Former Adams County undersheriff pleads guilty in falsifying records scheme
On Friday, a former undersheriff with the Adams County Sheriff's Office pleaded guilty to his role in carrying out a scheme to falsify records and claim credit for state-mandated law enforcement training that he did not complete. Thomas McLallen was one of three men accused of signing various training rosters for classes they did not attend and/or submitting training certificates to Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training in an attempt to count these fictitious trainings towards their 2021 mandatory annual training hours.
McLallen signed various training rosters for classes he did not attend and submitted training certificates to Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training, also known as POST, to count these fictitious trainings towards his 2021 mandatory annual training hours. Without counting the fraudulent trainings, McLallen did not have the hours needed to meet his in-service training requirements for 2021.
McLallen pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree forgery and one count of first-degree official misconduct in Denver District Court. He was sentenced to 24 months supervised probation and he must write a letter of apology to the men and women of the Adams County Sheriff's Office.
As part of the plea agreement, McLallen will relinquish his state peace officer certification and will no longer be eligible to serve as a peace officer in Colorado. He will also cooperate with prosecutors and may testify in any co-defendant cases.
"We are committed to law enforcement integrity and taking serious steps to undermine our state's training system," stated Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser in a statement. "This action advances that work and makes clear the obligations of law enforcement officers to engage in training in an appropriate manner."
Former Adams County Sheriff Richard Reigenborn and former Division Chief Michael Bethel also face charges in the training records scheme. Each faces charges of felony counts of forgery, attempt to influence a public servant, conspiracy to commit forgery, and conspiracy to attempt to influence a public servant.
Reigenborn and Bethel are scheduled to appear in court on March 11.
Additional Information from the Attorney General's Office:
In Colorado, peace officers are required to complete a minimum of 24 hours of annual in-service training, including at least 12 hours of perishable skills training in arrest control, driving, and firearms. Law enforcement agencies are responsible for submitting truthful and accurate data to POST. A law enforcement agency can lose access to POST grant funds if it is found to be out of compliance with POST training rules due to their officers failing to complete required annual training.