From
the 1960’s to present day, the corruption behind the Denver Police
has worsened, In the twelve years from 1998 to 2010, no Denver police
officer was charged with excessive force. During this period, 86
people were shot by Denver police officers, resulting in 40 deaths.
1960
In
1960, the largest police corruption scandal in the U.S. to date began
to unfold. More than 50 area law-enforcement personnel - almost
entirely Denver Police Officers were caught in a burglary ring. Cops
had stolen over a quarter of a million dollars from businesses they
were supposed to be protecting on their beats over a ten-year period.
Police cars would close down a few blocks of a major business avenue,
such as University or Broadway, then burgle and steal the safes from
the businesses along the closed down portion of the street. Alarms
would be going off all up and down the street, they would take their
loot, then respond to the alarms and take the reports. It all came to
a crashing halt when an officer named Art Winstanley literally had a
safe fall out of the back of his police cruiser. He testified against
his fellow officers and the by the end of 1961, 47 police officers
had lost their badges. You can read more about this article @
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_14407534
1979
In
2008, newspapers reported on a 1979 video that showed Sergeant Arthur
Hutchinson addressing a group of police recruits. He used the terms
“niggers,” “beaners,” “greasers” and “homos" to
describe them. He asked one woman in the class "Is the real
reason you came on here is because you just wanted to have access to
1,400 guys to fuck?"
Sergeant
Hutchinson went on to serve as the chief of police in Eagle,
Colorado
for
a year, and then as the chief in Black
Hawk, Coloradofrom
1996 to 2006. You may read more about this article @
http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2008/08/denver_police_training_video.php
1999
In
September, 1999 a Denver Police SWAT team performed a no-knock
raid
on
the home of 45-year-old Mexican national, Ismael Mena, believing
there to be drugs in the house. Police said that Mena pulled a gun on
officers and opened fire, necessitating deadly force be used.
Allegations of a police coverup of the shooting were never
substantiated. Information from Mexican authorities indicated that
Mena was a suspect in a homicide there. No drugs were found on the
premise. Media and critics of the police department's handling of the
situation have pointed out inconsistencies in officers' stories.
Joseph Bini, the officer who gave the address to the SWAT team, was
charged with first-degree official misconduct, and sentenced to 12
months probation. The city of Denver later settled a lawsuit filed by
Mena's family for $400,000. It was later determined that police
targeted the wrong house having gotten the information from an
unreliable informant who claimed to have purchased $20 of crack
cocaine on the premises. You can read more on how the case was
covered up by police @
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/testimony-stirs-questions-over-fatal-no-knock-raid
2006
In
February 2006 Amy Shro ff was attacked by her estranged husband as
she tried to enter a Denver police station. She showed Officer Frank
Spellman the restraining order that protected her from the man. Officer
Spellman then arrested Shroff. On 28 June 2010, the Denver City
Council agreed to pay $175,000 to settle a civil suit on the matter.
