Retired Denver police appeal to mayor to appoint new safety manager amid firings and questions of fairness - The Denver Post
Retired Denver police appeal to mayor to appoint new safety manager amid firings and questions of fairness - The Denver Post A group of retired Denver police officers is calling on incoming Mayor Michael Hancock to appoint a new safety manager who is fair and understands risks officers face in the streets. Current Safety Manager Charles Garcia has fired an unprecedented six officers since taking office, and Mary Mala testa, his predecessor, terminated two others, bringing the total since March to eight. Three officers were terminated in all of 2010 and one in each of the prior three years, according to the independent monitor's 2010 annual report. As a result of the firings, rank-and-file police now fear that if they do their jobs as aggressively as sometimes is required, they might be wrongfully terminated, said retired Denver Police Chief Jim Collier. Hancock was out of town Thursday and not available for comment, said his spokeswoman Amber Miller. In an e-mail, Ann Williams, spokeswoman for Mayor Guillermo "Bill" Vidal, who appointed Garcia, said, "Mayor Vidal, Manager Garcia and our entire team is proud of the work we've done to address issues in the Department of Safety since January." The union that represents police claims that Garcia, a former public defender, doesn't understand the difficulties of controlling suspects on the street. The union has also accused Garcia of bias against police and heavy-handed and unfair discipline. Collier plans to read a statement Tuesday on behalf of 700 retirees calling on Hancock to replace Garcia with a manager who is fair. But he insists that they aren't looking just for a lenient manager.
2 comments:
Police want someone who will overlook the bad behaviour. No one can overlook the poor attitudes. Look at the ones who retired. They freely sign a paper that accuses someone of wrong doing for which they have done nothing to investigate. Sounds familiar.
Ya just gotta wonder whatever happened to shame. It's not like these policemen were innocent of any wrongdoing; they're victims of am unfair safety manager. What shocks me even more is that these police weren't charged with a crime. If any one of us were to be VIDEOTAPED assaulting someone, or if our actions cost the city millions of dollars, and made a mockery out of what they like to call public safety, we'd be either in prison, or some other place where we wouldn't want to show our face. Shame on the former chief for defending the indefensible. Shame on the DPD and DSD for not recognizing that when you're wrong, you admit it. You take your medicine and move on. The police would have us believe that they're job is so dangerous. It doesn't even rank in the top 50 when it comes to dangerous occupations in this country. They need to give themselves a break because the rest of don't need one!!!
Post a Comment