Consulting firms interested in reforming the Denver Sheriff Department and recruiting a new sheriff have until Sept. 17 to apply.
The city has issued its 35-page request for proposals for the reform effort. The request, issued Friday, provides insight into the problem areas city officials have identified at the sheriff’s department, including whether the department should remain a separate branch and whether there are signs of favoritism within the department.
The city also wants the consulting company to evaluate its internal affairs bureau, its use-of-force policy and its deputy disciplinary process.
The request lists 25 questions, and the city is seeking in-depth answers for them. The questions range from how to measure employee morale to how to manage the internal affairs bureau.
The firm that wins the bid must provide timely written reports on its progress and hold at least four public meetings to receive community input on the reforms.
The contract would begin Oct. 13.
The request for proposal does not provide any budget requirements.
Already, the city is paying , a former FBI agent and former director of the Colorado Department of Public Safety and Homeland Security. Davis, who sits on the overseeing the reform, will serve as a liaison between the consulting firm and city officials.
Mayor Michael Hancock in mid-July after the city paid with former inmate Jamal Hunter and after a string of other embarrassing excessive-force cases became public.
Hunter’s lawsuit settlement also required the city to hire outside investigators to review the sheriff’s department.
