The Denver Post
Cops, mayor discuss Turney
Saturday, May 01, 2004 -
After a tense meeting with Mayor John Hickenlooper on Friday, police officers said they were stonewalled about a fellow officer's punishment for fatally shooting a mentally disabled boy.
"They're not answering questions," said police officer Melinda Carney, who left early from the closed-door meeting at the Police Protection Association headquarters in west Denver. "I'm leaving because I've had enough." She said Denver Manager of Safety Al LaCabe said he could not comment about suspending officer James Turney because of pending litigation. LaCabe suspended Turney for 10 months without pay on April 15 for the July shooting death of Paul Childs, a developmentally disabled 15-year-old. Police were called to the Childs household in North Park Hill after a family member called 911 to report that he was brandishing a knife. Turney shot Childs, who was still holding the knife, after the police officer ordered him to step out from behind a door. LaCabe declined to comment after the meeting. "They're not very happy with me right now, and they're really not happy with Safety Manager LaCabe," Hickenlooper said after the meeting. "There is a lot of pent-up frustration." Hickenlooper said he was only advised and not consulted about LaCabe's decision on Turney's punishment. But he said he has confidence in LaCabe's judgment. The Friday meeting was called because Hickenlooper was at another meeting when 450 police officers held a rally April 19 outside city hall protesting Turney's punishment. At the time, union leaders presented Hickenlooper's staff with a letter that said officers were concerned they could be similarly disciplined for correctly handling a confrontation. Hickenlooper said after the meeting that he has a lot of confidence in Denver police but that accountability also is important. Denver Police Chief Gerry Whitman said that there was applause and booing but that the meeting was very orderly. "They're expressing their concerns," Whitman said of the officers. He said police officers also asked Hickenlooper about other areas of concern, such as understaffing, pay and training. David Neil, a union board member, said the Denver Police Department has not increased in size since the early 1970s, despite enormous growth in the city. Hickenlooper and Neil said the meeting, which lasted more than an hour, was productive. Hickenlooper said he should meet more often with police officers. Turney attended the meeting but did not speak, Neil said. Officer Ray Sandoval said he has not heard a reasonable explanation about why Turney was punished. "The way I've been trained, if anybody is stupid enough to pull a knife on me, I would kill them," Sandoval said. Turney has appealed the decision to the Denver Civil Service Commission, claiming he was denied "his right of equal protection" and "due process in violation of the constitutions of the United States and of the state of Colorado." |