Following $3 Million Settlement, Loveland Leaders Debate Whether Change Is Needed
LOVELAND, Colo. (CBS4) - On Wednesday, Loveland Police Chief Bob Ticer admitted it's been a challenging time for his law enforcement department. Now city leaders are mixed on who should lead the Loveland Police Department moving forward.
Multiple investigations are ongoing into several headline-grabbing incidents including a fatal officer involved shooting last month, and last year's violent arrest of a woman with dementia.
"It is my responsibility to ensure this agency handles the rest of Ms. Garner's case as professionally and transparent as possible. I understand those demands, but my responsibility here is to ensure that the investigations that are moving forward are handled professionally and with transparency," Ticer said on Wednesday.
On Tuesday night, officers and their family made a plea to the city council for support.
"I think the amount of attacks they've been given, that have been launched against them, without information, without full disclosure of information is really unjust," said Councilman Don Overcash.
Overcash has been the council liaison for the Police Citizens Advisory Board. He says each controversial incident is independent, and he doesn't see a pattern of problems at the department.
"From what I hear from the men and women who serve that organization, I would need to see evidence from of something different than what I've known for the past six years," Overcash said.
The city manager will make the final decision on if the chief keeps his job, but Mayor Jacki Marsh says she thinks change is needed.
"I have concerns whether the current leadership can correct the things that I see going wrong right now," Marsh said. "I have lost faith in current management's ability to fix our problems."
Marsh and Overcash are running against each other in November's election for who will serve the next term as mayor.
"There is force happening very quickly into an encounter," Marsh said. "From the top down, we need to say our focus is to protect and serve. That's our focus."
"It's tragic when someone is harmed in any way shape or form. It would have been even more tragic if that officer hadn't been able to get home that night to his family, safely," said Overcash.
