Denver mayor: Wait for reforms before having feds investigate Police Department

By Jeremy P. Meyer
The Denver Post

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock on Friday dismissed a call for a U.S. Department of Justice review of the city's police department, saying new leadership and an adherence to the reform plan for the department need to be given a chance.

"We have begun the process to really restore the trust," Hancock said. "I say, keep working the plan that we have developed, and we will see where it goes. But I believe we have the right people in place to help us get where we need to be."

The department recently got a new leader in Chief Robert White, only the second chief from outside of the Denver department, who took office in December vowing a new era of trust. Denver Safety Manager Alex Martinez also is new, having started in November.

Richard Rosenthal, who as the city's independent monitor has been Denver's law enforcement watchdog for seven years, on Thursday issued a report critical of the Police Department's Internal Affairs Bureau. The crux of his assertion: Investigators have a bias when looking into alleged misconduct by police officers.

Rosenthal's report was slammed by Martinez, a former Colorado Supreme Court justice, who called it "nitpicky" and said the findings wouldn't have changed the outcome of any investigation.

In response, Rosenthal said the civil rights division of the U.S. Department of Justice should investigate the Denver Police Department.

Hancock said he wasn't bothered by the spat between the two city officials that played out in the media.

"We are taking on a major issue, and you should expect this sort of thing to occur at times as people work and are passionate about doing it right," he said. "That's why very smart people sometimes have to have this public debate. ... Just keep it focused on the objective, as opposed to the personal issues."

Rosenthal's last day as the city's first-ever independent monitor was Friday. He announced his resignation weeks ago to set up a similar system for Vancouver, British Columbia.

Rosenthal said Friday that he had not contacted the Department of Justice.

Hancock also said his administration has begun the process to find Rosenthal's successor and expects to have a number of people named to a search committee soon.

Hancock agreed with Rosenthal's assessment of the Internal Affairs Bureau, saying he has long been concerned about the investigations. He said getting new leadership in place was the first priority.

"The next frontier is the Internal Affairs Bureau, and we have not begun that process," Hancock said. "The best thing to do is to look at how other cities have done it. .?.?. But first we need to get the leadership in place, and I think that is always the foundation and the first step in anything."

The Citizen Oversight Board ? a seven-person panel that assesses the effectiveness of the Independent Monitor's Office ? met Friday and issued a statement that it supported Rosenthal's report and encouraged Hancock to fill Rosenthal's position in a "timely fashion."

"I think it is unfortunate that (the report) is being seen as a slap in the face of the Police Department and the Department of Safety," said Mary Davis, board chairwoman. "That was not the intent. It is to ensure that solid investigations are done and police officers and citizens are being treated fairly."

Davis said the board did not make a decision on whether a Justice Department review of the Police Department is necessary but added, "If in (Rosenthal's) view that is the best route to take, then we trust his judgment."

Thomas Perez, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department's civil rights division, said in May that his department was on the "threshold stage" of deciding whether to investigate Denver's law enforcement agencies.

A 2004 call for a federal investigation of Denver police was blunted by then-Mayor John Hickenlooper's creation of the independent monitor position and the Citizen Oversight Board. Hancock, who was a city councilman at the time, voted to support the creation of the position.

Under the Obama administration, the Justice Department has opened more investigations of police misconduct than ever before, said Xochitl Hinojosa, spokeswoman for the department.

Denver City Councilman Paul Lopez, chairman of the council's committee on public safety, said he would welcome an investigation. "Given the cases that we have seen come across our desks, I think there needs to be an investigation," he said. "Basically, if there is evidence of wrongdoing in terms of lying in these cases, and if it's clear that officers should be reprimanded for their actions, and if we don't do that, then I would support an investigation by the Department of Justice."

Jeremy P. Meyer: 303-954-1367, jpmeyer@denverpost.com or twitter.com/jpmeyerDPost

Source: http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_19693136?source=rss

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