Report calls for overhaul of Denver Sheriff Department, search for new sheriff starts now
A long-awaited independent report on the Denver Sheriff Department is calling for sweeping changes across the board, from the very top (appointing a new sheriff) to the very bottom (selecting new underwear for inmates).
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock acknowledged that the findings were not pretty, but he said they mark a turning point for the department and vowed to begin implementing an extensive list of changes.
The beating of Jamal Hunter by deputies inside a Denver jail cell led to one of several excessive force settlements. The city has paid more than $9 million in legal settlements and lawyers’ fees related to several excessive-force scandals. But Hunter’s settlement also required the independent review which is helping expose the scope of the problem.
“There is reason for your concern,” Said Arnette Heintze, CEO of one of the outside companies which conducted the review. “Your call for change is justified.”