Denver’s ‘drunk tank’ grapples with rights violations, funding crisis – Denver Gazette

Denver’s ‘drunk tank’ grapples with rights violations, funding crisis  Denver Gazette

Two years after a federal jury found Denver CARES violated patients’ constitutional rights, questions remain about safeguards against unlawful detention as a funding dispute threatens the detox facility’s future. A trip to Red Rocks Amphitheatre to celebrate a 10th wedding anniversary ended with a North Carolina woman detained for 11 hours in Denver’s “drunk tank” — and a $670 bill for her stay. It’s been nearly a decade since Leigh Ann Midgett asked a police officer for help finding her seat and ended up being held at Denver CARES and two years since a federal jury found the facility violated her Fourth Amendment rights. Officials at Denver Health, which operates the detox facility, have declined to say what safeguards were implemented following the verdict to prevent people from being unlawfully detained against their will.

A policy obtained by The Denver Gazette through a Colorado Open Records Act request shows that staff are tasked with determining whether someone is under the influence or incapacitated by substances and poses a clear danger before holding that person involuntarily — as state law requires. But the six-page policy, adopted in April 2025, does not specify how staff independently determine whether someone poses a danger to themselves or others — a central question in the lawsuit. “Our policies and protocols have evolved over the years