Troy Davenport, chief investigator for the 10th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, won the Inspector of the Year award at the 2024 Colorado District Attorney’s Council (CDAC).
Davenport, the former chief of the Pueblo Police Department, has enhanced the abilities of the 10th Judicial DA’s Office’s investigative unit to resemble an “FBI-like” organization.
“I wanted multi-disciplinary and agency representation so that we could talk the language of our sister organizations, be it the Pueblo Police, the Sheriff’s Office, CBI, FBI, ATF, etc. Troy Davenport has made my vision a reality,” 10th Judicial District Attorney Jeff Chostner wrote in a nomination letter recommending Davenport for the award.
In the letter, Chostner praised Davenport for increasing training hours and ensuring DA’s office staffers have attended specialized training “on sex crimes, advanced interrogation techniques and stopping technology-facilitated abuse of rural kids.”
Troy Davenport speaks about being awarded the Colorado District Attorneys Council Investigator of the Year.
“Troy has made sure that we have a POST-certified firearms instructor which allows us to train ‘our own’ without relying on other agencies,” Chostner wrote. “I have begun taking annual firearms training because of this in-house capability we now have. “
Davenport stated that he was flattered and pleased with the award.
“Something statewide is great for the community. It certainly makes me feel fulfilled in that I’ve done what I could for this office and this community and will continue to do so. Being recognized feels good,” Davenport said.
For Davenport, the first thing that defines a good investigator is “you have to care.”
“Your goal is to seek the truth. That’s paramount,” he said. “This award in particular, there were cases I investigated where the case really got much better and more prosecutable, and there were other cases where (further investigation) exonerated people and charges were dropped or simply never filed,” Davenport said.
Davenport also praised the work his team has done since he joined the DA’s office, saying he “does not work the case in a vacuum.”
“I have a team of great investigators who I challenged to push the ball up the hill two and a half years ago. They responded to that challenge. They’re good people doing a hard job in a difficult situation,” he emphasized.
With Davenport’s award, the 10th Judicial District Attorney’s Office has received a major award from either the CDAC or Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance (COVA) every year Chostner has been DA.
“That’s 11 straight years,” Chostner told the Chieftain. “No other DA in the state has done that. Ours is the best awarded/recognized DA Office in the state.”
Some of Davenport’s biggest cases as an investigator so far
In his nomination letter, Chostner highlighted a few of the most important cases Davenport has investigated since joining the office in 2022.
In 2023, Davenport took on an investigation into the assault of a homeless man by then-PSCO volunteer medic Douglas Cullison and his son Nathan Cullison, an amateur MMA fighter.
“The initial police investigation was insufficient, so Troy took the matter on, located several previously unknown witnesses, interviewing them, which perfected the case leading to a successful prosecution,” Chostner wrote in the letter.
In late September 2023, both Cullisons were given one-year deferred sentences with supervised probation.
“Positive results are almost always attached to effort,” Davenport said.
“Whether you’re talking to a suspect (or) a victim, there were people in that case who were both suspects and victims. Being able to relate to them, getting their statement in a non-judgmental way, getting to the accuracy and fully developing the nuances of that case — that was certainly a two-way street and having compassion for people helps.”
More on the case: ‘We failed as an organization’: Report outlines Pueblo PD mistakes in Cullison investigation
On the other side of the coin, Davenport’s work ultimately criminally exonerated four security guards at St. Mary-Corwin Hospital in the death of Mathew Haskel Jones.
“In that particular case, (it was) tragic that a human being passed away. The nuances of it though are important,” Davenport said.
“What factors led to that unfortunate outcome — his own physical health, the struggles with the officers, also very accurately documenting that scene — for instance, on the video it looks like a very large space but it’s actually a very limited space, and I think that’s a factor. And of course a very careful conversation with the (forensic) pathologist. No matter how you slice it, that was a very tragic situation. I think it was just important to get the very best truth that you could find.”
While the four guards were criminally exonerated, a settlement was reached in August in a civil lawsuit filed by Dedra Jones, wife of Mathew Jones, who died as a result of the confrontation, against Catholic Health Initiatives Colorado, owner of CommonSpirit Health’s St. Mary-Corwin hospital, as well as the four guards, for an undisclosed amount.
More on the settlement: Family of Pueblo man killed in altercation with St. Mary-Corwin security settles lawsuit
Troy Davenport
Davenport’s prior law enforcement career
Davenport has over 33 years of experience in law enforcement. He began his career at the sheriff’s office in 1989 and joined Pueblo PD in 1994. Davenport rose through the ranks and became chief of police in 2017. He stepped down from that position in 2021 and was replaced by current Chief Chris Noeller.
Davenport stated after his retirement, he took about a nine-month break due to his wife’s medical issues, but felt he “had some gas left in the tank.”
“The previous chief investigator was retiring and I thought, ‘Well, I want to help a little bit longer,'” he recalled.
What’s next for Davenport with a new DA coming?
While Chostner has decided to not seek re-election as Pueblo County’s DA in the 2024 election, Davenport will keep the office at the same level of readiness no matter who takes his place.
“Myself, the six investigators and the clerk we have, that’s a rubber that meets the road assignment,” Davenport said. “It’s driven largely by (the Colorado Legislature), by the law, by case law that the Supreme Court decides on, those kinds of things. Having said that, I intend to make sure that we help whoever that person is to help the community in the best possible way.”
Democrat Kyle Aber and Republican Kala Beauvais will seek election to the position of district attorney in November.
As for Davenport, he will continue in his role “for the foreseeable future.”
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This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Former Pueblo police chief named top investigator of 2024
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