Denver Mayor Michael Hancock called protesters’ defacing of a memorial to fallen officers Saturday a “despicable act,” and he’s right. But he’s also right that police acted with admirable restraint and wisdom in not immediately confronting two who poured red paint on the monument.
Make no mistake. The guys accused of desecrating the monument to fallen officers were rightly arrested later. But waiting until the protest was over instead of moving right away and potentially creating an incendiary situation with a group itching for confrontation was a reasonable tactic. The monument was cleaned and to passersby seemed none the worse for the incident.
Yet, that hasn’t stopped critics, including the police union, from excoriating Police Chief Robert White for the approach.
As readers of this page know, we have not hesitated over the years to criticize the department for any number of ham-handed moves. This wasn’t one of them.
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