Following Calls For Defunding, Denver Police Chief Vows For Reevaluation
DENVER (CBS4) - For nearly two weeks, protesters have taken to the streets of Denver calling for justice for George Floyd and police accountability. Those voices now echoing throughout city hall.
"Policing is a structural issue that needs a structural overhaul," one woman said during Monday night's public comment period of Denver's city council meeting.
Another speaker said, "Anything less than defunding the police is an insult to Denver."
During that meeting several city council members shared their support for those ideas in some form or another including refocusing funds on support services.
It's a discussion not lost on Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen.
"We recognize that this is a movement. This is a tipping point, and we have to reevaluate everything we do," he said.
He says that includes training, department policies, disciplinary action, as well as who they are recruiting and retaining. Pazen says it also means looking at a new way of doing things.
"Also it's important we are looking for alternative solutions, including alternative response," he said. "In some cases it may make more sense for someone other than a uniformed officer to respond."
A year ago, Pazen announced they would be developing a pilot program that would remove armed officers from some 911 calls.
The Support Team Assisted Response, also known as STAR, was launched prior to protests in Denver with the goal of sending a paramedic and mental health professional to appropriate 911 calls.
"We want to build on that. We want to be open minded and be ready for change," Pazen said.
While he acknowledged the need for improvement within their operations, he says there are some calls that only police are trained for.
"We still have high levels of calls for service where we unfortunately have violence, youth violence. We want to look for alternative ways to prevent the violence in the first place, but there needs to be a balanced approach to this," he said
The city's Department of Public Safety also addressing calls for change within the police department, hosting a round table discussion on Tuesday night.
Those pushing the movement used the call as an opportunity to clarify their message saying they know their is a need for public safety, but small changes and reform are no longer enough and defunding the police to them means abolishing and completely reimagining that policing looks like.
