Denver's Office of the Independent Monitor, the civilian watchdog for the city’s police and sheriff departments, released its 2014 annual report Tuesday. CPR News is looking at all 168 pages. For now, here are four highlights:
- Denver Police Department's pilot body cameras project captured both officer misconduct and unfounded complaints. But less than half the officers who used force while wearing a body camera recorded a use of force in a way that produced useable footage. (Page 10.)
- Complaints against police officers for inappropriate force rose by 64 percent, a rise that the independent monitor calls substantial compared to 2013. In 2014, there were 210 complaints of inappropriate use of force. (Page 40.) Nearly 10 percent of officers received one inappropriate use of force complaint. (Page 60.)
- During 2014, there were six officer-involved shootings, with seven citizens involved. Two of the shootings have been reviewed and both were determined to be within DPD policy. The independent monitor agreed that the shootings were within policy. (Page 95.)
- There was a 45 percent increase in the number of complaints filed against the deputies of the Denver Sheriff Department, for a total of 424 complaints in 2014. The most common complaints, 45 percent of them, were related to improper procedure. Excessive force complaints represented 16 percent of the total. (Page 67.)
