Tony Kovaleski joined the CALL7 Investigators in May 2001 adding experience and tenacity to one of the most respected and honored investigative teams in the nation.

Since arriving in Denver, his award-winning investigations have forced elected leaders to change laws and public policy in Colorado and nationwide, forced disreputable companies to close their doors, and have lead to criminal convictions. His tenacity has pushed politicians to answer questions they would prefer to ignore and it has helped to cement the CALL7 Investigators reputation as a team that can be trusted to hold people accountable.

In 2009, Kovaleski’s investigative documentary “33 Minutes to 34 Right” changed the way emergency ambulances respond to crisis situations at Denver International Airport including a full-time ambulance stationed at DIA – something that had not existed since the airport opened. The documentary chronicled, minute-by-minute, Denver’s ambulance response to the crash of Continental Flight 1404 on Dec. 20, 2008. More than 100 people were on the 737 when it slid from Runway 34 Right and burst into flames. It took the first ambulance 33 minutes to arrive at the crash site, causing Denver’s mayor to call for immediate change in emergency response policies and procedures of the city’s largest hospital. This followed a series of reports by Kovaleski that aired months before the crash and exposed flaws and delays in the emergency ambulance response to DIA. Those delays ultimately cost one man his life.

Just three months after the documentary aired, a Denver paramedic called 7NEWS and said the presence of a full-time ambulance at DIA had already saved at least six people’s lives.

“33 Minutes to 34 Right” was honored with four national awards for journalism including the Sigma Delta Chi, Edward R. Murrow, National Headliner Award, and the duPont-Columbia Award – the highest award in television journalism and bestowed by the same organization that awards the Pulitzer Prize.

Kovaleski’s source-driven reporting has allowed the CALL7 Investigators to break significant key information on several major Denver-area stories including the hunt for the killer of Denver Broncos player Darrent Williams, critical failures with Denver’s 911 system, and the death of 24-year old Emily Rice while in Denver’s jail. Kovaleski discovered there was 64 seconds of surveillance video that could have helped explain her death, but had mysteriously vanished from the city’s recording system.

In 2009, when a man from Aurora planned to bomb subway trains in New York City, Kovaleski followed the case from the very beginning and he broke significant new details almost daily. Kovaleski’s reporting ultimately earned the trust of Denver’s FBI – the agency that broke the case and arrested Najibullah Zazi.

The FBI’s incredible work was detailed in a documentary produced by Kovaleski and the CALL7 Investigative team titled, “The Colorado Terrorist: Inside the Case of Najibullah Zazi.” The documentary showed how Denver’s FBI responded to, what they called, “the most significant terrorist threat since 9/11.”

In 2006, Kovaleski’s investigation into the Federal Air Marshal Service exposed a series of major nationwide system failures. An unprecedented 17 current and former Air Marshals in four states spoke on camera to the CALL7 Investigators. They shared and exposed a series of critical public safety failures inside the Federal Air Marshal Service. These security breakdowns exposed a significant waste in federal tax dollars, placing the flying public in danger on a daily basis.

The CALL7 Investigators expertly use a variety of tools to gather information including sources throughout Colorado, intense database analysis and the most advanced hidden cameras of any Denver television station.

Kovaleski has used those hidden cameras to show the state-appointed board members of Pinnacol Assurance on a lavish junket to the Pebble Beach resort in California, showed how a Colorado Medical Marijuana certificate could be obtained with just an earache and $50, and exposed a Denver towing company taking cars illegally.

Hidden cameras were also rolling in 2007 when the CALL7 Investigative team discovered mismanagement at the Colorado Humane Society. Kovaleski’s report uncovered the misappropriation of donations to the shelter as well as managers discarding euthanized pets in a Dumpster instead of having them cremated as the pets’ owners were promised. The management was forced out and the name Colorado Humane Society has been turned over to a new organization.

In 2006, a hidden camera report by Kovaleski showed how felons, including those who had served time for fraud and other financial crimes, were allowed to operate in Colorado as mortgage brokers. Soon after the report aired, the state legislature changed the law forcing mortgage brokers in Colorado to undergo background checks and to be licensed.

In November 2002, Kovaleski used hidden cameras to chronicle judges playing golf, hiking, biking and visiting the day spa, instead of attending the taxpayer funded conference. The series of reports also exposed two veteran judges falsely submitting affidavits to the state's highest court claiming they spent time in classes they never attended. Following the reports, the two judges resigned their positions on the bench.

While at KMGH-TV, Kovaleski has traveled the country covering some of the nation’s biggest stories. He was the only Denver television journalist to report from New York City after the attacks on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. For nearly two weeks, he provided Denver viewers up-close and exclusive reports on the aftermath of the 9/11 attack. In 2005, Kovaleski traveled to Biloxi, Miss., and reported on the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Later that year, he was in East Texas, reporting on the impact of Hurricane Rita.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) forced car maker Volvo to extend warranty protections after Kovaleski’s 2005 investigations exposed potentially dangerous problems with electronic throttle modules in several models of Volvo vehicles.

As mentioned above, a series of CALL7 Investigations exposed breakdowns in Denver's 911 system that placed callers on hold and dangerously delayed emergency responses. Kovaleski uncovered several examples of critical emergency calls going unanswered for several minutes. Following his reports, Denver's Police Department examined its systems and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper increased staffing and approved millions of dollars in equipment upgrades.

His work over more than two decades has been honored with numerous awards for journalism including the duPont-Columbia, Edward R. Murrow, Sigma Delta Chi and National Headliner award. His 24 Emmy Awards include recognition for writing, investigative reporting, live reporting and journalistic enterprise. In 2004 and 2006, the Colorado Broadcasters Association named Kovaleski the state’s “Best Specialty Reporter.” He has been honored several times by the Associated Press and the Radio Television Digital News Association. In 1997, the Texas Associated Press named Kovaleski that state's "Reporter of the Year."

During his career he has covered several high-profile national stories, including the Sept. 11 attacks on New York City, the Kobe Bryant trial, the OJ Simpson trial and verdict, election night 2000 in Austin, Texas, with then Gov. George W. Bush, the 2000 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia as well as the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. Kovaleski also reported from the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver. Other notable stories include the Timothy McVeigh trial and verdict, Hurricane Brett's assault on the Texas coast in 1999 and the 2002 Hayman Fire in Colorado.

His reporting and investigations have been featured on CNN, ABC's Good Morning America, ABC’s "20/20" and CNN’s "Larry King Live."

Kovaleski was born in Michigan and grew up in San Jose, Calif. He graduated from San Jose State University with a degree in broadcast journalism. He is a faculty member of the National Center for Courts and Media with the University of Nevada’s Reynolds School of Journalism. He is also a member of Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), the professional organization for investigative journalists. During his career, he worked for KIEM-TV in Eureka, Calif., KTVN-TV in Reno, Nev., KTVK-TV and KNXV-TV in Phoenix, and KPRC-TV in Houston.

Some of the best stories from 7NEWS Investigates come from viewer tips, so please call the Denver's 7 tip line at (303) 832-0200 or send Tony and John Ferrugia an e-mail if you have a story idea.

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