Who Investigates Colorado Jail Deaths?

In Colorado, the investigation of deaths occurring in county jails involves multiple governmental agencies.  Primarily, county jail death investigations are conducted by the respective county’s sheriff’s office, often in collaboration with specialized units and the applicable coroner’s office.

Sheriff’s Office and Critical Incident Response Teams (CIRT):

When a death occurs in custody, the county’s sheriff’s office typically initiates the investigation. To maintain objectivity, many counties employ a Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT), which is comprised of investigators from various law enforcement agencies within the judicial district. For instance, the First Judicial District Law Enforcement CIRT is responsible for investigating in-custody deaths in Jefferson County, Colorado. Similarly, the 19th Judicial Critical Incident Response Team handles such investigations in Weld County, Colorado. These teams operate independently with the goal of providing impartial oversight.

Coroner’s Office:

The relevant coroner’s office plays a crucial role by determining the cause and manner of death through autopsies and medical examinations. They work independently from law enforcement to provide unbiased medical findings. For example, the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner investigates deaths within the City and County of Denver, offering services such as autopsy reports and family support.

Reporting and Contact Information:

If you lost a loved one as a result of a Colorado jail deaths and need to seek information regarding the resulting in-custody death investigation, our law firm lists below contact information for several coroner’s offices in Colorado:

• Denver Office of the Medical Examiner

  • Phone: 720-337-7600
  • Address: 500 Quivas St., Denver, CO 80204
  • Website: Denver Medical Examiner

• Jefferson County Coroner’s Office

  • Phone: 303-271-0211 (Non-Emergency Dispatch)
  • Address: 200 Jefferson County Parkway, Golden, CO 80401
  • Website: Jefferson County Coroner

• Weld County Coroner’s Office

  • Phone: 970-400-4990
  • Address: 1121 M. Street, Greeley, CO 80631
  • Website: Weld County Coroner

• Boulder County Coroner’s Office

  • Phone: 303-441-3535
  • Address: 5610 Flatiron Parkway, Boulder, CO 80301
  • Website: Boulder County Coroner

• Douglas County Coroner’s Office

  • Phone: 303-660-7505
  • Address: 4000 Justice Way, Castle Rock, CO 80109
  • Website: Douglas County Coroner

For deaths occurring in other counties, you should contact the respective county’s coroner’s office or sheriff’s office directly. If you need legal help, you might consider contacting a law firm experienced in handling jail deaths cases.

Written By: Dean Malone

Dean Malone

Dean Malone is the founder of Law Offices of Dean Malone, P.C., a jail neglect civil rights law firm. Mr. Malone earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Texas at Dallas, graduating summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA, and from Baylor University School of Law with a general civil litigation concentration. Mr. Malone served in several staff positions for the Baylor Law Review, including executive editor. Mr. Malone is an experienced trial lawyer, trying a number of cases to jury verdict and also handling arbitrations through final hearing. He heads the jail neglect section of his law firm, in which lawyers litigate cases involving serious injury and death resulting from jail neglect and abuse. Lawyers frequently refer cases to Mr. Malone due to his focus on this very complicated civil rights practice area.