Denver’s Civil Service Commission on Tuesday reversed the decision of a hearing officer who found that a Denver police officer was wrongfully disciplined for accidentally firing a pepper ball gun.
Officer Marika Putnam was suspended in February for a total of 14 days after accidentally shooting the pepper ball while responding to a suicide call.
She received four days’ suspension without pay for careless handling of department property and a 10 day suspension for failing to follow department orders about using less lethal force and discharging firearms, according to a ruling from a Denver Civil Service Commission officer.
Subsequently, a hearing officer ruled the 10-day suspension without pay was not justified.
Jess Vigil, Deputy Director of Safety appealed that decision.
The commission found that the hearing officer misinterpreted disciplinary rules.
“It appears to us as if the hearing officer improperly substituted his judgement for that of the (Department of Safety,)” the decision said.
Putnam was escorting a suicidal person out of a Community Re-entry Project building on Broadway when she fired a round while waiting for an elevator, the decision letter said.
The round immersed the suicidal man, police and office workers in a noxious cloud of spray. No one was seriously injured.
“Investigation revealed that despite being trained to carry the pepper ball rifle with the safety feature on, Officer Putnam had neglected to engage the safety,” said Tuesday’s decision letter, signed by Earl E. Peterson, Commission executive officer.
Tom McGhee: 303-954-1671, tmcghee@denverpost.com or @dpmcghee
