Last August, while off duty, the Colorado State Patrol says Ross was quote actively road raging on I-25. Troopers say his actions caused an uninvolved vehicle to swerve and roll over. The State Patrol says Ross fled the scene. The off-duty cop later told investigators he didn't see a crash, but his wife told investigators she did see the crash and mentioned it to her husband who said it wasn't their fault. Ross is facing charges of reckless driving and failing to report an accident, both misdemeanors. >> In Colorado, a police officer is facing criminal charges after a road rage crash. According to court records, the officer allegedly caused a collision, then fled the scene. Despite that, he remains a sworn law enforcement officer. Not retired, not decertified, still carrying police powers. His name is Jack Ross. And this case raises a question that keeps coming up across the country. How many chances should a police officer get before the public pays the price? Fin blue lies, baby. This case was first reported by CBS News Colorado based on court records, charging documents, and interviews with police officials. Jack Ross has worked for multiple police departments in Colorado. Records show he resigned from at least one agency while under internal investigation. Instead of ending his law enforcement career, Ross was later hired by another department, the police department in Silver Plume, Colorado. This isn't rare. Small and rural departments often struggle to recruit officers, and some chiefs openly admit they are willing to hire what they call second chance cops. >> The videos are slick. fast-paced, >> rock and roll, >> and designed to sell the job. With fewer people applying to be police officers, departments are competing for a shrinking pool of candidates. And in small towns in Colorado, that competition comes with pressure. >> We're not going to get the guy that wants to work for the big agency. You've got guys that want to see all the action down in Denver. We we've got people that sometimes just chase the money, right? We we don't pay $120,000 a year. And so, we have to go through with the applicants that we get, and we have to find the best fit for us as an agency. And the majority of the time that works out, and sometimes it doesn't. >> Scott Sedgwick is police chief in Hudson, 30 miles northeast of Denver. He runs a department of 12 officers. >> Every single day I come to work, and I try to make the best decisions for this town that I possibly can. >> But best sometimes means officers who left their last department with questions, like Hayden Anderson. State records show he resigned from the Longmont Police Department while under internal investigation. Sedgwick says that case involved allegations of excessive force, but he disagreed with the findings and hired Anderson anyway. Or Vanessa Trujillo. >> Um again, my name is Vanessa Trujillo. Um previous experience is banking. >> State records show she resigned from the Parker Police Department in 2024 while facing termination. The department said she exhibited documented dishonesty, a pattern of intentional misrepresentations, and she was repeatedly caught driving around Parker between 80 and 93 miles an hour while on routine patrol, egregiously exceeding the speed limit, said Parker PD. And she provided unbelievable excuses about repeatedly sleeping on duty. Prosecutors later issued a letter saying she had exhibited untruthfulness. Sedgwick hired her anyway. >> We found some uh uh things in the investigation that we didn't necessarily agree with. >> Sedgwick also hired Jack Ross. Ross left the Alt Police Department in 2023 while he was under investigation for failing to arrest a suspect. Ross moved to the Keenesburg Police Department before Hudson offered him more money. >> I believe in second chances and I think there are some really good officers who maybe have made a mistake in the past or had some issues with their current command staff who go to another agency and they thrive and they flourish and they do a great job. >> But last August, while off duty, the Colorado State Patrol says Ross was, quote, "actively road raging on I-25." Troopers say his actions caused an uninvolved vehicle to swerve and roll over. The State Patrol says Ross fled the scene. The off-duty cop later told investigators he didn't see a crash, but his wife told investigators she did see the crash and mentioned it to her husband who said, "It wasn't their fault." Ross is facing charges of reckless driving and failing to report an accident, both misdemeanors. >> How serious is that, not just for a citizen, but for a police officer? >> I think it's very serious. >> Sedgwick says Ross never disclosed the incident. The department learned about it from a tip. Ross resigned while under investigation. >> Would you rehire him? >> No. >> How come? >> I believe he was untruthful. >> And this is where this stops being about one officer. This is about a system that allows officers to resign quietly, avoid termination, and then reappear in another jurisdiction. It's often called officer recycling. When departments don't fully share misconduct histories, when decertification is rare, and when accountability depends on geography, the problem doesn't disappear. It just moves. If a civilian caused a crash and fled the scene, their job wouldn't protect them. If a civilian had a history of workplace investigations, they wouldn't be trusted with public authority. But police officers operate under a different standard, not because the law requires it, but because departments allow it. >> Facing a possible firing by the Hudson Police Department for untruthfulness, Jack Ross left and looked for another job in law enforcement. He didn't have to look long, and he didn't have to go far, just about 8 miles down this road. Back to Keenesburg, where he had worked before. Despite two resignations during internal affairs investigations into his conduct, and despite a pending hit-and-run case, Keenesburg rehired Jack Ross. >> Um we had a um an employment with history with him. Um I know what kind of police officer he is. I know what how well he integrates into the community here, and you know, um I I made that that decision um to to bring him back. >> Was he the best candidate you could find? >> Um he he was a a viable candidate, and in my opinion, a good fit for our town. >> But if someone else applied today with a similar criminal case? >> Would you would consider a cop that came today with that on his record? >> With a a hit-and-run pending? >> A pending hit-and-run? >> Yeah, probably not. >> Jensen says he believes in Ross and believes in redemption. The same philosophy applies to another cop on the force, Scott Purdy. He was one of three officers fired by Denver Police in 2024 after joking on a text thread about shooting migrants for target practice. >> And he made a dumb comment that um that looks very bad um and it is bad. >> In quiet corners of Colorado, police departments are staffed with officers getting second and sometimes third chances, a practice that tests public trust. >> My objective is to give them the best uh police department that they can afford. And so I I hire the best cops that I can find. >> Do you think that undermines public confidence in policing? >> I think it can, yes. Sometimes it's easier to have the vacancy than it is to fill the position. >> Both chiefs told Brian they look at each case individually, adding the cases can be complex and nuanced. >> As for Jack Ross, he is still on the job in Kingsburg and has another court date in that hit-and-run case next month. >> Second chances matter. But policing isn't a do-over program. A badge isn't a reset button. And authority isn't a reward for surviving past investigations. When officers can resign under scrutiny, reappear somewhere else, and keep full police powers, that's not accountability. That's risk transferred to the public. Sunlight didn't create this problem. It just caught it doing what it always does. Thin blue lies, baby. Hey, if you're still here, that tells me two things. One, you actually care about accountability. And two, YouTube hasn't scared you off yet. So, here's the deal. If this video brought you value, do the YouTube things. Like it, share it, subscribe. That's how this channel keeps exposing nonsense without corporate filters. If you want to support the work directly, there's a know-your-rights guide and other resources linked below at k o {dash} f i {dot} com {slash} thin blue lies media. And for the few of you who've asked, there's also official merch linked below. No hype, no drop. It's just there if the message resonates. However you support the work, watching, sharing, reading, wearing it, or just sticking around, I appreciate you being here. Thin blue lies, baby. >> Internal review, paid vacation. Taxpayers fund the explanation. Say officer safety real loud, real fast. Funny how rights are a thing of the past. >> I'm not the hero, I'm not the guy. Just pointing out the thin blue lies. I don't run, I don't fight. I just hit record and let them decide. Yeah, I hit record and let them decide.