office of the independent monitor
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Denver police officer killed developmentally disabled teen 20 years ago, spurring civilian oversight
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Twenty years ago this week, the killing of a teenager by a Denver Police officer helped spur the creation of two new bodies in the city’s landscape of police oversight. On July 5, 2003, 15-year-old Paul Childs’ sister called 911 saying he had a knife and was trying to stab their mother, according to news…
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Denver’s new top law enforcement watchdog confirmed by City Council
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Denver City Council confirmed the new leader for the city’s Office of the Independent Monitor, filling a two-year vacancy. Former public defender Lisabeth Castle, later a defense lawyer with her own practice, was confirmed Tuesday. The city’s law enforcement watchdog agency monitors investigations of Denver’s safety officers, makes recommendations about discipline and policy to the…
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Lisabeth Castle chosen as Denver’s next independent monitor
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Denver’s Citizen Oversight Board chose local defense attorney Lisabeth Castle to head the Office of the Independent Monitor. The office serves as the watchdog body for Denver’s law enforcement agencies. It monitors investigations of Denver’s safety officers, makes recommendations about discipline and policy to the city’s manager of safety and monitors investigations of citizen complaints…
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Denver City Council newcomers oppose oversight screener
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The Denver City Council on Monday voted to approve the appointment of a lobbyist who made campaign contributions to several council members to vet candidates to a board that oversees allegations of police misconduct. The council voted 9-3 to appoint Roger Sherman as their representative on a three-member nominating committee that screens application for the…
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Data collection to shed light on Denver police interactions with minorities
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Does the Denver Police Department racially profile those they come in contact with daily? Local law enforcement leaders hope a new data collection program unveiled this week can help shed some light on the nature of its interactions with minorities in Denver. Launching in northeast Denver in mid-July, the three-month pilot program will require that…
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Denver ballot measures head toward finish line
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It may be possible to consume marijuana in certain approved locations in Denver in the near future, after voters seem to have given Initiative 300 their approval in the latest Nov. 8 general election results provided by the Denver Elections Division. The initiative would call for a cannabis consumption pilot project in Denver, where certain private establishments…
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? Mitchell follows grandpa’s path to oversight office
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Edward Mitchell came from a poor Irish Catholic family in New York in the 1940s and did not get a high school degree, so his career choices were limited. That meant becoming either a firefighter, entering the priesthood or becoming a police officer. He chose the later and was a role model for Nick Mitchell,…
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Lopez ready for fallout over OIM change
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Growing up in East Denver, Paul Lopez was scared of the cops. Now, as the Denver City Councilman representing District 3, Lopez doesn’t want city residents to experience the same feelings or worries. To that end, Lopez headed up an effort to ask city voters to make a city oversight agency permanent and on par…
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Police oversight office move up to voters
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A proposed city charter amendment to put a police and sheriff accountability office on par with those and many other Denver departments will be on the Nov. 8 city ballot. Denver City Council voted 9-0 Monday night, Aug. 15, with four council members absent, to place a question on the ballot that would make the…
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City moves to protect police oversight agency
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Denver officials are close to strengthening a civilian police watchdog agency by adding it to the city’s charter. The Office of the Independent Monitor, primarily made up of lawyers, serves as civilian oversight agency for the Denver Police and Sheriff’s Departments by participating in police investigations of misconduct and making recommendations on department policies including…
