S4: E6 — Circling the Drain

Summary

Betrayal: Season 4, Episode 6 — "Circling the Drain"

Podcast by iHeartPodcasts and Glass Podcasts
Host: Andrea Gunning
Air Date: June 26, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this compelling episode of Betrayal, host Andrea Gunning delves deeper into the unraveling of Karoline Borega’s marriage to Joel, a former Colorado Springs police officer whose repeated deceptions and misconduct left lasting scars on his family and community. The episode chronicles Karoline and her children's struggle to come to terms with the depth of Joel’s betrayals, the institutional failings that allowed him to escape real consequences, and the emotional aftermath for those left behind. With powerful interviews, investigative insights, and personal reflections, "Circling the Drain" explores betrayal on both personal and systemic levels, emphasizing the complexities of healing and the quest for accountability.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Nicole’s Struggle and Family Turmoil

• Caroline and Nicole’s Trip ([05:32]):

  • Seeking solace, Karoline and daughter Nicole travel to New Mexico but are confronted by a manipulative, lengthy text from Joel, who expresses remorse and a desire to "be a family" again.
  • Nicole’s pain is palpable as she wrestles with wounds left by her father's actions and ambiguous gestures.
    • Quote: "She wants to connect with him, and he doesn't answer." — Caroline ([06:48])
  • Joel sends emotional messages but remains unresponsive when Nicole reaches out, deepening her sense of abandonment.

• Discovery of Incriminating Photos ([08:01]):

  • Joel continues uploading inappropriate photos onto their shared family cloud account—secretly taken images of women at the beach, including explicit zoom-ins, all visible by the family.
    • Quote: "When I pull it up, there is just picture after picture of women on a beach who you can clearly tell they have no idea they're being photographed." — Caroline ([08:10])
  • Karoline acts swiftly to separate her children from further exposure, sacrificing cherished family photos in the process.

• Revelation of Joel’s New Relationship ([11:55]):

  • Karoline notices recurring images of a new woman in Joel’s photo vault; he admits to meeting someone in rehab, exposing the duplicity behind his pleas for reconciliation.
    • Quote: "Whenever he reached out... it was always a way to mask and disguise the fact that he was doing just the opposite of what he was saying." — Caroline ([12:29])

2. Consequences for the Children

• Impact on Nicole ([14:28]):

  • Nicole, once a “daddy’s girl,” remains hopeful for her father's attention, especially during milestones like her high school graduation.
    • Quote: "One of the hardest days was her graduation… her little face, oh, God, it just kills me…" — Caroline ([14:50], [20:10])
  • On graduation day, Nicole finds an envelope at the door, only to discover it’s from a neighbor, not Joel. Her devastation is palpable.

• Communication Breakdown ([20:10]):

  • Nicole sends her father a simple text: “I graduated today.” Joel responds with routine praise, then quickly lashes out at Karoline for not reminding him.

3. Community Fallout and Social Isolation

• Rumors and Community Gossip ([22:03]):

  • As news spreads through the Colorado Springs law enforcement community, Karoline faces humiliation, snickering, and exclusion at her workplace.
    • Quote: "I was humiliated to walk into work knowing that rumors were starting to fly and spread about what he had done." — Caroline ([23:36])

• Managing Disclosure ([24:28]):

  • The family decides to be transparent with each other about new details, preferring difficult truths to being blindsided by gossip.
    • Quote: "The truth hurt, but it was powerful and it was needed. That was the only way to move forward." — Their son ([24:28])

4. Institutional Failings: How Joel Evaded Consequence

• Retirement Instead of Termination ([27:20]):

  • Despite undeniable policy breaches, including sex in a police car, Joel retires with his pension and congratulations, bypassing formal termination.
  • Internal Affairs recommended firing, but by using FMLA leave, Joel extended his time on payroll and exited on his own terms.
    • Quote: "He took FMLA, or family medical leave, and went off to rehab, where his sexual escapades only continued." — Andrea Gunning ([29:15])

• Pattern Within Law Enforcement ([29:02], [33:29]):

  • Retirement in lieu of termination is common practice for Colorado police officers facing disciplinary action, allowing them to retain certifications and pensions.

