Clint Nichols, Commerce City Police Chief, retiring following CBS4 investigation
Commerce City Police Chief Clint Nichols announced his retirement effective July 25, 2022. The announcement comes after a months-long investigation first reported by CBS4 Investigator Brian Maass.
During the pandemic, City Manager Roger Tinklenberg said he approved of Nichols working remotely from Las Vegas, Nevada where Nichols' family still lives.
Nichols was allowed to drive his city-owned Tahoe SUV between Commerce City and Las Vegas, which is about a 1,600 mile roundtrip.
Ironically, it was on July 25, 2020 when Nichols was stopped by a Utah Highway Patrol trooper in Iron County for speeding.
"The reason he got the ticket? He refused to let them search the vehicle which any citizen has the right to do and, in his case, would have been a waste of time," said Tinklenberg. He went on to insist law enforcement in Utah had racially profiled the police chief.
In a report last month, an independent investigation found the chief was "not truthful" on multiple levels and multiple occasions about the stop.
"It's been an honor to serve this community for seven years, including five as the chief of police," said Nichols in a news release on Thursday. "I'm proud of the work our officers did in that time and the positive reforms our agency adopted to improve the delivery of public safety services for this growing and dynamic community."
In his written agreement to depart from his position, Commerce City said "Nichols desires to retire as the Chief of Police to seek new challenges and opportunities."
In a letter to his officers, Nichols wrote, "While I did not intend to depart the organization under these recent circumstances, it is clear that I have become a distraction from the good work that each of you performs on behalf of the citizens of Commerce City, which is unfair to you and never my desire."
It appeared the independent consultant's report, which verified Nichols was "not truthful" in relaying what happened during the Utah traffic stop, made Nichols continued employment as police chief untenable. However Commerce City refused to officially release the consultants report and said Thursday night the report was "still being finalized" and was "privileged at this time."
When CBS4 obtained a copy of the report last month and reported on it, Commerce City asked that the document be destroyed or returned to Commerce City calling the CBS4 reporting "improper publication. As such, the document is privileged and not subject to disclosure," wrote Commerce City interim city attorney Matt Hader.
"No official of the City has been authorized to disclose the document and any City official who may have done so would have acted without lawful authority," Hader wrote on June 23rd.
He asked CBS4 "delete your tweet that disclosed the document.. refrain from any further publication or dissemination of the document and its contents, and return the document to me or destroy the same immediately." The letter went on to say, "The City hopes to avoid court involvement, if authorized, should it become necessary," wrote Hader.
CBS4 maintains it had every right to report on this critical document and did nothing wrong in obtaining it.
