The Denver Police Department needs to conduct a thorough review of how it manages its resources before embarking on a hiring spree, some City Council members said Monday.
“This council has given them everything they have asked for and now they need to start doing what they’re supposed to do and also deal with their internal problems,” said Councilwoman Elbra Wedgeworth. “They need to justify their numbers.”
The request for review comes in response to an analysis showing that Denver’s police department is better staffed than most cities of its size, even though Police Chief Gerry Whitman requested 267 new police officers for next year.
Mayor John Hickenlooper’s 2006 budget proposal included 137 new police hires, which after retirements would net about 22 officers.
Whitman said the city has grown in size and population while the number of police officers has not kept pace. Also, he said the public and City Council need to help the department prioritize.
“People need to figure out what they want police to do and not do, so when we aren’t doing something, they understand,” said Whitman, who had a 30-minute meeting with Hickenlooper on Monday about police efficiency.
Additionally, Whitman has said that the computer technology is so outdated it makes tracking trends and department efficiency nearly impossible.
A $500,000 review of the department by an outside consultant five years ago found the department to be inefficient because of a bloated bureaucracy, outdated equipment and former high-ranking officers doing lower-level jobs with few responsibilities.
What has changed since Whitman became chief in 2000 is being questioned.
“I don’t know what progress has been made,” said City Councilwoman Kathleen MacKenzie, who has been on the council six years. “Having valid and accurate data is critical to deploying police where they are needed. We don’t have that data now.”
Whitman said he has made progress on a number of fronts and the department is working with the city to get a new computer system up and running.
What has been compiled by the city’s Public Safety Department last week shows that Denver’s crime rate is lower than most of the 10 cities with populations closest to Denver’s and crimes per officer is less than all but three of those cities.
Additionally, Denver ranks ahead of all those cities except Boston, Milwaukee and Memphis, Tenn., in the total number of law enforcement employees – including civilian workers – per thousand residents.
The numbers underscore the need for the city to do a thorough evaluation of police productivity and departmental needs before hiring police officers, some say.
“We really need a public discussion on how we manage public safety,” said Councilwoman Jeanne Robb.
In the meantime, Councilwoman Jeanne Faatz said, more police officers still need to be hired. “Many are working so much they can’t use their own comp time. They are overworked and stressed out.”
Staff writer Karen Crummy can be reached at 303-820-1594 or kcrummy@denverpost.com
