Early Warning System To Help Monitor Denver Cops
The Denver Police Department has chosen to implement technology that will allow management to catch problem behavior in officers early and correct it.
The new central database will monitor multiple aspects of an officer’s performance, and red-flag any questionable behavior that might result in a crime or interfere with an officer’s official duties. Corrective measures could include retraining in a particular area, psychological help, or a formal investigation and discipline.
According to Cmdr. Marco Vasquez, head of the Denver police department’s internal affairs, civil liabilities, and professional units, the new system could save money by catching officers before they wash out, because the city spends $52,000 with benefits to train a new recruit and another $3,000 for the recruit’s equipment.
Samuel Walker, professor of criminal justice at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, said officers initially oppose the use of an early-warning system, but later support the measure when they understand it.
The Department of Justice has awarded the Denver Police Department with a $200,000 grant to pay for the program, which will monitor an officer’s commendations; citizens’ and internal complaints; lawsuits; traffic citations and arrests; types of force used to subdue suspects; industrial injuries; officer-involved shootings; traffic accidents; and secondary employment.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center(NLECTC) from the Rocky Mountain News (02/17/03) P. 6A; Gutierrez, Hector.