• Rocky Mountain PBS Investigation ([31:19]):

  • Journalist Carly Rose exposes a broader pattern where officers leave under investigation and are often rehired elsewhere. This systemic loophole enabled repeat misconduct.
    • Quote: "We were like, oh, people can resign rather than face the consequences of an investigation." — Carly Rose ([34:01])

• Union and Legal Perspectives ([39:27], [40:23]):

  • Lawyer Will Aitchison explains why police receive such protections, and concedes that, while they protect against unfounded firings, they also allow misconduct to go inadequately punished.
    • Quote: "That's actually quite common." — Will Aitchison, on retiring instead of facing discipline ([40:23])
    • Quote: "Any police officer reading that transcript would be thoroughly embarrassed ... he should be fired." — Will Aitchison ([41:07])

5. The Whistleblower’s Perspective

• Claudia Aldrich Goes Public ([43:09]):

  • Claudia, who ran the Police Officers Whistleblower Network, breaks anonymity to highlight widespread fear of reporting misconduct and the prevalence of double standards.
    • Quote: "I think that in order for these officers to lose the fear of speaking out, I kind of need to lead by example." — Claudia Aldrich ([43:09])
  • Cops are reluctant to report misconduct due to potential career repercussions, fostering a culture of silence.

• “Everybody Knew” ([44:33]):

  • Multiple sources confirm that Joel’s inappropriate conduct was common knowledge, yet few acted due to his power and connections.
    • Quote: "Joel Kern was one of the golden few. Kern was protected." — 24-year CSPD veteran ([46:37])

• Keeping Records for Self-Protection ([46:55]):

  • Employees confess to printing and holding onto sensitive call reports as insurance against internal retribution—emphasizing the lack of trust within the department.

6. Broader Systemic Implications

• Culture of Protecting "Golden" Officers ([48:56]):
  • Structural issues in discipline and accountability leave departments vulnerable to corruption and public distrust.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "She wants to connect with him, and he doesn't answer." — Caroline ([06:48])

• "When I pull it up, there is just picture after picture of women on a beach who you can clearly tell they have no idea they're being photographed." — Caroline ([08:10])

• "The truth hurt, but it was powerful and it was needed. That was the only way to move forward." — Their son ([24:28])

• "He took FMLA, or family medical leave, and went off to rehab, where his sexual escapades only continued." — Andrea Gunning ([29:15])

• "We were like, oh, people can resign rather than face the consequences of an investigation." — Carly Rose ([34:01])

• "That's actually quite common." — Will Aitchison, on law enforcement retirements in place of terminations ([40:23])

• "I think that in order for these officers to lose the fear of speaking out, I kind of need to lead by example." — Claudia Aldrich ([43:09])

• "Joel Kern was one of the golden few. Kern was protected." — 24-year CSPD veteran ([46:37])

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Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:47: Introduction and context from Andrea Gunning
• 05:32: Caroline and Nicole’s road trip, text from Joel
• 08:01: Discovery of Joel’s secret beach photographs
• 11:55: Karoline uncovers Joel’s new relationship
• 14:28: Nicole’s struggle with her relationship with Joel, graduation fallout
• 22:03: Friends and community react, the spread of rumors
• 24:28: The family’s choice to be open about Joel’s betrayals
• 27:20: Joel retires instead of being terminated
• 31:19: Journalist Carly Rose discusses law enforcement disciplinary loopholes
• 39:27: Union attorney Will Aitchison’s defense and analysis of disciplinary procedures
• 43:09: Whistleblower Claudia Aldrich goes public
• 46:37: Law enforcement sources describe Joel as protected, culture of silence and favoritism

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Tone & Style

The episode blends investigative journalism with raw, personal storytelling. Andrea Gunning’s narration is empathetic and anchored in pursuit of truth. Interviewees, primarily Karoline and her children, speak with grief, confusion, and growing resolve. The mood is one of sorrow, frustration, and a search for closure, punctuated by hope for accountability and healing.

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Conclusion

"Circling the Drain" powerfully exposes the ongoing emotional, social, and institutional repercussions of betrayal within a family and a police department. Through a meticulous exploration of Karoline’s family’s pain and the systemic loopholes exploited by abusers, the episode urges listeners to consider not just individual acts of betrayal but the larger frameworks that enable them to persist.

Transcript

[Andrea Gunning]

This is an iHeart podcast.

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[Andrea Gunning]

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[Caroline]

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[Andrea Gunning]

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[Caroline]

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[Caroline]

He would come in before he worked out and said hi. But the only reason he was there was so that everyone could say, well, he was there working out, but he was there for the sole purpose to take a shower after his lunchtime activities.

[Andrea Gunning]

I'm Andrea Gunning and this is Betrayal Season four, Episode six, Circling the Drain. In the last episode of Betrayal, you heard Caroline describe her final meeting with Joel. In 2022. They met to discuss issues surrounding their impending divorce. The location was a coffee shop they had frequented when they were a couple. After more than two months at an inpatient rehab, Joel looked like a different person. Gone was the clean cut cop she had lived with for more than 20 years. Caroline barely recognized him. His cell phone pinged relentlessly during their meeting with messages from dating apps. Joel's behavior hadn't changed. He just didn't need to hide it anymore. As far as Caroline was concerned, the relationship was beyond repair. And as you heard in previous episodes, their son had already made up his mind to. But Caroline wanted Nicole, their daughter, to make her own decision about a relationship with her father.

