The Denver Post
Turney's punishment to be announced today
Friday, April 16, 2004 -
A Denver official today will announce the punishment facing police Officer James Turney in the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Paul Childs.
Earlier this month, Police Chief Gerry Whitman recommended a 20-day suspension for Turney, who shot and killed Childs - a knife-wielding, developmentally disabled African-American - at the boy's northeast Denver home last July, less than a month before Mayor John Hickenlooper took office. Denver Manager of Safety Al LaCabe, Whitman's boss, scheduled a news conference at 1:45 p.m. today to disclose Turney's punishment. Hickenlooper also will attend the announcement. In making his decision, LaCabe - who reports to Hickenlooper - reviewed Whitman's recommendation. He could choose any or no punishment for Turney, from termination to full reinstatement. The decision will prove the toughest political test yet in Hickenlooper's young administration. The case that has roiled relations between Denver's black community and the Police Department, between the mayor's office and the City Council, between city attorneys and civil-rights activists. The decision could trigger multimillion-dollar lawsuits against the city, and Hickenlooper could lose key support from the black voters who backed him if Turney is not fired or otherwise severely punished. On the other hand, a decision to come down hard on Turney could spark further unrest among police. Black leaders have threatened "nonviolent civil disobedience" if the punishment isn't tough enough. Some political leaders fear that police officers will call in sick with the "blue flu" to protest a stiffer penalty. LaCabe's decision can be appealed by Turney to the city's Civil Service Commission, and later to the courts. The leader of the police union has called the chief's recommended 20-day suspension of Turney too much. The head of an influential group of black ministers said the officer should be suspended for a year without pay. The president of the Denver City Council said Turney should be fired. After the shooting, celebrity lawyer Johnnie Cochran's firm agreed to represent the Childs family. Earlier this year, the family notified the city of its plans to sue for more than $5 million. This story is based on reporting by Mark P. Couch, Denver Post staff writer. |