You can read more on this article @
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_15386978
2007
In
September 2009, Denver paid $225,000 to the family of Alberto
Romero. Romero died after being
beaten
and repeatedly tasered by city police officers in 2007. You can read
more on this article @ http://www.denverpost.com/ci_6386600
2008
On
April 4, 2008, John Heaney was riding his bicycle past the stadium
and allegedly ran a red light. He was stopped by Detective Micheal
Cordova who was in plainclothes because he was working a sting
operation against ticket scalpers. Cordova testified in court under
oath that Heaney swung and punched at him several times, forcing
Cordova to punch back. Cordova said Heaney “continued to throw wild
punches at me, hitting me in the chest area several times forcing me
to punch him in the face several times”. When he was asked how
Heaney’s two front teeth were broken, Cordova responded, “I have
not a clue.” John Heaney was charged with assault on a police officer
and faced a minimum 3 year sentence, before a video tape surfaced
showing it was Detective Cordova who attacked Heaney, tackling him,
punching him in the face several times, and finally smashing his
teeth into the pavement; the district attorney's office then dropped
all charges against Heaney. A jury acquitted Detective Cordova on the
assault charges and no charges were filed for perjury. The video was
found to be edited prior to airing on the news channel and being
given to the court. The video showed only the middle of fight and not
the entire event. You can watch this video and learn more about the
case @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnoMPFjHMOI
On
18 April, 2008 16-year- old Juan Vasquez ran from members of the
Denver Police Department, an officer shouted for him "to stop or
he would shoot him in the back." When Vasquez fell in the alley,
one o fficer jumped on his back. Other officers began to punch and
kick him as Vasquez "begged" them to stop. Two of the
arresting officers testified that Officer Charles Porter began
jumping up and down on the teen's back while he was handcuffed and
lying face-down on the ground. Vasquez, who is 5-foot-6 and 130
pounds, was hospitalized with a lacerated liver, a ruptured spleen,
damage to both kidneys and bruised or fractured ribs. He spent three
days in intensive care handcuffed to the bed. Porter was charged and
acquitted of felony assault charges, he was the only witness at his
defense and claimed the other officers who testified against him
caused the injuries during the arrest and conspired to pin the blame
on him. Vasquez filed a lawsuit for 1.3 million dollars, and the city
settled for "just under $1,000,000". You can read more
about this article @ http://www.denverpost.com/ci_9482711
In
2008 Officer Eric Sellers and two unnamed Denver police officers
attacked Jared Lunn. Lund had tried to report that he had been
assaulted earlier in the evening. In August 2010, Sellers was
suspended for 45 days over the incident.The case was later reopened,
presenting the possibility of additional punishment. You can read
more about this article @ http://www.denverpost.com/ci_18271068
2009
In
January, 2009, Alexander Landau was beaten by three Denver Police
Officers and received a $795,000 settlement in 2011, one of the
largest settlements in Denver history to resolve a police brutality
case. The police officers involved in the case were Officers Kevin
Devine, Ricky Nixon, Tiff any Middleton, and Corporal Randy Murr.
Nixon and Middleton continue to serve with the department. In
September 2013, the department fired Officers Ricky Nixon and Kevin
Devine for lying during the investigation. The two were later
reinstated by the Denver Civil Service Commission. You can learn more
about this case @
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/alex-landau-after-denver-police-beating-thats-when-i-expected-to-be-shot/
In
April, 2009 Corporal Randy Murr and Officer Devin Sparks threw
Michael DeHerrea to the ground during an arrest outside of a downtown
nightclub. The two were fired for lying during the subsequent
investigation but returned to their jobs as a result of a hearing by
the Denver Civil Service Commission. In September 2012, the panel
reversed itself and fired the two men again. The city paid
$15,000
to settle the matter. Murr was the same officer involved in the
Landau beating three months before. Randy Murr was rehired,
Sergeant
Perry Speelman, and Officers Tab Davis and Jesse Campion stopped two
men in 2009 and subjected them to a barrage of racial insults after
they were illegally forced from their car. The judge in the case
called the policemen's action "extreme, profane and racially
motivated." In July 2012, the city council agreed to pay $60,000
to the two men beaten by three police officers. You can read more
about this article @
http://denver.cbslocal.com/2013/02/20/denver-officer-fired-for-beating-to-get-his-job-back/
2010
Press
report show that in March 2010, O fficer Hector Paez used threats of
arrest to force himself on a woman. In December 2012, Officer Paez
was found guilty of sexual assault, kidnapping and filing a false
report. In 2013, he was sentenced to eight years in prison. Read more
about this @
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_22699518/former-denver-cop-hector-paez-gets-8-years
In
May, 2010, the city agreed to settle an excessive force lawsuit
paying Eric Winfield $40,000.
Officers
Glenn Martin, Antonio Milow, and Thomas Johnston beat Winfield when
he was mistakenly identified as a person who had previously caused
trouble at a nightclub. You can read more about this @
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/man-gets-40-000-in-denver-police-brutality-suit
In
June 2010, Denver police Officer Derrick Saunders was sentenced to 5
days in jail, fined $300, and ordered to perform 100 hours of
community service after he had been arrested driving at 143 mph in a
55 mph zone. Press reports indicated that Saunders had a
blood-alcohol level of .089 percent; the legal limit is .08 percent.
