while in uniform and were surprised by the allegations.
Butch Compton, a regular customer at the bar, told CBS4, "I never saw him with a drink in his hand- never."
Daniel Perez, a former manager at the bar, told CBS4, "I never once saw him drinking at all."
Perez called the accusations of drinking in uniform "totally false."
On June 17, Delsordo admits taking off his uniform and gun in the middle of his off duty shift, leaving with a woman and having sex with her at her apartment before returning to work two hours later.
"Yes, I had sex with her," said Delsordo. "I don't feel like there's anything wrong with that. It was my own time. It was a date if you will."
Investigators say the sergeant left his uniform and gun stashed in an unsecure coat check area of the bar before leaving with the woman.
Investigators contend Delsordo lied repeatedly during the investigation, a point he emphatically denies.
"I know I didn't lie. I never drank in uniform while off duty."
He claims much of the investigation into his conduct was "one sided."
He admits leaving his gun in unsecured areas of the bar, "I screwed up. I made my mistakes."
But he does not believe his conduct merited termination, "I don't feel like a disgrace, absolutely not."
Deputy Director of Safety Jess Vigil wrote in Delsordo's termination letter, "Sergeant Delsordo is not fit to be a police officer."
Records reviewed by CBS4 show that Delsordo, who was with the Denver Police Department since 2003, received multiple commendations and awards. He was named "Top Cop" for his acts of charity, compassion and bravery.
"For the most part I loved being a Denver cop," he said.
While he readily admits making mistakes, he does not believe his actions justified termination, "I have represented this police department better than most. I don't think I should have been fired."
Additional Resources: Order of Disciplinary Action
CBS4 Investigator Brian Maass has been with the station more than 30 years uncovering waste, fraud and corruption. Follow him on Twitter @Briancbs4.
