Former Fort Morgan Police Chief files request under Colorado Open Records Act
Former Fort Morgan Police Chief Loren Sharp has filed a Colorado Open Records Act request seeking records explaining why city officials asked him to resign.
Sharp retired September 30th after more than 30 years with the police department, including nearly six years as chief. He has said his resignation came at the request of the city council.
In an interview with The Fort Morgan Times, Sharp said he was concerned comments by Mayor Doug Schossow on Facebook and the radio could leave the impression he had done something wrong. Sharp said his integrity is important to him and he wanted to clear up any questions about his departure.
The October 7th records request sought documents related to investigations, misconduct allegations, performance deficiencies, and the decision to request his resignation.
Records provided by the city included emails about weed enforcement, code enforcement training, budget issues, and citizen complaints. However, the documents reviewed did not include investigative findings, documented performance deficiencies, or an explanation for the decision behind his departure.
Some emails detailed disagreements over weed enforcement, including a July incident in which an officer reportedly told a resident a citation was coming from city council. Sharp said he had not directed officers to issue tickets or eliminated their discretion to issue warnings.
Other records addressed a 2024 complaint about an officer's social media activity, which Sharp said the city attorney determined did not violate department policy, along with discussions about training code enforcement employees.
The records released so far do not establish why city officials asked Sharp to resign.
