Two articles in The Denver Post – “OT rules let cops double- dip” (April 23) and “Off-duty cops can cost city” (April 24) – are not examples of responsible or fair reporting. Since November 2005, the Denver Police Department has provided thousands of pages of documents to The Post, and members of the department have had extensive conversations with the reporter. What was ultimately published does not reflect the content of those documents and conversations.
The most blatant example is the shallow analysis of the accumulated sick leave benefit negotiated through collective bargaining. DPD officers are granted 18 days of sick time per year, and may bank unused days up to 90 days. After that, additional unused sick days may be “sold” back at the regular pay rate, or may be converted to vacation time, called accumulated sick leave, to be used in the upcoming year.
Officers using this authorized leave have not called in sick. They are simply taking a day off and may work approved secondary employment either for a private business or for the city. The insinuation that Officer Chris Cameron called in sick to work secondary employment is simply not true, as is the implication that Capt. Mike Calo’s secondary employment interferes with his primary assignment. In fact, Calo’s attendance is flawless and Cameron has not called in sick in more than two years.
Many facts that did not make it to print would have justified headlines favorable to the officers and department. For example, over the last four years, an average of 1,171 of our 1,400 officers volunteered for overtime assignments and off-duty work. In 2005, these assignments were not just at bars. They included banks, sports venues, schools, malls, religious institutions, hotels, high school events, fairs and theaters. Officers spent more than 15,000 shifts away from their families and homes, safeguarding the people of Denver.
In addition, in 2005 officers volunteered to work more than 61,000 hours of overtime protecting Denver International Airport, and more than 55,000 hours of backfill overtime to make up for staffing shortages.
An important point the articles do not address is the benefit to the city and taxpayers when Denver police officers perform secondary employment. The figures released to The Post confirm that secondary employment hours convert to the equivalent of more than 150 full-time police officers.
The risks inherent in policing are well-publicized and documented. It is true that the public expects officers to respond to a call to duty, even when technically not on-duty. The articles report that over a five-year period, 26 percent of workers’ compensation claims were generated by the DPD, implying that workers’ compensation payouts to police are disproportionate compared to the rest of the city. That implication is blunted when one considers that of general fund salaries paid in 2005, about 24 percent was to sworn members of the DPD. Put in proper context, the fact that only 26 percent of workers’ compensation claims were related to officer injuries is commendable, given the dangerous nature of police work.
The issue of officer fatigue was also raised. In addition to the overtime and off-duty that officers volunteer to work, it is also a fact that we must perform shift work. The need to provide round-the-clock service, coupled with mandatory court appearances and training, are among the reasons the department decreased the maximum number of hours officers are allowed to work off-duty and overtime, from 32 to 24 hours per week. Policy also mandates that an officer’s chain-of-command must approve requests for leave, secondary employment and overtime. What is beyond our control is the fact that the city’s demand for police service continues to grow, while our ability to expand services has only recently begun to catch up.
I am not surprised that Denver police officers have reacted so overtly to the accusations made by The Post. We value our reputation and cherish our integrity. And so, on behalf of all members of the DPD, I have one simple request: If the media has a suggestion to improve our current level of high-quality services to the public, please feel free to bring that to everyone’s attention by publishing a story with a bold headline. But in doing so, please do not ignore the ethical obligation to be responsible and fair.
Gerry Whitman is Denver’s chief of police.
