By Brian D. Crecente, Rocky Mountain News
May 1, 2004

A contentious meeting Friday between Mayor John Hickenlooper and hundreds of police officers about the suspension of officer James Turney ended with angry officers and an emotionally "bruised" mayor.

"I'm going to go home and take a hot bath; I feel pretty bruised," Hickenlooper said after the hour-and-a-half closed meeting held in the police union building. "I didn't expect to get an ovation."

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Police union leaders called for the meeting last week after Manager of Safety Al LaCabe announced a 10-month suspension without pay for Turney.

In his decision letter, LaCabe said that while Turney was justified under the department's use-of-force policy to shoot Paul Childs once the developmentally disabled teen was standing 6 or 7 feet from him with a knife, Turney committed tactical errors that put him in that position.

Childs died July 5 after the deadly confrontation with Turney, who responded to a call that the teen was threatening his mother with a kitchen knife.

Angry officers started leaving Friday's meeting about 45 minutes after it started, some saying they were frustrated with the lack of answers from the mayor.

Melinda Carney, who joined the force last year, said she was frustrated with the lack of answers from the mayor.

"They aren't answering questions because of pending litigation," she said. "I don't want to have to choose between my life and my job. I'm leaving (the meeting) because I've had enough."

The Childs family has put the city on notice it plans to file a lawsuit seeking at least $5 million.

Officer Ray Sandoval said that LaCabe's decision sent a confusing message to officers and did little to explain what should have been done differently.

"I just want to know what was wrong with what Turney did," Sandoval said. "I'll tell you one thing, if someone is stupid enough to pull a knife on me, I'll kill them."

Chief Gerry Whitman attended the meeting, but not as a speaker. After the meeting, the chief said the officers seemed well-organized and asked prepared questions of LaCabe and the mayor.

Hickenlooper said there was a lot of communication. "They weren't very happy with me and they weren't very happy with Al LaCabe, but we will work through this," he said.

Hickenlooper said the officers also talked about the need for new equipment and more officers on the street. "We have to back our officers," he said, "but I also want to make sure we have a high level of accountability."

News staff writer Sarah Langbein contributed to this report.

Copyright 2004, Rocky Mountain News. All Rights Reserved.