Denverforward Standing Still

Mayor-elect Michael Hancock got a running start (in place) yesterday, by announcing the committee heads to address the long-standing, entrenched, embarrassing, and costly policy failures in the area of public safety.

With the possible exception of Adrienne Benavidez, the Who’s Who on his list of appointees either created the present problem, allowed it to fester and grow into the abysmal situation it is today, or simply has no expertise in the area at all.

Committee To Select The New Police Chief

[Blogger’s Note: if you have a short attention span, you need not read the italicized writing, except for the blurb about Al LaCabe.]

Fidel “Butch” Montoya served under Wellington Webb as the Denver Manager of Safety and deputy mayor from 1994 to 2000. In that capacity, Butch Montoya (and Denver Police Chief Whitman, who is only now being fired) was under a constant barrage of citizen protests resulting from such police indiscretions such as illegal police no-knock home invasions and others.

As another example, Montoya hired admitted felons, drug-users, thieves, gang members, and indecent exposers onto the police and fire departments, but rejected many other recruits with clean criminal histories. The rationalizations he offered for his actions and inaction in general, were sophomoric, unbelievable and lead this long-time resident to believe that Montoya, at minimum, tacitly accepted the culture of malfeasance among his ranks.

The Police that Butch Montoya hired are the same thugs that have been propagating, continuing, and lying about the police culture of violence that has earned the Denver Police Department the dubious honor of no.1 in police violence, for a city of its size, in 2010. And Butch Montoya is heading up the committee to pick a new police chief to replace his old friend Jerry Whitman? Seriously?

According to his own website, “Doug Friednash represents clients in governmental matters and in election issues and initiatives political and issues campaigns, including the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, Coloradans for Responsible Reform, and the Colorado Preservation Doug also represents governmental entities on various matters.

In addition, Doug's practice includes representation of companies in complex commercial litigation. He has experience in appellate proceedings and alternative dispute resolution forums. He also provides advice and defense in administrative and regulatory matters. His recent litigation experience includes representation of a national taxi company, a securities broker-dealer, a national pharmaceutical benefit management company, and the largest privately-held jeweler in the United States in complex commercial litigation and trademark infringement issues.”

Mr. Friednash appears to be politically very well connected and have expertise in several different areas, none of which involves the area to which he was appointed. I do not know why he was selected to help Butch Montoya pick a new Police Chief, but I suspect that his law firm may have been a significant political donor to/fund raiser for the Mayor-elect’s campaign and also suspect that Mr. Friednash may soon be appointed as a Denver County Court Judge, as a vacancy arises.

According to her biography, former State Representative Rosemary Rosemary Marshall’s

“primary legislative focus was to enact laws governing fraud and deceptive practices in mortgage lending. In 2007 she accomplished that goal by sponsoring and passing one of the most comprehensive packages of mortgage fraud legislation in the country. Her 2008 legislative agenda included financial literacy education in public schools; affordable hearing aides for children with hearing disabilities; and requiring the criminal justice system to address and recommend solutions to reduce racial disparities in the penal system. Her work in her final session was only one example of her pride in working to champion and support legislative initiatives that seek to improve the lives of women, families, and persons with disabilities. It was for this work that she was honored as a recipient of the Dan B. Davidson Award for Excellence in Community Inclusion. Representative Marshall is certified by MIT-Harvard in Public Policy Negotiations, which has helped her view Colorado’s concerns in a national and global context.

Representative Marshall has a long history of committed political and community service to the citizens of Colorado, and has worked to promote integrity in government by her involvement in countless local and statewide campaigns. She is a member of the NAACP, a founding member of Colorado Black Women for Political Action and is a recipient of their political achievement award. She serves on the Board of the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority, is Vice President of the Colorado Caucus of African American elected officials.”

I highlighted the one area in which she worked, that at least had the words “criminal justice” in it; and so again why an obviously stellar person who is so clearly qualified in so many areas other than the one to which she was appointed, was in fact appointed, is a mystery to me, but it is clear that both Friednash and Marshall will almost certainly feel compelled to defer in decision-making to one of the main architects of the present malaise in Denver public safety today.

Safety Committee.

Al LaCabe is also a former Denver Manager of Safety, who retired in 2010. Below is a list of just a few of his accomplishments on the job:

“During his time in office, LaCabe contended with some of the more volatile issues to face the Hickenlooper administration.

Hickenlooper named LaCabe as safety manager weeks after the July 3, 2003, fatal shooting by Officer James Turney of Paul Childs, 15, who was developmentally disabled and armed with a knife.

That case and the July 11, 2004, fatal shooting by Officer Ranjan Ford Jr. of the unarmed, 64-year-old Frank Lobato in his bed ignited an uproar shortly after Hickenlooper took office.

