A new procedure to filter out minor misconduct complaints about Denver police officers should allow internal-affairs investigators to focus on more serious infractions.
The process is reminiscent of doctors “triaging” casualties at a disaster to get the critically injured onto operating tables quickly and redirect those with minor injuries.
The change is only the most recent in a series of police changes instituted since Mayor John Hickenlooper took office in July 2003 – only days after the fatal police shooting of mentally disabled teenager Paul Childs. The city has since gained an independent police monitor and a citizen oversight board to improve police discipline and restore citizens’ trust in the police. Also, Manager of Safety Al LaCabe recently proposed a “matrix” system of graduated penalties for different types of police misconduct.
“It certainly sounds to me that it’s a reasonable approach,” said Joe Sandoval, chair of the criminal justice and criminology department at Metropolitan State College, commenting on the new complaint system. “The question always comes up: Where’s the cutoff point?”
Previously, the Denver Police Department’s Internal Affairs Bureau was required to investigate all complaints of officer wrongdoing. This had the effect of overloading the unit and delaying conclusion of investigations for long periods, according the Richard Rosenthal, the city’s new independent police monitor.
“With most cases, you can figure out whether the case needs additional investigation,” Rosenthal said. Serious allegations – excessive use of force, falsifying reports or criminal offenses – will routinely be referred to internal affairs.
Less-serious complaints – such as officer discourtesy – will be handled by supervising sergeants or lieutenants. Mediation will allow complainants to meet with officers to resolve minor issues.
“When I worked in Los Angeles, I noticed the Los Angeles Police Department’s internal affairs had the idea that they had to investigate everything thoroughly,” Rosenthal said. “But they were so overwhelmed that every time something important happened, they inevitably screwed up.”
In the private sector, if “Nordstrom’s gets a complaint, they don’t interview every customer and impose discipline a year and half later,” Rosenthal said. “They talk to their employees … you can’t treat every case like a federal case.”
When Rosenthal became the police monitor in Portland, Ore., he suggested “filtering” complaints, which “increased the timeliness dramatically … and improved the quality of the investigations.”
In addition to Portland, the LAPD and Los Angeles County Sheriff and the Seattle police have since adopted similar procedures. Denver’s shift to filtering complaints should be completed by February, Rosenthal said.
It’s a hopeful sign that both Chief Gerry Whitman and Mike Mosco, president of the police union, support the new procedure.
We’re confident the triage decisions will be sensible, and that authorities won’t sweep important complaints under the rug. With that in mind, the new approach should earn public confidence, too.
