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CSU's top cop says taped remarks taken out of context

By John C. Ensslin, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published January 22, 2009 at 12:05 a.m.

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Suspended Colorado State University Police Chief Dexter Yarbrough says he wasn't condoning bad police behavior.

Photo by Special to the Rocky

Suspended Colorado State University Police Chief Dexter Yarbrough says he wasn't condoning bad police behavior.

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Suspended Colorado State University Police Chief Dexter Yarbrough on Wednesday said comments he made in a classroom about questionable police tactics were taken out of context by a disgruntled student who recorded them.

The existence of the tapes was first reported by the Rocky Mountain Collegian, a student-run newspaper, which posted the tapes online.

The tapes were provided by Aaron Gropp, a 39-year-old student and former Larimer County sheriff's deputy.

On the tapes, Yarbrough can be heard saying, "We may decide to give the informant 10 of those crack cocaine rocks."

When a student asks if the police would be responsible if the informant ended up in the hospital, Yarbrough replies:

"Let me tell you what I would do: You give it to them, but you let them know that, hey, if you ever get caught with this, you know, don't say my name. "

He goes on to ask: "Didn't I tell you that sometimes the police lie?Didn't I tell you guys that? If I didn't, there you go."

In an e-mailed statement, Yarbrough said Gropp "was not doing very well in my class and has taken my lecture out of context in an attempt to retaliate against me."

Yarbrough said he was illustrating how policing works "both good and bad."

"I was illustrating how sometimes police officers cross the line in order to catch drug dealers. I was in no way condoning the behavior."

Gropp said it was true that he wasn't doing well in the class, which he attributed to his catching Yarbrough in what he claimed was a factual error. But, he asked, "How was I taking him out of context when it's right there on the tape?"

In December, Yarbrough was placed on paid administrative leave from his $157,000-a-year job as chief and vice president of CSU's Department of Public Safety, pending the outcome of a "personnel investigation."

CSU spokesman Brad Bohlander said the tape incident has nothing to do with that investigation.

Comments

  • January 22, 2009

    12:21 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    HSTOWEL writes:

    This guy Yarbrough appears to be quite the idiot!

  • January 23, 2009

    12:07 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Rusman writes:

    I think that CSU needs a new Chief of Police. How can you have someone in this position that advocates breaking the law when his job is to enforce it?

  • February 27, 2009

    1:18 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    luckygirl13 writes:

    I took Chief Yarbrough's class and can tell you how professional and informative he was throughout the semester. Chief wasn't afraid to speak frankly and tell the truth about the corruption that DOES exist within law enforcement. He never once, not once condoned this behavior. He always made it more than clear that law enforcement, although frequently is taken advantage of, should not be. He taught valuable lessons and made examples out of situations. For anyone to take anything else out of his lesson then they were looking for it. A 40 year old man should know better. Chief Yarbrough is a good man and an excellent professor. I stand by him 100%