The Denver Post
Cop's suspension called deterrent
Friday, October 29, 2004 - Denver Manager of Safety Al LaCabe said he believes disciplining police officer James Turney after his fatal shooting of a 15-year-old developmentally disabled boy was a "watershed moment" for Denver police.
LaCabe, testifying Thursday at a civil service hearing, said Turney's "tremendous lack of judgment" in the moments before shooting Paul Childs required a severe punishment. Turney, 30, is appealing the 10-month suspension imposed by LaCabe for alleged procedural mistakes leading up to the July 5, 2003, shooting and for alleged telephone threats against his former mother-in-law. Doug Jewell, the primary attorney representing Turney in the hearing, asked LaCabe about community pressure on the decision, why he increased the suspension beyond the police chief's recommendation, and why Turney was the first officer in at least 20 years to be disciplined after shooting a knife- wielding suspect. LaCabe said he wanted the suspension to serve as a deterrent and to be something meaningful. The only reason Turney wasn't punished more severely, he said, was because he was "a good officer who made tragic mistakes in judgment." The shooting itself has been ruled justified despite alleged mistakes that led up to it. Had Turney used excessive force, LaCabe said, "I would have dismissed him in a heartbeat." But, he said, Turney never should have been in that position. Instead, he should have put "time and distance" between himself and Childs. "It was in his control," LaCabe said, "and he didn't take advantage of that." Staff writer Sean Kelly can be reached at 303-820-1858 or skelly@denverpost.com .
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