A MISCALCULATED RISK

Thursday, July 26, 2001 - So far this month, the Denver metro area has had
a mini-epidemic of police shootings involving several jurisdictions, but
Monday's wild chase and shooting of a shoplifting suspect is worth
particular notice.

Michael David Grodney of Aurora survived after being shot eight times when
three Westminster officers cornered him in Denver after a chase that began
at FlatIron Crossing mall in Broomfield.

Grodney's case stands out because, according to a published report, he had
been freed from jail July 3 when an unnamed Denver narcotics detective
requested that bond be reduced in a criminal case.

Denver police and district attorney officials declined to comment on why
Grodney's $20,000 bail was reduced to $5,000 or if he was an informant or
police operative.

At the time he was sprung, Grodney was in jail, accused of stealing
automobiles and renting them out. He has a lengthy police record involving
theft and drugs.

Monday's events began when a Nordstrom employee reported a shoplifter to
Broomfield police. An officer confronted a heavily tattooed man outside the
mall. The suspect jumped into a reportedly stolen pickup and tried to run
down the officer, police said.

The suspect fled into Westminster, and that city's police joined the chase,
forcing the truck to halt at 36th Avenue and Wynkoop Street. Grodney
reportedly tried to run down those officers, but three opened fire,
wounding him.

In addition to endangering the police officers, this chase put God knows
how many ordinary folks at risk.

No citizen can be blamed for asking why this one-man crime wave was even on
the streets.

Neither the Denver District Attorney's office nor Police Chief Gerry
Whitman would directly comment on the case. But Assistant DA Chuck Lepley,
speaking in a general sense about confidential informants and police
operatives, said law enforcement often must use them, particularly in
proactive investigations.

Police have protocols to weigh the risks of using such people. "It would be
nice if they could all be priests and nuns," said Lepley, but that's not
the case.

Sometimes, unfortunately, some snitches think they can continue to break
the law and not be caught.

Also, Lepley said, bond may be reduced for a variety of complex reasons.

Although Denver's leaders have worked diligently during the past two
decades to turn it into a world-class city, the epidemic of shootings makes
it look like a cowtown - we won't say Dodge City. We're not saying the cops
should use choir boys as snitches but maybe those protocols need some
rethinking.