Denver’s executive director of public safety announced he’s stepping down to lead the Colorado Bureau of Investigation amidst a statewide scandal involving manipulation of DNA.

Armando Saldate III — who was nominated by Mayor Michael Hancock in January 2022 and was nominated again by Mayor Mike Johnston in November 2023 — is officially stepping down from the role on Friday.

Saldate started his career as the top police recruit with the Phoenix Police Department in 1993. He eventually joined the Denver Sheriff Department as a senior investigator, and later served as a supervisor in DSD’s Data Science Unit and as the Civilian Commander in the Internal Affairs Bureau.

It was expected, as The Denver Gazette reported the move July 9, with Saldate set to take over the role of former CBI Director Chris Schaefer, who retired in May after 30 years. Saldate begins on Monday, overseeing around 400 employees.

Schaefer officially retired from his position on May 2 amidst the ongoing Yvonne “Missy” Woods case — that shook the CBI to its core with shredded credibility and will end up costing Colorado taxpayers millions.

But, according to Schaefer, the retirement was always planned to fall on his 30-year anniversary with the bureau and had nothing to do with the recent investigations, according to a news release from CBI. 

The CBI scandal first broke open in November 2023 after an intern at the lab alerted supervisors of problems with the work of Woods, a superstar analyst for the bureau. 

Following an internal review, CBI found 1,022 problems in her past forensic work, dating back nearly three decades. That translates to roughly one-in-10 of the more than 10,700 cases she worked on during her tenure at the lab. 

The scandal has already sent waves across the Colorado justice system. 

For example, Michael Clark was released from prison on April 14 after 12-and-a-half years, serving a life sentence without parole for a first-degree murder charge he has said for 30 years he did not commit.

Boulder County District Judge Nancy Salomone vacated Clark’s first-degree murder conviction on April 11 after it was revealed the DNA evidence once used against him was now suspect, being part of the investigation into Woods.

Woods now faces 102 felony counts, including cybercrime, perjury, attempt to influence a public servant and forgery. She is awaiting trial.

Now, Saldate will be brought in to “carry out the CBI’s mission to be the state’s leading resource of exceptional law enforcement assistance to local, county and state criminal justice agencies,” according to a CBI press release Friday.

Department of Public Safety Chief of Staff Jeff Holliday will serve as Denver’s acting executive director as the process to appoint the department’s next leader begins, according to a press release from the city.

Saldate’s salary in 2023 was around $211,000, with a potential raise up to over $240,000 in the works.

CBI declined to release Saldate’s salary unless The Denver Gazette files a Colorado Open Records Act request, which it will.

“After spending a decade with this remarkable department, I can truly say that serving as Denver’s Executive Director of Public Safety has been one of the greatest privileges of my career,” Saldate said in the release. “I’ve had the honor of working alongside passionate public safety staff who have faced immense challenges with strength and integrity, and I am most proud of their unwavering resilience.”

“We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Armando Saldate and our deepest thanks for his years of dedicated service to the City of Denver,” Johnston said. “Armando has led the Department of Public Safety with integrity, steady leadership, and a deep commitment to our community. His impact will be felt for years to come, and we wish him all the best in this next chapter.”

Saldate replaces interim director Rebecca Spiess, according to the CBI, who has been in that role since Schaefer retired.

Saldate becomes CBI’s 12th director. It was formed in 1967.

Denver Gazette reporter Jenny Deam contributed to this report.