[Caroline]

If she wanted to try to have a relationship with him, and he was open to that, I wanted that for her.

[Andrea Gunning]

At the time, Nicole was the only one in their family still grappling with whether to have a relationship with Joel.

[Caroline]

When it first happened, I just couldn't believe the depth of the lies that he told us or integrate all of his actions just as one person and as him.

[Andrea Gunning]

Nicole was entering her senior year of high school and it was just her and Caroline at home.

[Caroline]

In September, Labor Day weekend, our daughter and I decided that we were gonna get away for the weekend and we were gonna go visit my best friend who lives in New Mexico. And as we're on our drive, it's about a six hour drive. This text comes through and it's from Joel and it's probably two to three screens long.

[Andrea Gunning]

He'd sent it to both Caroline and Nicole in a group chat and it.

[Caroline]

Just says, I just want you guys to know I love you more than anything in the world. I think about your Mother and you guys, every day I regret my stupid actions. I hope that we can be a family. And our daughter was just devastated by this text.

[Andrea Gunning]

Joel was saying he wanted to be a family, but his actions showed otherwise.

[Caroline]

And so I tried calling him, and he didn't respond. And then she goes to call him again, and this time you could tell he put her to voicemail. And so I said, maybe he's at work.

[Andrea Gunning]

Caroline just couldn't bear to see Nicole in so much pain.

[Caroline]

She wants to connect with him, and he doesn't answer.

[Andrea Gunning]

Nicole was holding out hope.

[Caroline]

He still holds this sort of grasp on me.

[Andrea Gunning]

Nicole and Caroline arrived in New Mexico for a much needed visit with Caroline's best friend, Deborah. We met her in an earlier episode, and Debra could see Nicole was hurting.

[Caroline]

I felt like she really struggled because.

[Andrea Gunning]

She was a daddy's girl.

[Caroline]

She was trying to weigh out, do I want to still have a relationship with my dad? The next day, my best friend, her husband, me, my daughter, we're FaceTiming with my son, who is in college on the east coast, and we start just reminiscing and going down memory lane. And my son says, oh, I remember this picture. I gotta pull this picture up. He's real silent. And then all of a sudden he says, mama, could you take me off speakerphone and just talk to me? And so I said, well, what's going on? And so he gets very serious, and he said, please, just take me off speakerphone. I just want to talk to you. And so I excused myself and I said, is everything okay? And he said, no.

[Andrea Gunning]

Their son told Caroline that she needed to look at their shared family photo vault. Joel was still uploading pictures to the cloud.

[Caroline]

When I pull it up, there is just picture after picture of women on a beach who you can clearly tell they have no idea they're being photographed.

[Andrea Gunning]

Immediately, Caroline went to Debra and showed her what her son had seen.

[Caroline]

It's just pictures of girls in their bikinis. Some of them are zoomed in on their butts or their crotch. You know, that the women don't know because they're either laying down and their face is on the opposite end or, you know, he's behind them when they're walking. There was one girl, I remember she was walking with her boyfriend. She was hand in hand with a boy, and he was taking pictures of her butt.

[Andrea Gunning]

Joel had gone to the beach and secretly photographed women. He zoomed in on parts of their bodies, all while telling his family he was committed to change.

[Caroline]

And I am mortified. Mortified. That my son is seeing this. His frantic response to me is, you gotta delete this. Get it off of here. Get it off of this. And I go to call Joel, and he doesn't answer. And then I'm trying to figure out how to get a hold of him, and I'm texting him what I'm seeing.

[Andrea Gunning]

The photos were right there in the vault for the entire family to access. Joel was indulging himself with no thought about the fact that his kids could see these pictures. And there weren't just photos of women. There was also a photo of Joel out at a bar in California. By his side is a fellow CSPD officer, a buddy who must have come out to visit. In the photo, they were out at a bar, smiling and holding up beers, having fun. Meanwhile, his family was falling apart.

[Caroline]

I mean, it just appears that he treated this inpatient rehab facility as a glorified frat house, not as a therapeutic opportunity. This was just kind of a retreat for him, a little vacation away from Colorado and the mess that he created.

[Andrea Gunning]

Joel finally responded to Caroline's texts, saying he didn't realize he was still sharing the digital photo vault.

[Caroline]

We had extremely minimal contact, but after I found out about the pictures, I told him, we can't even share a phone account together. It was almost comical. I thought to myself, you're not even safe to have a Netflix account with. That next day, I went out and I put the kids and I on a separate phone plan.

[Andrea Gunning]

She acted quickly. All she wanted was to shield the kids from these images.

[Caroline]

I was so frantic. I am at my best friend's home. I'm not even home. And my immediate concern was to make sure that we are completely separate from him.

