BINI WILL RECEIVE DESK JOB

Jan. 18, 2001 - Denver police officer Joseph Bini, handed a three-month
suspension without pay this week for his role in the 1999 death of Ismael
Mena, won't be going back to his old job.

He will get a desk job, not a street assignment, when cleared to return to
work, Safety Manager Ari Zavaras said Wednesday.

"These things are difficult on officers," Zavaras said. "The worst thing
that could happen to him is to get involved in another situation." Bini was
suspended a year ago while the case was investigated. He will receive nine
months back pay.

But because he's been away for more than 90 days, he must pass medical and
other tests before he can return to work, Zavaras said.

Bini was given the three-month suspension as the result of an internal
investigation. He earlier pleaded guilty in court to a misdemeanor official
misconduct charge for signing a search warrant with the wrong address that
led to a botched no-knock drug raid and the death of Mena. He received
probation.

Mena, a Mexican immigrant and the father of nine, was killed after he fired
at SWAT officers.

The decision to return Bini to the force has been criticized by some in the
community. Zavaras said Bini's punishment was sufficient because he had
been put in a role he wasn't trained for.

In an interview this week, Bini said he would welcome a low-profile job for
a while.

"I would like to go back to what I was doing before: working with kids,
coaching, community-based activities," he said. Zavaras said he's satisfied
that Bini has been dealt with fairly but that the investigation isn't over.

He said he has asked Police Chief Gerry Whitman to look at the broader
issues, including the role supervisors might have played in the botched
search warrant.

"I am not ruling out discipline for others," he said. "We are going to look
into it."

The department tightened its procedures on no-knock raids after Mena's
death. District attorneys also must sign off on requests for noknock
warrants before they're presented to a judge.

This has led to dramatic drop in those warrants. In 1999, Denver police
obtained 129 no-knock warrants. Last year, the number dropped to 42.