Pubdate: Mon, 10 Oct 2005
Source: Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO)
Copyright: 2005, Denver Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.rockymountainnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/371
Author: Lou Kilzer, Rocky Mountain News
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)

EXCESSIVE-FORCE COMPLAINTS FALL

Eight-Year Plunge Parallels Decline In Denver Arrests

The number of excessive-force complaints filed against Denver police 
has plunged in the past eight years, closely paralleling a sharp drop 
in city arrests.

As of the first week of September, citizens had lodged 58 
excessive-force complaints against Denver officers, or an average of 
about seven a month.

In 1998, there were 158 complaints, or an average of about 13 a month.

The 47 percent drop in complaints comes at a time that arrests have 
been sliced by more than a third .

There's not an exact downward match: Arrests have consistently 
declined, while complaints have varied from year to year.

The threat of citizen complaints - and the black mark they can make 
on an officer's record - tops the list of explanations that many 
officers have given for the drop in arrests.

And the police union president says that contributes to the decline 
in excessive force as well.

"Officers are using discretion in the cases they handle," Mike Mosco 
said. "If you make fewer arrests you get fewer complaints."

Mosco, however, added that there are other reasons for the drop in 
complaints. He cited understaffing as another reason for the sharp 
drop in arrests for non-major crimes.

Bill Woodward, a consultant for the National Institute of 
Corrections, agreed with Mosco that fewer arrests could produce fewer 
complaints, though he said he would need more data before drawing a 
firm conclusion.

However, Woodward said that the steep drop-off of arrests in Denver 
for drunken driving and prostitution supports the theory that 
officers are avoiding complaints by avoiding arrests.

"People who are drunk or on drugs make it more likely that there 
could be a confrontation," he said. Confrontations often lead to 
excessive-force complaints, he added.

DUI arrests have been sliced in half since 1998, while prostitution 
arrests are down 43 percent , according to figures from Denver's 
Safety Office of Policy Analysis.

Police Chief Gerry Whitman declined to speak about the issue. 
Instead, he had a public information officer field calls.

Lt. John Burbach said he didn't know what had caused a drop in complaints.

"It could be a number of factors," he said. "It could be that if you 
have fewer arrests, you have fewer complaints. It could be because 
the department has a better relationship with the community."

He said he knew of no change in the definition of excessive force 
that could have caused the complaint decline, though he added that 
the police would need several days to research the figures before 
reaching any conclusion.

Denver Manager of Safety Al LaCabe also had no theory about the figures.

"It's not what I deal with," he said. "Use-of-force reports are not 
something my office sees."

Richard Rosenthal, Denver's new civilian police monitor, offered 
another possible explanation: Perhaps there are fewer complaints 
because people have come to believe that complaining does no good.

But like LaCabe and Burbach, Rosenthal said he could not be certain 
what had caused the complaint decline.

Whatever the reason, the trend is "good news," said Denver City 
Councilman Doug Linkhart.

He said that part of the drop in complaints could be from officer 
reluctance to proactively enforce the law, but the "numbers are too 
big" for that to be the only reason.

Linkhart said that he "would assume that the drop in complaints is 
because of all the steps the police department has taken" to better 
monitor officers' use of force.

"There's been a lot more focus since 1998 on courtesy and being 
careful, and that's good," Linkhart said.

Jeanne Faatz, chairwoman of the council's Safety Committee, seconded 
Linkhart. A drop in complaints is good. However, Faatz has been 
concerned about the slowdown in enforcement.

The decline in arrests during a period of increasing crime reports 
prompted her to form a special task force to try to find out why 
Denver arrests have declined while city crime has increased.

Arrests have dropped 35 percent while traffic tickets are down 31 percent.

Further underlining the enforcement decline, police released figures 
last week tracking the number of offenders who are not arrested after 
being cited for minor infractions, such as possession of small 
amounts of marijuana.

Again, the trend is sharply down.

In 1998, police wrote 37,492 tickets for these infractions. Last 
year, the number was 23,048 - a 38.5 percent drop.

To reverse the trend of plunging arrests, Faatz and several other 
council members have called for an increase in the number of 
authorized Denver police officers.

Mayor John Hickenlooper is seeking 20 additional slots next year, 
while Faatz is calling for 60.

A compromise is expected before the final budget goes before council Oct. 17.
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MAP posted-by: Elizabeth Wehrman