The largest police union in Colorado has blasted Denver officials on its website, including the city’s mayor and police chief.
The Colorado Fraternal Order of Police, which has more than 5,200 members across the state, has posted an open letter on its website titled: The State of Denver Public Safety: A Continuing Crisis in Failed Leadership.
In the past three months, 14 Colorado peace officers have been shot while performing their duties, according to the FOP post, including three Denver police officers in 2016.
“Against this backdrop of rising violence, the citizens of Denver have observed a consistent pattern of failed leadership in public safety,” according to the FOP.
The website post assessed various components of the Denver’s public safety management team, including assigning a grade:
• Denver City Council — Satisfactory
• Mayor Michael Hancock — Fail
• Director of Public Safety Stephanie O’Malley — Fail
• Independent Monitor Nicholas Mitchell — Unsatisfactory
• Denver Police Chief Robert White — Fail
The FOP says Hancock “has failed to act” in hiring more police officers in Denver, putting the “community he took an oath to serve” at risk.
The FOP post claims a is a “clear indication that Chief White’s strategies are failing.”
The department’s team policing policy has resulted in fewer officers on the streets, according to the FOP, which is also critical of White’s management of the Denver Police Gang Unit.
“The Gang Unit has less than half of the officers it had prior to Chief White coming to Denver,” the FOP said.
Chief White responded to the FOP criticisms Tuesday in a story by Denver7, which first aired the FOP post.
“The anonymous article is fraught with inaccuracies. I will continue to make decisions which I believe are in the best interests of the men and women of this department and the Denver community,” White told Denver7.
Colorado F.O.P. Executive Director Michael Violette, according to Denver7, wrote the letter after hearing from rank and file officers.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822, knicholson@denverpost.com or @kierannicholson