[Andrea Gunning]

So she asked Joel to delete the shared account, and he did. But in the rush, Caroline didn't save all the old family photos, which, I.

[Caroline]

Mean, sounds a little cheesy, but, you know, now I don't have the kids, baby pictures or video of my dad's celebration of life. All of that was on our shared account. There was just no way I could chance the kids and I continuously seeing these types of pictures and images that he took.

[Andrea Gunning]

And just being able to view those photos felt like a liability. Before she separated their phones and photos, Caroline noticed something else in Joel's cloud pictures.

[Caroline]

There's one woman repeatedly in pictures.

[Andrea Gunning]

Very recently, it looked like Joel was already in a new relationship. Caroline texted him to ask who the woman was.

[Caroline]

He says that he met someone while he was in rehab. She lived in Puerto Rico, and they had Decided to meet.

[Andrea Gunning]

Caroline thought back to the text she and Nicole received a few days earlier while they were driving to New Mexico, when he said he'd do anything to repair their relationship.

[Caroline]

And so the truth is revealed that he sends this text begging the kids and I that he wants to be a family again. And he's so sorry. But the fact of the matter is, he was sending it while he was already with a female he met online. And so it just kind of became this awareness in that moment for everyone, but specifically our daughter, that whenever he reached out, really trying and wanting to be a part of our lives, it was always a way to mask and disguise the fact that he was doing just the opposite of what he was saying.

[Andrea Gunning]

Nicole noticed the same pattern.

[Caroline]

He reaches out, sends my brother and I a text message when he knows that we're going to find out something pretty soon.

[Andrea Gunning]

Dawn is a friend of Caroline's and was also her divorce attorney. She mentioned earlier in the series that she doesn't usually represent friends, but she made an exception for Caroline out of concern for the kids who she knew well. Dawn saw the impact of Joel's absence on Nicole.

[Caroline]

To see Nicole really struggle to not see her dad or have that relationship anymore, it was just so jarring to her. She still desired that relationship, but Joel really just pulled completely away.

[Andrea Gunning]

Jen Forster and her husband Tom, are among Caroline's closest friends. Jen also was disappointed that Joel didn't try harder. The fact that he kind of just gave up was really surprising. He hasn't tried to repair the relationship. And frankly, as a parent, why would you give up? I would never give up on my kids. I would say, I'm still here for you.

[Caroline]

I still love you.

[Andrea Gunning]

I will always be here for you.

[Caroline]

How can you know that your child is out there and not want to be around your child or, like, know what's happening with them?

[Andrea Gunning]

Nicole thought Joel would, at the very least, try to connect for the big moments, the milestones and everything that Joel did.

[Caroline]

One of the hardest days was her graduation. You know, I left that morning because I wanted to get a lei necklace for her to wear. I wanted to get her favorite coffee and have it waiting for her when she woke up. And when I came home, she was already up, and there was this envelope taped to our front door, and her little face, oh, God, it just kills me. She just had this desperation in her face, like she just was hoping for it. And she said, oh, my gosh, is that from my dad?

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[Andrea Gunning]

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[Caroline]

She just had this desperation in her face like she just was hoping for it. And she said, oh my gosh, is that from my dad? And I said, I don't know. And when I handed it to her and she saw that it was signed by our neighbors, God, it was one of the worst things to ever see. It was horrible. You just saw her completely deflate this day that she had just worked so hard to celebrate. She just didn't recover from that day. You just saw her with this solemn expression and just deflated every time she opened the door just a little bit, another lie would come up. You know, on her graduation that night, she wanted to go out to some parties with some of her friends and before she left she said, I'm going to text my dad. And I said, okay, that's completely your decision. I wanted her to continue that contact and she sent just the Most simplistic text and just said, I graduated today. That's it. And he took a while to respond and then eventually said, oh, I know, I'm so proud of you. But minutes later, I get this rage text from him blaming me for not reminding him. And you just saw her pining after just this hope, like, just be different.

[Andrea Gunning]

It wasn't just Nicole who was in pain. Caroline's friends watched her suffering too. Joel wasn't around anymore. But every few weeks, a new secret was revealed. Here's Caroline's friend, Jen. There was an incident where Caroline had.

[Caroline]

Gotten a text message from someone this.

[Andrea Gunning]

Person had basically told her about. A friend of Caroline's who had been intimately involved with Joel. And that was a rough day. You'd see her start to heal, she relaxed. You'd see her start to move forward, and then something else would happen. And this was one of those instances. Like it's not just taking two steps forward and one step back. Every time something came up, it just ripped the band aid off again. As people in the community learned about Joel and Caroline's separation, they felt more inclined to contact Caroline with details of Joel's affairs. It felt like every day she learned of new affairs that had been going on right under her nose, sometimes for years. He had a long term affair with a hairstylist. He sent inappropriate texts to a local college professor who Caroline worked with. He'd had sex with an insurance agent, a prison guard, a nurse. Caroline was re traumatized every single time. With each new revelation, her entire life was turned into community gossip. Around town, in the halls of the Colorado Springs Police department and even at work. Caroline's not a copy of, but she does work in law enforcement. Her job requires her to interact with police officers all the time.

