A lack of supervision within Pueblo's municipal court contributed to a "challenging" and "deteriorating" workplace environment under a presiding judge who did little to ensure accountability, according to a third-party investigation commissioned by the city last month.
Bad behavior in the department has continued for months — and some case even years, the report's executive summary reads. The outside law firm of Hoffman, Parker, Wilson & Carberry found the department to be "in need of intervention."
"The technical proficiency exists, but the workplace environment makes the atmosphere very unpleasant," investigators wrote.
The executive summary, obtained by The Denver Post through an open records request, paints the picture of a dysfunctional office culture under former presiding judge Carla Sikes, who now serves as Pueblo's city attorney.
The city declined to release the entire report, citing attorney-client privilege, and did not respond to requests for comment on the investigation.
News of the probe comes on the heels of a Denver Post investigation last month that found judges in Pueblo Municipal Court likely used unconstitutional practices to inflate municipal jail sentences for low-level, non-violent crimes.
The Post found that Pueblo Municipal Court, under Sikes' leadership, routinely used contempt of court to punish people for failing to appear for their hearings — a practice that had no precedent in Colorado's major cities.
Court staff, in statements provided to The Post that were also shared with investigators, pointed to a toxic workplace culture rife with bullying, belittling and condescension.
One supervisor degrades people and "treats them as though they are stupid," one statement reads.
Employees said management engaged in ageism, commented inappropriately on the way workers dressed and how often they used the restroom.
"…In their time here, they seem to have lost their compassion," one staffer wrote. "Many blatantly degrade others in such a comfortable manner that it is obvious that they have been doing this for a long time without consequence."
The third-party investigation said the court requires better oversight. The law firm made several recommendations, including a clarified organizational chart, better training, mediation and team-building.
Sikes served as the court's presiding judge for eight years before becoming Pueblo's interim city attorney in March. In May, Pueblo's mayor appointed Nelson Dunford to be Sikes' successor.
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