
Aurora Fire Rescue union resists move to new sedative
Aurora firefighters are resisting an administrative move to have them carry a new sedative, Droperidol, for use on combative patients.
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Brian Maass has spearheaded CBS News Colorado's investigative unit for more than two decades. In that time, his investigations have held the powerful accountable, given voice to the voiceless and made a real difference in the lives of Coloradans.
His 2007 undercover investigation of deficient de-icing practices at Denver International Airport prompted re-training of hundreds of workers, firings, suspensions and multi-pronged federal and local investigations. Those reports received the Regional Edward R. Murrow award for investigative reporting in 2008.
His 2002 investigation exposing loafing cops at Denver International Airport led to retirements, dozens of reassignments and a heightened awareness of airport security.
Maass' exclusive 2004 interview with Army Pfc. Lynndie England made worldwide headlines as the woman at the center of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal told her story for the first time. The interview was honored with an Emmy award, as was his investigation into Denver cops double dipping and ignoring their primary jobs. He found top Denver police administrators working secondary jobs as school crossing guards when they were supposed to be overseeing murder, rape and kidnapping investigations. The reports led to a criminal investigation and sweeping changes within the Denver Police Department.
In 1999, Maass uncovered and exposed the story of how a Denver Police SWAT team broke into the wrong house and killed Ismael Mena, who never should have been in the line of fire. The investigation resulted in a perjury charge against one Denver patrolman and broad reforms in the way "no knock" search warrants are processed.
In 2019, the Heartland Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences inducted Maass into the "Silver Circle," a recognition of more than 25 years of journalism service.
Maass has won multiple Emmy awards, multiple "Best of The West" awards, the Regional Edward R. Murrow award for investigative reporting three years in a row, numerous Colorado Broadcast Association awards and a slew of other regional, state and local honors for his bold investigative reporting.
Just The Facts
Position: Your Investigator
Most memorable interview: Pfc. Lynndie England of Abu Ghraib notoriety
Role model: Garrick Utley, Bob Dotson
Dream Job: Forsberg to Sakic to Maass to knock off the Red Wings in 7
Job you would never attempt: sword swallowing
Alma mater: University of Colorado Boulder
Star sign: Gemini
Year hired: 1983
First TV Appearance: On a cold, icy live shot somewhere around Denver
Favorite story: Any that helped people make informed decisions
Why I'm a journalist: Love telling people something they don't know that is relevant to their lives
Hidden talent: Juggling
Hometown: by birth, Los Angeles. Since 1976, Colorado
Number of children: Two sons
Hobbies: skiing, hockey, running, cycling- anything outdoors
Favorite food: pizza, BBQ, carbs, sushi, stir fry, mexican, brownies --is that enough?
Favorite Musicians: Gruppo Sportivo, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Jimmy Cliff, John Prine
Number of siblings: Five
Number of pets: 1
Favorite sports team: Avalanche
Favorite vacation spot: Kauai, any beach, the desert or a mountain resort What one word describes CBS Colorado? Dynamic
Favorite word: gagoolio
Least favorite word: Sold out
Favorite sound: The sound of my sons excitedly telling me about their day, or the sound of them breathing deeply as they sleep.
What keeps me in Colorado: my family, friends, my neighborhood, my home, my work
What's the biggest risk you've taken? Repeatedly asking a news reporter at another station to go out for dinner. It all became worthwhile when she married me.
You can contact Brian by sending an email to yourreporter@cbs.com.
Aurora firefighters are resisting an administrative move to have them carry a new sedative, Droperidol, for use on combative patients.
A hit-and-run driver has confessed and pleaded guilty after being identified by a CBS News Colorado reporter who pursued the suspect following a hit-and-run crash in southeast Denver.
A plastic surgeon is scheduled to stand trial next year, but the prosecutor is dropping charges against his co-defendant who has agreed to testify against him.
CBS News Colorado has learned that the Denver Police Department is investigating one of their detectives for their handling of a domestic violence assault complaint that was received in May.
An Aurora homeowner's security camera caught a bumbling thief stumble and fall flat on his face as he allegedly attempted to steal bricks from a retaining wall.
Although some witnesses to the July 15 shooting of Ma Kaing have insisted it took first responders more than 40 minutes to arrive on the scene and render aid to the dying woman, Computer Aided Dispatch reports released to CBS4 on Friday show police officers were dispatched 27 seconds after the first 911 call.
Nearly half of all shootings in Denver and a quarter of the city's murders in 2020-2021 took place in just five geographical areas: "hotspots" that only make up 1.56% of Denver's land mass.
Emotions and resentment boiled over as residents of the East Colfax corridor near 13th Avenue and Xenia Street implored Denver police and public safety officials to provide them with more support and safety.
When community leader Ma Kaing was struck and killed by a stray bullet the night of July 15, at least seven calls were made directly and indirectly to Denver's 911 center in the immediate aftermath of the shooting.
The initial 911 call about what happened was mis-categorized by a Denver 911 call taker, hindering police efforts to quickly locate the hit-and-run driver.
Gabriel Nathan Schwartz, a controversial Colorado lawyer, will be suspended from practicing law for six months after he allegedly joked about sex, rape and child pornography.
Commerce City Police Chief Clint Nichols announced his retirement effective July 25, 2022.
Aurora's Civil Service Commission has upheld the February 2022 firing of Doug Wilkinson, who was president of the Aurora Police Association.
After less than three hours of deliberation, a jury in Jefferson County acquitted former Chatfield Senior High School Athletic Director Craig Aukland of a single count of failing to report suspected child abuse, a misdemeanor.
The mother of a 14-year-old boy testified Monday that former Chatfield Senior High School Athletic Director Craig Aukland mischaracterized an alleged sexual assault of her son in 2021 as a "hazing" incident.