LaCabe disciplined both officers, over the protest of union officials. He overruled Police Chief Gerry Whitman's recommendation of a 20-day suspension for Turney and instead suspended the officer for 10 months. He suspended Ford for 90 days before agreeing to a 50-day suspension to settle an appeal.

The Turney discipline decision was a harbinger of a pattern that saw LaCabe overrule recommendations from police commanders. LaCabe has said such clashes will dissipate under the new discipline system, which will eliminate inconsistencies and confusion.

During LaCabe's tenure, new training procedures also were instituted for police. They included arrest procedures, "decisional shooting" and how to deal with those who are mentally ill. The department also bought more nonlethal weapons and hired a minority-recruitment officer.”

Okey dokey. Does anyone who read a newspaper during that period of time remember any homicidal cops actually being fired? Did anyone who read a newspaper recently notice any new discipline system or new training procedures, until Charles Garcia was hired a few months ago (as a temp) by interim Mayor Vidal? Is the city not still paying out millions in claims for violent misconduct to which LaCabe responded with veritable slaps on the wrist? And now that Al LaCabe is picking the new members of the Safety Committee, does anyone really expect the new discipline instituted by Mr. Garcia to continue?

According to his bio: Since moving to Denver in 1992 from Washington, D.C., Josh Hanfling has been a nonprofit coordinator, contributor, volunteer and more with multiple organizations. An Entrepreneurial Studies graduate from Babson College in Massachusetts, he maintains a hands-on philosophy of community involvement. In addition to the many organizations he has revitalized, Josh has gained notoriety for several successful business ventures

VOLUNTEER AFFILIATIONS
Chairman, Denver Justice Council
Founder and Chairman, Friends of the Denver Fire Department (FDFD)
Board Member, The Denver Hospice
Corporate Co-Chair, Concerts for Kids
Development Board Member, National Jewish Hospital
Board Member, The American Transplant Foundation”

So Josh appears to be a lobbyist, restaurateur, has sat on a billion committees, and is good buddies with the same Denver Fire Department that faces a severe budget shortfall this year and is fighting those cuts. Great pick, Mr. Mayor-elect.

According to his website, former Denver City Attorney, David Fein’s “practice focuses on three main areas: civil litigation (representing businesses, individuals, non-profits and governmental entities in civil disputes, including cases involving constitutional issues), employment litigation (federal discrimination and state law based claims) and counseling (advice regarding executive contracts, non-compete agreements and severance agreements) and election/political law (advice and litigation concerning elections, campaign finance, initiatives and redistricting).”

Again, a politically well connected, very smart, great guy, with apparently no experience in this area, (except maybe as city attorney, negotiating large payout claims to citizens who were brutalized by cops hired by Montoya and kept on by La Cabe). And again, I foresee a future on the Denver Bench for Mr. Fein.

According to her bio, Former Head of Denver’s Public Safety Review Commission Adrienne Benavidez “was appointed as Director of the Division of Finance and

Procurement in March 2007. Prior to her current appointment,

Adrienne served as the Executive Director of the Color of Justice,

Inc., a non-profit, non-partisan organization that provided legal

and policy advocacy for communities of color in the Metro Denver

area.

Ms. Benavidez earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science

and a Juris Doctorate Degree, along with completion of the Special Emphasis in Tax

Certification Program from the University of Colorado. Adrienne has been a practicing

attorney since 1991 and previously practiced in the areas of commercial litigation and

bankruptcy and provided pro bono legal service to community based organizations.

Ms. Benavidez also completed the ten month long Denver Community Leadership Forum

which focuses primarily on the development of collaborative leadership skills and coop-

erative problem solving.

Adrienne has worked with several community groups and has served as a member of the

Board of Directors of several organizations including the Colorado Hispanic Bar

Association, the American Civil Liberties Union, Servicios De La Raza, Harrison Memorial

Animal Hospital, and public radio station KUVO. Adrienne’s community service included

working on civilian oversight of police issues and she was a member of the Denver Civil Service Commission and past Chair of the Denver Public Safety Review Commission.”

Ms. Benavidez is the only one of the seven appointees, who has actually worked hard to effectuate real change in Denver’s abysmal public safety culture of corruption. She  began her service on the Commission in the 90’s under the Wellington Web Administration. Perhaps she was largely unsuccessful in her efforts because of the entrenched good-ole-boy system instituted under Butch Montoya and continued under Al LaCabe. Unfortunately, in her present appointment, Ms. Benavidez is sure to be outnumbered again by those same folks who ignored her before.

Not an auspicious beginning for the new Administration.

J. Brandeis Sperandeo