Officers Defend Actions as Standard Operating Procedure
Both deputies maintained during disciplinary hearings that they believed their actions aligned with established departmental procedures and had no knowledge of the new legal restrictions.
“When I was out there, I wanted to find drugs, guns and bad guys,” Zwinck testified at his July 23 disciplinary hearing. “And sending that information to HSI they provided the ability to give me real time background information on the person I was in contact with.”
Olson, an 18-year veteran of the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office, emphasized the routine nature of such communications during his hearing. “It was routine for ICE to show up on the back end of a traffic stop to do their thing,” Olson stated. “I truly thought what we were doing was condoned by our supervision and lawful.”
Despite these explanations, the internal investigation determined that both officers had been properly notified of legal restrictions on immigration-related information sharing prior to their violations.
