I often give cops heat for the knuckleheaded things they do, which these days seem to occur every day.
It is just that I cannot stand bad cops. There are, as in any profession, more than a few of them. At the same time, I do understand what a difficult job they have.
That said, I hope you recall a man I wrote of a couple of weeks ago, a 24-year-old named Matt Bowes, who was pulled over, laid on the ground and handcuffed by Denver police for what he said was absolutely no reason as he tried to get to his job on the baggage ramps at Denver International Airport.
Well, the other day I received a long e-mail from the cop who handcuffed him.
His name is Gerry Santomassimo. He has been a Denver cop for 31 years, he said.
“I am writing to set the record straight,” he began it, “because I was there.”
This NEVER happens.
We have been corresponding for several days now. I told him I would tell his side. And use his name, he told me. He is a good cop, he said.
He has been assigned for 13 years now to DIA, where he is one of three training officers, a job he calls the best he has ever had.
They received information that day from dispatch, he said, of a vehicle that was either wanted or whose occupant had just committed a possible violent felony and was headed for DIA with several detectives trailing it.
The story he tells is not substantively different from Matt Bowes’ — how he and another officer cornered his vehicle in an employee parking lot, how they jumped out with their weapons drawn and ordered him to the ground.
“Now we’re at the point where Mr. Bowes’ account, no doubt fueled by fear and adrenaline, departs from what really happened,” Gerry Santomassimo said.
It all happened in very few minutes, he said, not the 20 minutes Bowes recounted. He immediately handcuffed him and searched him not once, but twice.
“As I approach my 57th birthday,” he said, “I wanted to make sure I did it right.”
With his every move, he said, he explained to Matt Bowes what was happening, and the man said he understood. The man was on the ground, he said, only briefly.
When a detective walked up with paperwork, he said, it was immediately clear that Matt Bowes was not the man they were looking for. He immediately removed the handcuffs, he said.
“I never saw any employees standing around and watching. There were no high- fives or other self-congratulatory gestures. I’m a little old for that,” he said.
“True, I did not apologize to Mr. Bowes. I had no reason to. I did not cause him to be in this situation. Not to get into details, it was apparent Mr. Bowes was aware his vehicle was the right one.
“Perhaps friends or acquaintances had used his car? Whomever caused Mr. Bowes’ car to come to the attention of the police in such a serious manner is the one to offer him an apology.”
I assured Gerry Santomassimo that I would include this next thing. I think he really wants you to know this.
“It was an unfortunate situation,” he said. “While the wrong guy was detained, it was done swiftly, safely and completely without harm to anyone. It was concluded in as quick a manner as I have ever seen.
“And while I don’t say we deserve praise for how we handled Mr. Bowes’ situation because it was concluded with the minimum of intrusion that was appropriate to the possible felony conduct, we also don’t deserve to be attacked for it, either.”
Bill Johnson writes Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Reach him at 303-954-2763 or wjohnson@denverpost.com.
