New Denver Sheriff Patrick Firman faces an extraordinary task of reforming a department that has deep-rooted problems, and he must do so with two former sheriffs at his side.
Former Sheriffs Gary Wilson and Elias Diggins will retain their salaries and ranks of chief because of city employment rules. Firman must figure out how best to work with them and where they fit under a new administration.
It could be a challenge, especially if the old guard sets out to undermine the new boss.
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“This is a standard, classic textbook issue in law enforcement,” said Eugene O’Donnell, a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York and a former New York Police Department officer. “This is on the thorny side.”
Already, the Fraternal Order of Police has criticized Firman’s selection, saying in a post on its website: “Both Gary Wilson and Elias Diggins were much more qualified and experienced for the position than the résumé this appointee possesses.”
On Friday, Firman held his first official meeting with his command staff, including Diggins. He told The Denver Post that he plans to assess the department’s leadership before deciding what roles each will fill.
“It’s all a matter of communication and collaboration,” Firman said.
Firman comes to Denver after working in sheriff’s departments in Lake and McHenry counties in Illinois. At those departments, he worked for elected sheriffs, who have ultimate authority.
He spent most of his career in Lake County but left when a new sheriff decided not to retain him.
“I’ve had people who worked for me, and a couple of years later, I worked for them,” Firman said.
Still, Firman faces .
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He takes over a department facing in a city with different racial and political dynamics than what he has experienced in his previous positions.
“He’s never been the top guy, and there’s a learning curve for that,” O’Donnell said. “Now he’s not the No. 2. He’s the No. 1 in a much more complex environment.”
It will be key for Firman to convince the old guard, as well as the rank and file, that he intends to be in Denver for the long haul.
“One of the standard strategies is ‘We’ve been here a long time and we can wait him out,’ ” O’Donnell said. “They can undermine him or regard him as an aberration.”
Another potential complication is the outcome of former Chief Frank Gale’s appeal of his firing. Gale twice before was fired and reinstated. If he returns, Firman would have one more senior member of the old guard on board.
Lorne Kramer, a former Colorado Springs police chief who is a police executive consultant, said it is hard to be CEO with other former CEOs in the room.
“If you have individuals who are not on board, you have to hold them accountable,” Kramer said.
Firman said he has met with Diggins, but only briefly.
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“Clearly, he loves what he does and he is passionate about what he does,” Firman said.
Diggins served as interim sheriff from July 2014 until Friday morning, when Firman took . In the past month, trouble has followed Diggins.
First, an internal investigation was launched in September after deputies reported that he had released a suspect they had taken into custody. In October, Gale aired a where Diggins had criticized his bosses at City Hall.
Wilson in July 2014 after a string of excessive-force complaints. Since then, he has worked as a chief and has overseen the department’s technology, something that has been identified as an area for improvement.
It’s almost certain there will be shuffling among the command staff. Two other high-ranking officers have been running the city’s two jails as interim chiefs.
While those people also have ranks protected by Career Service Authority rules, no one is guaranteed to play the same role within the department.
When Denver voters decided to create the rank of sheriff for the department head, they also voted to allow the sheriff to appoint the three chiefs, who run the Downtown Detention Center, the county jail on Smith Road and support services.
However, Diggins, Wilson and Chief Marie Kielar are grandfathered into the old structure as chiefs.
The command structure is one of hundreds of topics under review during the reform effort, said Stephanie O’Malley, who oversees the city’s public safety department. Firman will decide who fills what role, and he doesn’t necessarily have to place the three chiefs in their old positions.
“The sheriff will have the opportunity, from his perspective, to look at his command staff and make appointments where he sees is necessary,” she said.
The Denver Police Department has endured a similar situation.
When Chief Robert White took command in 2011, he replaced Jerry Whitman, who stayed at the department until his retirement earlier this year.
They reached an understanding and then got out of each other’s way, White said. Whitman asked to command the metro SWAT unit, which put him in a different building and away from day-to-day operations at the department.
“I wanted to be respectful of his time that he gave to the city and to the department and his status at the department,” White said.
White, who made a multitude of changes, also opened top leadership positions and allowed anyone with a rank of lieutenant or higher to apply.
As expected, the changes were resisted within the ranks, and, to this day, the police union opposes many of White’s decisions.
“I didn’t consume a lot of my time on who may be behind that,” White said. “Change is tough, and I would imagine Patrick is going to confront a lot of that.”
Noelle Phillips: 303-954-1661, nphillips@denverpost.com or @Noelle_Phillips
