Denver civil-liberties activists objected Wednesday to Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey’s process for releasing information about police-involved shootings.
ACLU legal director Mark Silverstein, in a letter released Wednesday, charged Morrissey was going against an explicit campaign pledge.
Morrissey’s office noted that the DA “continues to have the most open, transparent protocol regarding officer-involved shooting reviews in the country.”
Until Morrissey took office in 2005, the Denver DA’s office issued detailed reviews of concluded officer-involved shootings investigations.
The changes, outlined in a memo by Morrissey in October last year, will result in the DA’s office issuing a brief “decision letter” instead of a more in-depth review of a case.
But Morrissey’s office said that investigative files will be open once the administrative process and the manager of safety’s written review are completed.
Morrissey’s new process was prompted by changes in city ordinance created by a citizen oversight board and the city’s new police monitor, a Morrissey spokeswoman said.
But the district attorney’s response isn’t good enough, said Adrienne Benavidez, a lawyer and executive director of the nonprofit advocacy group Color of Justice.
Silverstein would not say if the ACLU plans to take legal action to seek a reversal.
“When Morrissey ran for office in the spring and summer of 2004, the issue of police shootings came up frequently,” he said.
Staff writer Manny Gonzales can be reached at 303-820-1537 or mgonzales@denverpost.com.
