A Denver Sheriff Department deputy has been fired for lying about an excessive- force case, prompting the city’s head of public safety to issue a strong statement about false reporting among law enforcement.
Deputy William Lewis was terminated Tuesday for violating six department policies, including failing to report another deputy’s use of force during the booking process at the Downtown Detention Center. Lewis also “departed from the truth in three separate instances during his account of the event,” according to a Thursday news release from Denver’s Safety Department.
In the release, Stephanie O’Malley, the safety department’s executive director said: “This administration will not tolerate deceptive conduct or false reporting. We expect deputies to follow departmental guiding principles, which require honesty, integrity and accountability in everything a deputy does and says. As such, I have ordered the termination of Deputy Lewis for his willful and wanton disregard of departmental practices and procedures.”
Lewis was on duty at the jail’s photo station on July 13 when Deputy Thomas Ford who was taunting him with racist and abusive language. Lewis failed to report the inappropriate use of force to his supervisor, and he wrote an inadequate report about the incident when he finally filed the required paperwork, his disciplinary letter said.
Lewis also was accused of changing his story about the incident during the internal affairs investigation, the disciplinary letter said.
The incident was recorded by jail surveillance cameras, and Lewis’ account of the events contradicted what the video showed, the letter said.
After the incident, Lewis and Ford were placed on investigative leave. Days later, then-Sheriff from his post, and Mayor Michael Hancock announced his intention to overhaul the sheriff’s department.
Ford was for using excessive force and for making misleading and inaccurate statements about the incident.
The case was Lewis’ second rule violation during his 13-year career.
Lewis had been suspended for 10 days in 2008 for failure to conduct rounds, the disciplinary letter said. That rule violation has been as a recurring problem at the jails.
He has recommended the sheriff’s department update its system for tracking deputies rounds to ensure the rule is being followed. Failure to make rounds can .
Noelle Phillips: 303-954-1661, nphillips@denverpost.com or twitter.com/Noelle_Phillips
