Denver Post

City yearns for justice in cop shootings
By Cindy Rodriguez
Denver Post Columnist

Monday, October 20, 2003 - We're exactly where we thought we'd be, 107 days after Denver Police officer James Turney shot to death his second victim in the so-called line of duty.

We all knew Denver District Attorney Bill Ritter wouldn't charge Turney with a crime. That's because in the end, after all the evidence and testimony has been reviewed, a cop who says he felt his life was in danger seems destined to be exonerated.

He was just doing his job. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.

Four shots from Turney's Glock, and Paul Childs is dead at 15. He's the second disabled black teen in 18 months to die from a squeeze of the trigger of Turney's gun.

Just doing his job.

A city still mourns. Meanwhile, Turney remains on paid leave - a fugitive, wanted on a misdemeanor charge in Iowa for allegedly threatening to kill a relative.

This afternoon, scores of people from all walks of life - from elderly white men to Asian-American soccer moms to black youths wearing Yankees caps - will converge in front of the Denver Police Department. They'll seek justice in every possible form: through prayer, plea and demand.

Many people can live with Turney not getting criminally charged, but what they want to ensure is that Turney doesn't walk the streets again with a Denver police badge.

But the way the system is right now, it's possible that Turney will walk the beat again. If there's a neighborhood out there that wants Turney patrolling there, speak now. You can have him.

Cops like Turney are more than just a danger to the city. They are a liability who end up costing the city thousands of dollars in legal fees and settlements.

But more importantly, a cop like Turney chips away at the soul of the city. His actions end up pitting citizens against the Police Department.

Let's review key facts of the case.

The Childs family called 911 on July 5, saying Paul was wielding a knife. Turney and three other cops arrive. The officers watch everyone get out of the house. Helen Childs, the mother, tells them Paul is still inside.

Turney and another officer, who has a Taser, are at the front porch. They yell repeatedly for Paul to drop his knife. He apparently didn't understand. He held the knife with the tip pointing up. Only one officer thought he was brandishing it above his head.

Turney stood at the doorway, near where Paul was standing when he flinched. And that put him in danger. So he shot.

Turney should've backed up. What was the worst thing that could've happened: That Paul might have stabbed himself? No one else was in the house. Helen Childs, his mother, kept shouting as much from the front lawn.

Cops love saying that noncops shouldn't second-guess them. That we don't know what it's like to have someone come at you with a knife. That you have to make split-second decisions. That you can't take chances.

That's exactly how many people in the city feel. We don't want to take any more chances.

That's why a group calling itself The All Peoples Party is asking people to get their camcorders ready so they can document when cops like Turney walk onto a crime scene.

One of the goals of the group is to pass a public referendum that would allow for better funding of a new and improved Public Safety Review Commission - one that would have disciplinary power.

They also want officers to be trained to handle people with disabilities. Overall, it's about hiring officers who care about people, said organizer Alvertis Simmons.

Simmons said that when he got his master's in criminal justice at CU-Denver, professors often talked about the need for more officers of color to end brutality. But he never bought that.

"We don't need more black cops," he said. "We need cops who understand and care about the community."

Steve Nash, who heads CopWatch, a Denver citizens group that seeks police accountability, said he believes the city's district attorney should not be charged with investigating Denver police.

It's an inherent conflict of interest, he says, considering the DA's office works closely with the Police Department every day. He thinks the city would be better off if an independent prosecutor investigated police officers.

Meanwhile, city leaders are still reading through the 47-page report, trying to make sense of all the testimony. Mayor John Hickenlooper said he's still going through it but he knows it won't answer all of his questions.

He said he's now waiting for a report from the Police Department's Firearm Discharge Review Board and looking through department policy to figure out what areas can and need to be changed.

He said he's sympathetic to those who don't want to wait another six weeks for the results of the next investigation.

But we're willing to wait. As long as we're not waiting for nothing.

Cindy Rodriguez's column appears Mondays and Fridays.