A Denver Sheriff Department deputy was fired earlier this month after he allowed jail trusties to conduct pat searches of 15 other inmates and to use armbar holds to control two fellow inmates.
Deputy Danial Steckman sat at his desk and watched as the two trusties conducted the searches during a laundry exchange where inmates trade dirty uniforms for clean ones, according to a copy of his disciplinary letter obtained by The Denver Post.
At one point, a trusty kicked another inmate’s foot, causing him to fall in front of Steckman’s desk.
Steckman told supervisors that he thought the inmates were horsing around and told them to cut it out when he thought they were going too far, his discipline letter said.
The incident, which was captured by video cameras at the Downtown Detention Center, happened in May 2014.
Trusties, or tier porters as they are called in Denver, are inmates who are given responsibilities within the jail such as serving meals, cleaning or doing laundry.
Some inmates told internal affairs investigators that the pat searches were a form of hazing inside the jail, which is against the rules. Steckman had a responsibility to stop it, the letter said.
Horseplay also is against jail rules, and inmates are not allowed to search each other for contraband or weapons.
Video footage of the pat searches shows some inmates getting angry and at least one inmate appeared to suffer an injury, the disciplinary letter said.
Steckman also changed his story about what he saw happening during the incident, the disciplinary letter said.
He also had seven prior disciplinary issues, including a 23-day suspension in 2013 for improper conduct, the letter said.
Noelle Phillips: 303-954-1661, nphillips@denverpost.com or twitter.com/Noelle_Phillips
