Security issues plague Denver EPA office, lawmakers and employees say

A suspicious package, requiring Denver's bomb squad. Issues calling 911 from inside federal offices. A malfunctioning public address system that doesn't reliably broadcast, whether that be for tornadoes or threats.

Democratic lawmakers are demanding answers from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over a series of security and safety issues at its regional headquarters near Denver's Union Station.

The concerns - some stretching back years - come as the Trump administration has displayed hostility towards federal workers and the EPA itself. President Trump has pushed to weaken protections for federal employees; the administration has also slashed thousands of jobs, including from the EPA.


Some of the Denver building's issues have created "a deeply hazardous working environment for our federal workers," according to a letter sent to EPA head Lee Zeldin from Colorado politicians Brittany Pettersen, Diana DeGette, John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet on June 26.

"Unfortunately, it appears that the agency's foundational values of employee safety and reliable communication are not being upheld," they added.

CPR News also spoke to several current and former EPA employees, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to confirm details in the letter or to raise their own concerns without retaliation from management. And at least one employee, who left before this year, said they felt safe inside the building during their years-long tenure.

Justin Chen, President of AFGE Council 238, which represents more than 8,000 EPA employees and is its largest union, said a lack of communication about safety issues has eroded trust between workers and political leadership.

"This is just a continual assault, basically, upon civil servants within the agency," he said.

The EPA did not answer detailed questions about any of the security concerns raised in the letter or additional events flagged by CPR News.

In an email, Katherine Jenkins, the regional public affairs director, said that the agency has "received the [lawmaker] letter and will respond through the appropriate channels."

Vague threat and suspicious package

The EPA Region 8 headquarters office oversees the agency's operations for six Western states and 28 tribal nations. The office is responsible for superfund cleanup, emergency management, water quality testing, and other environmental and public health issues in the region. The building itself is privately owned; the federal government leases space there for the EPA.

The building has "airport-style security screening for visitors," according to the EPA's website. But that only applies once visitors cross an airy lobby and atrium and head up steep steps to a small security checkpoint.

Entering the building itself does not require an ID, and the building has other tenants. To actually reach EPA cubicles, employees need to swipe their badges at an elevator and again when they reach their offices.

That set-up is common - several EPA offices nationwide lease work space from commercial buildings that have a variety of other tenants, according to Chen.

In recent months, several security issues have popped up.

On March 25, 2026, Lance McCluney, who oversees Region 8's human relations and IT work, emailed employees to report that a caller had "generally threatened EPA and the State of Colorado," according to an email reviewed by CPR News.

"At this time there is no known or specific hazard for our staff or building," McCluney wrote. But in their letter, lawmakers allege that agency leadership did not provide additional information about the threat, and left employees questioning their safety and security.

Just over a week later, at around 7:30 a.m. on April 2, Denver Police Department (DPD) officers patrolling near the EPA building noticed a "black square package wrapped in duct-tape, with an orange cable sticking out of one of the sides," according to a police report.

Officers blocked off foot traffic in a perimeter near Union Station, and called Denver's bomb squad to investigate. Bomb squad detectives expanded the perimeter once they saw the device, which one officer said was as big as a shoe-box, according to the report.

At this point, it was clear that something was happening, according to one EPA employee who saw flashing lights and bomb technicians. But EPA staffers "received no direction on whether to evacuate or remain home" according to the lawmaker letter.

Employees were still able to freely enter and exit the building because leadership didn't issue a shelter-in-place or evacuation order, according to the letter.

"It appeared local management was reluctant to make decisions," the letter said.

Even if a warning had gone out, the building's emergency alert system wouldn't have gone off on the fifth floor, according to employees and the letter, which said the system doesn't work there.

Meanwhile, detectives in bomb suits approached the package … and soon realized it was a jerry-rigged battery, not an improvised explosive. They packed it up and took it apart at a separate location, according to a DPD spokesperson and the police report, which said that the case was closed and "no crime occurred."

One EPA employee, who said they were very confused, said they didn't hear from leadership until after the scare had passed.

McCluney emailed building employees at 8:35 a.m., more than an hour after police activity began, according to an email reviewed by CPR News. He said that the building was closed off "for a brief period," but that "officials have assured me that there was nothing for us to be concerned about."

McCluney also wrote that DPD detonated the package across the street, and the EPA employee said that multiple staffers heard a loud noise.

DPD has denied detonating the package in multiple emails and in the police report.

A mannequin in the atrium, a bullet in the window

The Denver building's atrium has had issues. The area around Union Station saw a spike in drug and alcohol-related crimes during the pandemic, according to Denver city data, and a torrent of news coverage around perceived safety concerns.

Several employees said that for years, the atrium featured a full-size mannequin dressed as a security guard. The mannequin would be strategically placed near the reception desk, and moved around by receptionists. It even featured in a holiday party, according to a photo provided by an employee.

Employees posited that it was used as a deterrent, its silhouette resembling an actual guard through the windows and on the street.

It's unclear who initially placed the mannequin in the lobby or when it was removed. Colliers International, which manages the atrium area, according to a sign on the building, did not return a request for comment. The EPA did not answer questions about the mannequin.

In August 2024, a bullet pierced - but did not shatter - a window in the lobby, according to tDPD. The bullet came from an unrelated shooting nearby.

In 2025, "Utah CopWatch," which bills itself as a "police accountability" group, livestreamed themselves walking into the EPA building, to ask some questions and "have transparency with our government," according to one streamer.

The members milled around the atrium area, falsely said the entire building was a public facility, and tried to speak to several workers inside.

"What's so funny, besides your face?" said a streamer to an employee who declined their questions. Another streamer loudly cursed at police officers who entered the building, and said they violated her First Amendment rights.

The CopWatch group eventually left, according to the video.

The bullet, mannequin and CopWatch incident were not flagged in the lawmaker letter. The EPA did not answer questions about whether the bullet or CopWatch incident changed any security protocols.

You used to call me on my (desk) phone

A few years ago, the agency began replacing hard-wired desk phones with "soft phones," which route calls through a computer. One employee said the effort was started to facilitate a rise in remote work that began during the pandemic.

But the new system had issues that were never corrected, and there's been insufficient testing and training on the new system, according to Chen, the union president.

One employee said they were still unsure whether the soft phones could actually dial through to 911 during emergencies, unlike their previous phones.

Management told employees to use their personal cell phones to dial 911 if anything happened, according to the lawmaker letter. But parts of the building don't have any cell service, according to the letter and an employee.

"Just not knowing whether or not the phone will call 911 in Denver is concerning," said the employee."

Chen stressed that the phone and other building security issues could be fixed, but would require coordination between employees and Region 8 leadership - communication he said is not adequate.

"The bare minimum thing that needs to occur, of course, is that management actually needs to communicate with the employees," he said.

An EPA employee echoed that assertion, saying more communication from management was warranted.

"All these things keep snowballing, and feel like they're getting bigger," they said. "But a lot of people don't feel like they are being addressed."