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Rallyers Say Community's Relationship With Police Needs Fixing Now

DENVER (CBS4) - Some Denver community leaders are calling for criminal justice reform. They say the relationship between police and the community is fractured in the city and it needs to be repaired.

Hundreds of people packed Shorter Communty AME Church for a meeting Tuesday night.

Police Chief Robert White, Denver Sheriff Patrick Firman and Denver Manager of Safety Stephanie O'Malley sat just feet from the lecturn where religious and political leaders spoke. No one from Denver police had a scheduled speaking role.

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"It was the chiefs of police that went to the chair and said you cannot allow that bill to move forward," said State Rep. Joe Salazar, a Democrat from Westminster, to the crowd.

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The rally leaders said they are hoping to strengthen the bond between police and the community. But it came with a full-throated airing of grievances directed at law enforcement. Some criticized use of force policies and other blamed lawmakers for killing criminal justice reform measures in Colorado's last legislative session.

Some rally speakers said the change in the White House coming this week makes their issues more urgent than ever.

"We're in a Trump season where community is being shut down, activists will be shut down and there will be all kind of human abuses," said Shorter Community AME Church Pastor Timothy Tyler.

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The rally was called three days before President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration largely out of fears stemming from his election. Tyler said he worries civil rights will suffer locally and nationally under the new administration.

"It's a response to the fear and it is a response to the the lackadaisical way in which our city and our city leaders are engaging community," Tyler said.

Stan Hilkey, executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Safety, was also present at the meeting.

"A lot of times we try to legislate relationships or write policy about relationships," Hilkey said. "Relationships start at places like this."

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Hilkey, a former sheriff, said that with fears and tempers rising across the country, police agencies have to be a part of rallies like the one on Tuesday night.

"We are all very concerned about image and we want to make sure that we are doing everything we can to build trust," he said.

Lawmakers say they would like to reintroduce a police reform bill to the legislature this year.

Denver police are holding three upcoming community meetings to discuss their use of force policy, which they are in the process of revising. The first meeting is from 5-8 p.m. on Jan. 24 at the Boys and Girls Club of Metro Denver located at 3333 Holly Street, a second meeting is scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon on Jan. 28 at Elevate Denver Church located at 2205 W. 30th Avenue and the final community meeting will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Feb. 4 at the Red Shield Community Center located at 2915 N. High Street.

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