[Caroline]

They come into my place of employment and I have to pass them. I have to interact with them. I see them on elevators. I see them in the hallway. Meanwhile, I've heard the snickering. There's been blatant comments said back and forth in front of me where they know I'm in earshot. I was humiliated to walk into work knowing that rumors were starting to fly and spread about what he had done.

[Andrea Gunning]

Caroline had to face the consequences of Joel's actions every day. And so did the kids. They continued to find out new information. And instead of letting themselves be surprised or hear it through a third party, they wanted to control how and when they heard things. Really, it was the only thing they had control over. Here's their son.

[Caroline]

I wanted to know everything. Complete transparency if someone were to say that my mom shared too much, I think that'd just be continuing this deception. I'd rather find out from my mom so we wouldn't be blindsided randomly in the community. Nobody would want that. The truth hurt, but it was powerful and it was needed. That was the only way to move forward.

[Andrea Gunning]

The rumors were inescapable. Caroline's friend Jen recalls a day Caroline received particularly hurtful news about Joel. She couldn't even talk to anyone about it. It was too much, I think, emotionally, the anger, the hurt, the sadness all comes back. I mean, she spent four days in bed reliving all of it. She basically said, don't come over. I don't wanna see anybody. I cannot deal with anything, Right? So Tom and I dropped off dinner on her doorstep. You know, hey, we're here for you if you need us. All her grief, heartbreak, shame and humiliation was unfair. Joel was able to leave, and she was left with so much destruction when all she did was love and trust her husband. All of this got me thinking about consequences, justice, really. You're going to hear different perspectives on what consequences mean throughout this episode, but I wanted to start with Caroline. What would justice feel like for her? Turns out it's pretty simple.

[Caroline]

It would feel fantastic to be able to walk into professional meetings, to be able to walk into my own employment, to be able to be in the community and not have cops sleep, think, and make blowjob comments next to me.

[Andrea Gunning]

She doesn't want to feel like the butt of a joke, and she wants the support of the people at Joel's job, people she has supported for two decades.

[Caroline]

On a very, very personal note, you know, the people who surrounded him at his profession. The deputy chief is my son's godfather. I have not heard one word from him in the mix of all of this. I have not heard one word from any of the people who my kids and I were ever there for them in their time of need. Not one person has reached out to say, are you and the kids okay? Not one.

[Andrea Gunning]

Joel was able to walk away from the mess without being terminated. Why? Because instead of being fired, he retired. In an earlier episode, you heard Joel meet with his boss, Commander Jeff Strossner. This was at the conclusion of Joel's internal affairs investigation for having sex in his police car while on duty. Strossner found conclusively that Joel had violated five Colorado Springs Police Department policies, including departing from the truth, lying. He let Joel know he was going to recommend him for termination.

[Caroline]

The legislative intent is very clear that we cannot allow peace officers remain employed when they've lied during an IA investigation.

[Andrea Gunning]

Joel's career as a cop would be over. The department set another meeting for two weeks later to make it all final. But that meeting never occurred, because instead of facing termination, Joel chose a path that ensured he'd never hear the words, you're fired. He retired. And just like that, his work problems vanished. A letter about his pending termination was replaced by an email congratulating him on his decades of service just days after his meeting with Commander Strike. How did this happen? Well, our team has been investigating it, and the first thing we discovered is that this happens all the time. Dan, a former CSPD officer, said it's common for cops under investigation to retire.

[Caroline]

Honestly, I was surprised he didn't retire, like the day this came to light. I figured if he knew that this was true and knew how it could end, I'm. I'm truly surprised that it. It just wasn't happened immediately.

[Andrea Gunning]

It appears that Joel waited until after the meeting with Internal affairs and Commander Stroessner when he knew for certain they were onto him and there was no talking his way out of it. But before he officially left the cspd, he took fmla, or family medical leave, and went off to rehab, where his sexual escapades only continued. In taking fmla, Joel stretched his time.

[Caroline]

I hate to say it, but when some guys are circling the drain of their career and getting ready to get fired, they will drag it out as long as possible because they're collecting a paycheck and they might as well as long as they can. And it irks you when you're sitting up there knowing that we're paying somebody that is more than likely going to get fired and did some pretty bad stuff.

