The Denver Post
Police chief urges suspension of cop
Friday, April 02, 2004 -
Denver Police Chief Gerry Whitman recommended Thursday that the officer who fatally shot 15-year-old Paul Childs last summer be suspended for 20 days in connection with the shooting.
In addition, officer James Turney would be suspended another five days and fined four days' pay for allegedly threatening his former mother-in-law the day before the July 5 shooting, sources said. The punishment would cost Turney a total of 29 days', or about six weeks', pay. City Manager of Safety Al LaCabe, who could not be reached for comment, will have the ultimate decision. He could choose any or no punishment for Turney, from termination to full reinstatement. Whitman wouldn't comment Thursday on the Turney case. "My personnel decisions are with the employee, and that's where it's going to stay," he told 9News on Thursday afternoon. "I have all the information in all the investigations, and I certainly took everything into consideration. ... I made a decision and a recommendation to the manager of safety." Community members close to the Childs family said Turney should lose his badge, and they expressed anger that he might be merely suspended, but police union officials say any punishment is too much. Members of the Childs family declined to comment. But neighbors in northeast Denver said they considered a 20-day suspension far too light. "That is crazy," said LaShon Hall, 37, a neighbor who said Paul Childs used to come to her home and play with her children. "Twenty days for the life of a child who didn't even live 20 years. It just sickens me." The Rev. Paul Martin of Macedonia Baptist Church, where Paul Childs' mother, Helen, is a member, said he believes Whitman's hands were tied by the police discipline process, which relies heavily on past decisions for precedent. "I have a lot of confidence in Chief Whitman, but this proves a point that we need some real changes in the entire process," Martin said. "We want Turney fired. He is an embarrassment to the department." Turney's attorney, Doug Jewell, said the chief found no violations involving unnecessary force. He declined to comment on the specifics of the recommended suspension. "I would caution people whether inside or outside government who have been tempted to say officer Turney must go to have the patience to allow the full objective review of the record to proceed," Jewell said. Sgt. Mike Mosco, president of the Police Protective Association, said the union "feels that any form of discipline in this case was unwarranted." "While we don't agree with the chief's recommendation, we certainly respect it," Mosco said. An internal police review found Turney used improper procedure when he shot the developmentally disabled teenager, sparking a massive community outcry. Turney shot Childs after the boy's family called police when the teen began wielding a kitchen knife with an 8 1/2-inch blade in their home, at 5550 E. Thrill Place. When officers arrived, Childs walked out from behind a door holding the knife and didn't drop it, despite officers' orders. Although two officers on the scene had nonlethal Taser stun weapons, Turney fired his gun when Childs approached him, according to the district attorney's investigation. Turney was cleared of any criminal wrongdoing in October after a review by Denver District Attorney Bill Ritter. It was the second time he was cleared in a fatal shooting. On Jan. 30, 2002, Turney and Sgt. Robert Silvas shot and killed Gregory Smith, 18, a hearing-impaired man who pulled a knife on them on the staircase of his mother's northeast Denver home. Childs' death led to community protests and calls for Turney's badge. Members of Childs' family have filed notice with the city that they intend to sue for more than $5 million and have hired celebrity attorney Johnnie Cochran. Martin said the family plans to go ahead with its lawsuit in the hope of changing police discipline. "Right now, it seems, there is no process in the city to deal with rogue cops through the current disciplinary process," Martin said. Any discipline must be approved by LaCabe within 15 days. Even after LaCabe rules, Turney can appeal to the Civil Service Commission and a court of law. Mayor John Hickenlooper issued a statement saying LaCabe "is committed to reviewing and analyzing all the relevant facts before reaching his decision." Hickenlooper did not comment on the chief's decision but again called the shooting a "tragedy." Whitman's decision falls in between two internal recommendations. The police Discipline Review Board - made up of four officers and two civilians - last month found that Turney used an improper level of force but said he should not be suspended for it. It instead recommended a written reprimand. A separate police panel, the Firearm Discharge Review Board, recommended Turney be suspended without pay for 30 days. State Rep. Terrance Carroll, D-Denver, a member of the Greater Metro Denver Ministerial Alliance, which has called for police reform, said in a statement that Whitman's decision "goes a long way toward restoring the public trust." "Although I don't think officer Turney is fit to serve as a police officer at all, I think that Chief Whitman's decision to suspend him ... is the first step toward healing the rift in the community caused by Paul's death," Carroll said. Sgt. Ron Thomas, president of the Black Police Officers Organization, said Whitman and LaCabe "have all the facts in this case." "I'm confident they will make a decision in the best interest of the department and the community," Thomas said. Detective Nick Rogers, vice president of the Police Protective Association, said the recommendation was hard on Turney but could have been worse. "I'm disappointed that he's facing a suspension, but the alternative could have been more devastating to Jim Turney and his life," Rogers said. Criminal harassment charges in the incident involving his former mother-in-law were dropped last month in exchange for Turney's agreeing to stay away from the woman for five years. Turney remains on administrative leave with pay. |