In 2012, Saunders was returned to the police department by the city's
civil service commission. You can read more about this @
http://kdvr.com/2013/02/13/denver-officer-caught-driving-143-mph-while-drunk-re-fired/
On
August 18, 2010, the Denver
Post
reported about another alleged beating by the Denver Police. On March
16, 2010, Mark Ashford was walking his two dogs near the streets of
20th and Little Raven when he saw a police offi cer pull over a
driver who had run a stop sign. Ashford claiming that he saw the man
stop at the stop sign approached the police car to volunteer
information and to appear in court about the incident. Ashford claims
that the officer "didn't like it at all" and asked Ashford
his ID, which he provided. Afterwords, another Denver Police o fficer
arrived on scene and Ashford, who claims he was nervous, began taking
photos of the two officers on his cell phone. In the HALO
surveillance video released by the city & county of Denver, a
Denver Police officer appears to hand Ashford back his ID and a piece
of paper. Afterwards, Ashford pulls out his cell phone to photograph
the two officers. The two officers approach Ashford and one of the
officers grabs Ashford's hand in an attempt to get Ashford's cell
phone. Ashford grabs one officer by the throat. The other officer
also tries to help restrain Ashford. In the ensuing struggle Ashford
tries to spin away from the offi cers and is again thrust into the
guardrail by the officers. Ashford's attorney, William Hart, claims
that his client was arrested on suspicion of interference and
resistance. After the incident, Ashford was taken to St. Andrew's
Hospital where he was treated for a cut on his eye and a concussion.
All charges have been dropped by the Denver City Attorney's o ffice.
The officers were cleared following an investigation by Denver Police
and Independent Monitor, Richard Rsenthal. Rosenthal found the
officers' actions were justified. The city awarded Ashford $35,000,
citing that they believed the o fficers used excessive force and
criticized Rosenthal for ruling their actions justified. One officer
retired after the incident and one remains on the job. You can read
about this @ http://www.denverpost.com/ci_15816360
In
August 2010, the city agreed to pay $20,000 to James Watkins to
settle a civil lawsuit. In the suit, Watkins claimed Officers John
Ruddy and Randy Penn slammed his face into the pavement repeatedly
after hearing him say, "cops suck" to a friend. You can
read more about this @ http://denver.cbslocal.com/tag/james-watkins/
On
July 2, 2014, Ryan Ronquillo was killed after allegedly attempting to
ram his car into police at a funeral home. Denver District Attorney
Mitch Morrissey declared the shooting justified amid protests. You
can read more about this @
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_26100032/ryan-ronquillos-family-seeks-answers-after-denver-police
2015
On
January 9th at 7:45 pm Sharod Kindel was pulled up on by the police
and when police began detaining him he asked them "what have I
done? I know my rights." It is then alleged that the cops
immediately reached into his car and opened the door and pulled him
out of his car. At the time the car was in reverse and when he was
pulled out of his car the car hit an officer and they are charging
him with assaulting the police.
According
to eyewitness testimony upon surrendering he was shot 4 times and
over 12 shots were
heard.
He was surrendering with his hands up. Once through the palm, once in
the arm, once in the
groin(this
wound remains open and oozing) and once in the leg (his femoral
artery was hit and he
almost
bled out). He spent a very short time at Denver Health before they
released him to the jail
where
he has sat in solitary ever since. He is in serious pain and needs
medication. His family is
requesting
that we wage a call-in campaign against the jail and demand that he
get medication for the
pain
he is in and better conditions. You can read more about this in the
second half of the following
article
@
http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2015/01/jessie_hernandez_police_shooting_witness_officer_fire
d_first.php
On
January 26, 2015 Jessie Hernandez was killed after allegedly
attempting to ram a car into police. You can read more about this @
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_27401430/community-leaders-march-justice-after-teen-girl-was
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