[Andrea Gunning]

We also found this troubling. Joel had sex in his police car on the taxpayer's dime, and his consequences amounted to an early retirement, a handshake, and a pat on the back. We contacted Jeff Strossner about it via email. He's now the chief of another police department in Colorado. He pointed out that retirement is managed by a separate agency. Here's some of that email.

[Caroline]

As I am sure you are aware, he retired prior to discipline and retirement is a process managed by the Colorado Fire Police Pension Association. The department has no control if someone decides to retire prior to the execution of discipline and does not have the authority to intervene in the retirement process. It is common for retirement eligible officers who are see the writing on the wall to decide to retire rather than go through the termination process.

[Andrea Gunning]

The police Department wasn't about to interfere with the pension association. They don't have the power to. It seems like once Joel chose to retire and took medical leave, he became untouchable. It turns out we weren't the first to investigate this pattern at the cspd.

[Caroline]

I'm Carly Rose. I'm a multimedia journalist @ Rocky Mountain PBS.

[Andrea Gunning]

Carly reports on the criminal justice system in Colorado. I sat down with her when I was in Colorado Springs. Her team uncovered some alarming patterns among Colorado cops, which we'll get to in a moment. But first I wanted to share one case that tipped her team off to a larger problem.

[Caroline]

Alexander Conoyer was a police officer for the Colorado Springs department and he resigned while under investigation.

[Andrea Gunning]

And 2012, Conoyer was caught having a sexual relationship with the subject of a criminal investigation. He left Wall under investigation and that was perfectly legal. But he was never decertified, meaning he could still work as a cop in Colorado.

[Caroline]

Then he was hired at the Cripple Creek Police Department, and that's where he met Kelly Davis.

[Andrea Gunning]

Davis came into the department to report a possible crime. But then Conoyer started doing exactly what he did back in Colorado Springs. He started messaging her daily and the messages became sexual.

[Caroline]

Him being the police officer had the power in this situation.

[Andrea Gunning]

Kelly Davis eventually reported Knoyer and he was charged with sexual misconduct. But all of this may have been prevented if he'd been terminated and decertified back in Colorado Springs.

[Caroline]

He had already done it at another department and was caught for it, in a sense, in being investigated. But then he left and was able to go to a different department and victimize another woman.

[Andrea Gunning]

Knoyer walked away from the CSPD and went on to another department. The heat from his first IA investigation did nothing to deter him from future misconduct. It didn't deter Joel either. After he admitted to sexual harassment in 2019, he got little more than a write up. And we all know what happened next. Carly and her team wanted to understand how often officers were avoiding termination in cases like this. So they looked at something called the Post database.

[Caroline]

It's a public database of the certifications of these officers as well as certain actions against them like resignations or terminations or if they were under investigation. One thing that really stood out was this action that was titled resignation in lieu of termination and then also resignation while under investigation. We were like, oh, people can resign rather than face the consequences of an investigation.

[Andrea Gunning]

Rocky Mountain PBS reported the story in April 2024. At the time of their report reporting, there were 158 cases in the database in which officers had either resigned in lieu of termination or while under investigation.

[Caroline]

And then about 120 had been terminated.

[Andrea Gunning]

Instead of being held accountable, more officers took the option to walk away, and Joel was one of them.

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[Andrea Gunning]

Are there two sides to every story? Academy Award nominee Robin Wright stars in the girlfriend on prime September 10, a spine tingling psychological thriller that will make you question everything you think you know. Laura has the dream job, the perfect husband and a son she'd die for. But when her beloved Daniel brings home his new girlfriend, Cherry, played by Olivia Cook, something feels off. Is Cherry the sweet, innocent girl she appears to be? Or is there something more manipulative beneath the surface? And how far will a mother go to protect her son? Also starring Lori Davidson, the Girlfriend is a twisted game of cat and mouse where nothing is what it seems and everyone has something to hide. Don't miss the Girlfriend. Streaming exclusively on Prime September 10th. Sometimes the truth is just a matter of perspective. You know what every betrayal story has in common? There are always signs that something isn't right. Just like when your own body turns against you. Sluggish digestion, constant fatigue and trouble losing weight. They're all signs of a disrupted gut. Introducing Bioma, a novel supplement that contains everything you need for a healthy gut. Enjoy comfortable digestion, boundless energy and even smoother weight management when following a healthy lifestyle, just take two Byoma capsules each morning before breakfast and start feeling your best. Visit Byoma Health and use Code betrial to get 15% off your first order. Looking to simplify your health routine Discover Groons, the new way to get your daily greens without the hassle. Say goodbye to messy powders and large pills to swallow. These awesome all in one eight daily gummies are packed with over 20 vitamins, minerals and 60 whole food ingredients. They're vegan, gluten free, and taste just like a fruit snack. And there's great news for parents. Gruyn's Kids has just launched these tasty gummies are specially made for your little ones, packed with everything they need for growth, brain development and immunity. Say goodbye to the drama of getting your little ones to take their vitamins. Don't miss out. Right now you can get up to 45% off your first order. Just use code betrayal at checkout. Make getting your daily Greens the easiest way possible with Groons, where serious nutrition meets serious fun. You're gonna love it. In reporting this season, we've thought a lot about early warning signs, moments when Joel's behavior could have been stopped. Along the way, there were people who raised the alarm on Joel, like the reporter back in 2019. Back then, Joel Kern was up for the job of public information officer at the cspd. The reporter came forward to warn the department that Joel was a problem. While he had served in that role temporarily, he had asked her and other reporters to use WhatsApp to communicate. And after some hedging during an internal affairs investigation, he eventually admitted to sexual harassment.

