Sheriff exam cheating allegation: Independent Monitor office finds no evidence of wrongdoing

Video below.

Along with outgoing Manager of Safety Charley Garcia, the Office of the Independent Monitor, led by Richard Rosenthal, has taken heat from police organizations for alleged bias against officers. But the OIM's latest investigation -- an inquiry into supposed cheating on a Denver sheriff promotion exam, released this morning in advance of the third quarter report -- finds no evidence of wrongdoing.

In May, media organizations received a letter from a person claiming to have been given a copy of the promotion-related test in advance the previous month. But according to the OIM analysis, on view below, an evaluation of 2011 test results compared to previous years failed to establish patterns consistent with cheating. Internal Affairs also conducted interviews with members of the Sheriff committee that created the exam. The OIM determined that "there is no reason to believe that any Sheriff Major had access to the test such that s/he could have provided a copy of the test to anyone" -- and all of the test-taking deputies denied having received any improper assistance.

In the end, the OIM concludes that there's "no credible evidence of cheating." But that doesn't mean law enforcement groups will change their tune about Rosenthal. After all, it's only been two weeks or so since the OIM suggested that Denver cops are getting a free ride on DUIs.

Look below to see a Fox31 report about the initial allegations, followed by the OIM report.

  Office of the Independent Monitor Report on Sheriff Exam Cheating Claim

More from our News archive: "Police brutality: Independent monitor says chokeholding Denver cop deserved to be fired."