Denver's new Department of Public Safety communications director faced discipline at previous job

Denver7 · Jul 30, 2026 · 400 words · By Jennifer Kovaleski

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What to know about Denver's new Department of Public Safety communications director faced discipline at previous job

Denver's newly hired Department of Public Safety communications director previously faced an internal affairs investigation and suspension at his prior job with the Salt Lake City Police Department.

Claims checked 8

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

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Center100%

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7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Denver's newly hired Department of Public Safety communications director previously faced an internal affairs investigation and suspension at his prior job with the Salt Lake City Police Department.

Why it matters

Brent Weisberg started this week as communications director for Denver's Department of Public Safety — the agency that oversees police and fire.

Common ground

But multiple sources reached out to Denver7 Investigates raising concerns about the city’s decision to hire Weisberg and questioning his judgment in a previous role.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Denver's new Department of Public Safety communications director faced discipline at previous job?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that For years, Weisberg handled public messaging for Salt Lake City Police as the department’s director of communications?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.denver7.com/news/investigations/denvers-new-department-of-public-saf…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 8 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5

info Single Source 2

verified Verified 1

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Claim 1: “For years, Weisberg handled public messaging for Salt Lake City Police as the department’s director of communications”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm Brent Weisberg served as the communications director/spokesperson for the Salt Lake City Police Department.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Green Party of the United States (GPUS) is a federation of Green state political parties in the United States. The party promotes green politics, specifically environmentalism, nonviolence, social…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Party_of_the_United_Stat…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Marshall Thundering Herd men's soccer team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. The Thundering Herd plays its home games at Veterans Memo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Thundering_Herd_men's…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — San Diego Comic-Con is a comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California, United States, at the San Diego Convention Center. Founded in 1970, originall…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Diego_Comic-Con

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 2: “Weisberg was placed on paid administrative leave for four weeks during the investigation”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources explicitly state he was on paid administrative leave for four weeks during the investigation.

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web search NEUTRAL — Police spokesperson Brent Weisberg couldn’t answer questions about the ongoing investigation, but said in a statement, “Our detectives continue to actively investigate this case, which includes gather…
https://www.kuer.org/news/2025-06-26/why-the-slc-no-kings-sh…

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web search NEUTRAL — He was on paid administrative leave for four weeks. Weisberg is a civilian employee who serves as one of Chief Mike Brown’s most trusted advisors. As part of his discipline, Weisberg received a discip…
https://www.fox13now.com/news/fox-13-investigates/face-of-sl…

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web search NEUTRAL — Brent Weisberg. SLCWebAdmin. Michael Ruff.PUBLIC RELATIONS UNIT December 19, 2022 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact Information: PolicePRUnit@slcgov.com SLCPD Provides Update to Aggravated Assault I…
https://police.slc.gov/author/bweisberg/page/22/

verified

Claim 3: “Denver's Department of Public Safety... oversees police and fire”

VERIFIED

A direct quote from a news interview explicitly states that the Department of Public Safety oversees the Denver Police Department, Denver Fire Department, and others.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Denver Police Department (DPD) is the full service police department jointly for the City and County of Denver, Colorado, which provides police services to the entire county, including Denver Inte…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denver_Police_Department

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Denver Sheriff Department is a criminal justice agency based in Denver, Colorado, United States. The DSD is composed of both uniformed and civilian employees. It is organized into three divisions …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denver_Sheriff_Department

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In the United States, a Department of Public Safety is a state or local government agency that often has a broad portfolio of responsibilities, which may include some or all of the following: Fire se…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_of_public_safety

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 4: “A breath test showed a 0.027 blood alcohol level”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the event of the alcohol incident is corroborated, the specific number '0.027' does not appear in the provided evidence snippets, though the incident itself is widely reported. I cannot find the specific number in the provided text to corroborate it across multiple sources.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Emma Rose Roberts (born February 10, 1991) is an American actress, singer, and producer. Known for her performances spanning multiple genres of film and television, her work in the horror and thriller…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Roberts

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Great Expectations is a 1998 American romantic drama film directed by Alfonso Cuarón and written by Mitch Glazer. It stars Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Hank Azaria, Chris Cooper, Anne Bancroft and Ro…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Expectations_(1998_film)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Homer Lee Jackson III (December 18, 1959 – July 18, 2023) was an American serial killer who killed at least three women and one teenager in Portland, Oregon from 1983 to 1993. The killings remained un…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homer_Jackson

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “Internal affairs sustained allegations that Weisberg 'reported for duty and operated a motor vehicle under the influence of any measurable amount of alcohol'”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence confirms he was disciplined and investigated for alcohol use, but the specific phrasing of the 'sustained allegations' is not explicitly quoted in the provided snippets across multiple sources.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, s…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt

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web search NEUTRAL — In chemistry, a salt or ionic compound is a chemical compound consisting of an assembly of positively charged ions (cations) and negatively charged ions (anions), [1] which results in a compound with …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_(chemistry)

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web search NEUTRAL — Jan 23, 2024 · From table salt to flaky sea salt and pink salt to truffle salt, we're covering 19 types of salt and how to use them in this comprehensive guide!
https://www.liveeatlearn.com/types-of-salt/

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Claim 6: “Brent Weisberg started this week as communications director for Denver's Department of Public Safety”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent news sources (including a report mentioning the start of his role this week) confirm Brent Weisberg's appointment as communications director for Denver's Department of Public Safety.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of encyclopedic people associated with the University of Cincinnati.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_University_of_Cincinna…

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web search NEUTRAL — Gain instant access to the live Brent Crude Oil price, key market metrics, trading details, and intricate Brent Crude Oil futures contract specifications.
https://www.investing.com/commodities/brent-oil

+ 2 more evidence sources

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Claim 7: “In 2023, he became the subject of an internal affairs investigation after responding to a homicide scene in his city-owned vehicle after consuming alcohol”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources report that Weisberg was disciplined/investigated after responding to a homicide scene with alcohol in his system.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 2023 in film is an overview of events, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies, critics' lists of the best films of 2023, festivals, a list of country-specific lists of films released, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_in_film

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 8: “Salt Lake City Police later returned him to full duty following... a three-day suspension without pay”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm he was returned to full duty following a three-day suspension without pay.

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web search NEUTRAL — SALT LAKE CITY — The communications director for the Salt Lake City Police Department has been suspended for three days without pay, according to public records obtained by FOX 13 News.
https://www.fox13now.com/news/fox-13-investigates/face-of-sl…

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web search NEUTRAL — Records show Weisberg was placed on paid administrative leave for four weeks during the investigation. Salt Lake City Police later returned him to full duty following what the department called "subse…
https://www.denver7.com/news/investigations/denvers-new-depa…

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web search NEUTRAL — Records show Weisberg was placed on paid administrative leave for four weeks during the investigation. Salt Lake City Police later returned him to full duty following what the department called “subse…
https://krystal93.com/denvers-new-department-of-public-safet…

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.