[Caroline]

I would say that there was a degree of flirtation going on and then sexual innuendo is how I would classify it. Were you trying to get more friendlier with those two? Maybe hoping it might go somewhere? I think if I was honest with myself, then I would say, yeah, that would be an accurate statement.

[Andrea Gunning]

Joel was written up and took himself out of the running for the job. He wasn't suspended or demoted. To us, it felt like there wasn't much of a consequence. But not everyone agrees with that assessment.

[Caroline]

I'm Will Aitchison. I'm a lawyer who practices out of Portland, Oregon. I have represented law enforcement labor organizations for about 45 years.

[Andrea Gunning]

Will has worked on countless disciplinary proceedings, and when it comes to Joel's harassment case, he thinks the department did the best they could with the information they had at the time. After all, Joel said all the right things.

[Caroline]

It always helps an employee to come in and tell the boss, I know I've done something wrong and I apologize for it. He did get a reprimand and he did lose what is considered in law enforcement to be a really good job. So I think that punishment is on the range of reasonableness.

[Andrea Gunning]

We also wanted Will's thoughts on retiring in lieu of termination. He confirmed what Dan and Strossner told us.

[Caroline]

That's actually quite common.

[Andrea Gunning]

Police officers receive job protections like the ability to retire in this way that people in other professions don't. That can be a good thing. These protections prevent new leaders like a chief or mayor from hiring and firing randomly for political or personal reasons.

[Caroline]

We do not want a public employee punished for simply doing their job the way they should.

[Andrea Gunning]

But these protections also mean that cops like Joel get a lot of leeway. We asked Will to read the transcripts from Joel's second disciplinary hearing, the one for having sex in his police car.

[Caroline]

Any police officer reading that transcript would be thoroughly embarrassed by what they were reading and would come up with the conclusion he should be fired. I think ultimately if he had not had this right to retire, the city of Colorado Springs would have terminated him.

[Andrea Gunning]

Former CSPD officer Dan says that for the most part, CSPD employees do serve honorably and the department has procedures in place to eliminate any bad actors.

[Caroline]

You know, that's why you have Internal affairs in those places that are there to try to weed those people out and get rid of them. And I think most officers are going to be of the opinion that the officers that are giving us the black eyed need to go. I will still say to this day that the Colorado Springs Police Department is one of the most ethical departments you're going to find. And 99% of the officers out there are doing it right. They're doing it for the right reason. Reason.

[Andrea Gunning]

Joel ultimately lost his certification to be a cop, but he was never criminally charged. And there are people who see Joel's low key exit as telling that it speaks to a pattern of corruption and favoritism. If you've made the right friends and leadership, you'll get a softer landing on the way out. We heard rumblings about this long before we ever set foot in Colorado because there was somebody posting stories about it online. A whistleblower acting under the name Romy Eastridge. They had a page called the Police Officers Whistleblower Network where they posted story after story of misconduct at the CSPD on the clock affairs, covered up crimes and inconsistent discipline. This whistleblower has remained anonymous until now. After several conversations, she decided to break cover to participate in betrayal.

[Caroline]

I think that in order for these officers to lose the fear of speaking out, I kind of need to lead by example.

[Andrea Gunning]

That's Claudia Aldrich. Claudia has a family member who used to work at the department Claudia's family member went through an internal affairs investigation and experienced what Claudia sees as unfair treatment. Meanwhile, she kept hearing stories about other CSPD cops getting away with bad behavior. And she wanted to shine a light on the double standards within the department. So she started her whistleblower page. She says CSPD cops are too afraid to call out misconduct because of the rules for reporting.

[Caroline]

Apparently they had to go through the chain of command to open an IA Internal affairs investigation.

[Andrea Gunning]

If a cop wants to report misconduct, they typically go to their supervisor. And even if a cop reports misconduct directly to Internal affairs or to another superior, bird gets around quick. Claudia's sources confirmed a long standing question we had about George Joel's sexual activity. Did other employees at CSPD know what Joel was doing at work? The answer is yes, absolutely. But would people report it?

