{"id":47340,"date":"2021-04-15T17:40:08","date_gmt":"2021-04-15T23:40:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/durango-police-investigated-16-citizen-initiated-complaints-in-2020\/"},"modified":"2021-04-15T23:40:08","modified_gmt":"2021-04-15T23:40:08","slug":"durango-police-investigated-16-citizen-initiated-complaints-in-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/durango-police-investigated-16-citizen-initiated-complaints-in-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Durango police investigated 16 citizen-initiated complaints in 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"The
The Durango Police Department\u2019s citizen complaint process is reviewed by a panel of community members annually.<\/span>Shane Benjamin\/Durango Herald file<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The Durango Police Department investigated 16 citizen complaints in 2020 \u2013 then asked a panel of community members to check their work.<\/p>\n

The department conducts its own internal investigations and decides the appropriate next steps, like disciplinary action. Then, once a year, the Citizen Complaint Review Panel reviews the investigations. It\u2019s a way to align the department with the culture and vision of the community while building public trust, said Deputy Chief Brice Current.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor us internally, it\u2019s easier to justify our actions based on our internal culture,\u201d Current said. \u201cBut it\u2019s better to try to be transcendent and see through the eyes of the community, the people you serve.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the review process, panel members review the complaint and associated records, such as reports and videos. Then they come together with the department and go through each complaint in detail.<\/p>\n

In the past, panel members have offered feedback on the degree to which a complaint was investigated, the level and type of disciplinary action, and whether the investigation was handled appropriately.<\/p>\n

Of the 16 complaints from 2020 reviewed by the panel, the majority related to conduct. Some also dealt with vehicle use, report writing, and directives and orders.<\/p>\n

Only one was sustained and resulted in disciplinary action. The shift sergeant, who received the complaint, investigated it and found the officer did not follow a \u201csmall procedural policy\u201d during a traffic stop, Current said.<\/p>\n

The sergeant issued training and a written warning, called a counseling record. The officer was receptive and it turned into a positive situation, he said.<\/p>\n

In 2019, the panel reviewed 15 complaints primarily related to conduct and ethics. Two were sustained after the department\u2019s internal investigations.<\/p>\n

The review panel checked 10 complaints from 2018, six of which were sustained by the police department\u2019s internal investigations.<\/p>\n

During investigations, Durango police check for policy violations and anything outside the boundaries of social norms, like rudeness for example, Current said. Discipline can include training, counseling, written reprimands, loss of leave, suspension and demotion.<\/p>\n

The department uses the community feedback to inform its internal practices, such as investigation and documentation processes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe take their information, and it holds us to a higher standard while we\u2019re investigating complaints,\u201d Current said.<\/p>\n

The review panel is a department policy, not a legal requirement. Durango\u2019s policy does not outline what materials must be shared with the panel, but Current said the police department releases all of the information about a complaint to panel members.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo bring in a group and be that transparent is something a lot of police departments don\u2019t do,\u201d Current said. \u201cWe don\u2019t have to do that, but Chief (Bob) Brammer feels it\u2019s important to allow the community into our house and for us to listen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Department leaders, primarily Current and Brammer, select the members of the review panel. They look for people who are problem-solvers, who think outside of the box, and who will assess the department\u2019s actions critically.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re not just going to roll over and say, \u2018Hey, you guys are doing a good job,\u2019 but look at us with an investigative eye,\u201d Current said.<\/p>\n

Ann Morse, executive director of Manna, a Durango soup kitchen, has served on the panel for two years.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe overall feeling, for me, is very positive. The police department is very transparent and proactive with the suggestions that the CCRP has,\u201d Morse said. \u201cI think it\u2019s really important to bridge and build that trust between the community and the Durango Police Department. \u2026 It\u2019s just great for the community\u2019s voice to be heard.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 2021 panel included Morse along with Fort Lewis College employees, judicial and city representatives, and community advocates. They reviewed complaints in late March.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere we have full procedural knowledge of how we do things, they see things very differently,\u201d Current said. \u201cSeeing the citizens\u2019 point of view will help us build public trust and will also help us change the way we do our internal investigations.\u201d<\/p>\n

smullane@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\n

About the panel<\/h4>\n

In 2021, Durango residents were represented by a variety of professionals on the Citizen Complaint Review Panel. The panel reviewed 16 complaints against the Durango Police Department in 2020.
\n Its members included:
\n Ben Waddell, a Fort Lewis College professor with expertise in race, crime and poverty.
\n David Kerns, FLC\u2019s development officer.
\n David West, former magistrate with the U.S. District Court in Durango.
\n Erin Hyder, managing director of the city\u2019s internal and cultural services.
\n Gail Harris, a member of the city\u2019s board of ethics who retired as the highest-ranking Black female in the U.S. Navy.
\n Dwayne Perry, a Durango entrepreneur and advocate for racial justice and police reform.
\n Ann Morse, executive director of Manna, a Durango-based soup kitchen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Community panel scrutinizes officer actions, internal reviews<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":47341,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[1175,1065,28,29],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-47340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-civil-rights","tag-durango-police-department","tag-headlines","tag-newsletter"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47340","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47340"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47340\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47340"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47340"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47340"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=47340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}