[Caroline]

Who's going to want to do that? Because doing that puts their career on a big red spot.

[Andrea Gunning]

So instead of reporting misconduct, so some officers called Claudia. In one post, Claudia cites three sources in saying, who is going to state.

[Caroline]

The obvious from Gold Hill would walk over to one of us and tell us we had to work the desk.

[Andrea Gunning]

While Curran and her would be holed.

[Caroline]

Up in his office. Everyone knew what he was doing with her during those days. We all just sat and essentially kept watch in case his wife or kids showed up with his lunch. He did that, and you could tell that even the commanders knew it.

[Andrea Gunning]

Here's a former civilian CSPD employee who worked at the same substation as Joel. We'll call her Rennie.

[Caroline]

He would come in before he worked out and said hi. But the only reason he was there was so that everyone could say, well.

[Andrea Gunning]

He was there working out.

[Caroline]

But he was there for the sole purpose to take a shower after his lunchtime activities.

[Andrea Gunning]

Here's Claudia again.

[Caroline]

I actually had one officer call me and said he did the same thing during the riots.

[Andrea Gunning]

She's referring to protests in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd.

[Caroline]

He was telling people to go and basically face rioters while he was in some motel with someone.

[Andrea Gunning]

People knew about Joel long before Caroline ever did. Did they fear the consequences of reporting his misconduct?

[Caroline]

I know that Kern also had a lot of power and a lot of connections.

[Andrea Gunning]

A 24 year veteran of the department who was also willing to sit with us for this project said the same.

[Caroline]

Joel Kern was one of the golden few. Kern was protected.

[Andrea Gunning]

Posts on the whistleblower page allege that Kern was also protecting himself. One says Lt. Kern had a black.

[Caroline]

Book of CSPD dirty deeds that guaranteed him protection.

[Andrea Gunning]

At first we couldn't believe this, but then we heard from employees that keeping records to protect yourself is a common practice.

[Caroline]

When you heard of an instance where a call for service might have involved maybe the mayor, city council, other officers, someone in that sort of political or high level realm, right, the first thing you did was look up that call, quickly print it out, because you were guaranteed within a couple, couple hours that call screen was going to disappear and would not be accessible.

[Andrea Gunning]

When someone calls 91 1, it generates a call screen. Sometimes these are referred to as a call for service. Call screens contain details like the names of the people involved, the location, the nature of the emergency, and notes about the call's progress. This officer and others we spoke with alleged that that the identification numbers of calls for service for high profile individuals would get hidden in the system.

[Caroline]

And so lots of us, and I did it myself, would print out these calls for service. So in the case of some sort of retribution or retaliation, I had a file folder of, all right, if that's.

[Andrea Gunning]

The way we're going to play, then I have this.

[Caroline]

We all protected ourselves, themselves.

[Andrea Gunning]

So employees were keeping dirt on their superiors. Why? Because they didn't trust their leadership. How can a police force function that way? The story of the call screens surprised law enforcement attorney Will Aitchison.

[Caroline]

You definitely have an accountability problem, if that in fact occurred. Yeah, I'm very surprised by that. These officers were fighting without anybody knowing. And nobody knows that these poor cops have to go out in the street and not just watch the back, but also watch the surroundings where they're in their department among their own peers.

[Andrea Gunning]

Cops knew the deal. They weren't all going to be treated fairly. It was all about who you were or who you were friends with. On the next episode of Betrayal. There were times that he hit me. There were times that he threw me across the room in front of the kids. They get this case against him and.

[Caroline]

Unsurprisingly, they decline to prosecute.

[Andrea Gunning]

Thank you for listening to Betrayal Season four. If you would like to reach out to the Betrayal team, email [e-mail] that's betrayalpodmail.com also please be sure to follow us on Instagram betrayalpod and me andreah gunning for all Betrayal content, news and updates. One way to support the series is by subscribing to our show on Apple Podcasts. Please rate and review Betrayal 5 star reviews. Help us know you appreciate what we do. Betrayal is a production of Glass Podcasts, a division of Glass Entertainment Group in partnership with Iheart Podcasts. The show is executive produced by Nancy Glass and Jennifer Faison. Betrayal is hosted and produced by me, Andrea Gunning, written and produced by Carrie Hartman also produced by Ben Fetterman. Our associate producers are Caitlin golden and Kristin Melchiori. Our iHeart team is Ali Perry and Jessica Krynczyk. Story editing by Most, Monique Laborde Audio editing and mixing by Matt d' Alvecchio editing by Tanner Robbins Special thanks to voice actors Todd Ganz and Andrew Callaway and special thanks to Caroline and her family. Betrayal's theme is composed by Oliver Baines. Music Library provided by Mind Music and for more podcasts from iHeart, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Caroline]

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[Caroline]

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