POLICE CHANGES WELCOME

One day after naming an interim police chief, Mayor
Wellington Webb confided he is taking a long, thoughtful look at how
to change the culture of the Denver Police Department.

"Give us a little time, and we're going to see a gradual change," Webb
told the Post editorial board yesterday.

We warmly welcome the improvements Webb is pursuing.

He has assigned interim chief Gerry Whitman to tackle his top agenda
items: policies on high-speed chases and no-knock raids, with a strong
review of whether either tactic should be used, under what
circumstances and under whose authority.

Both practices have come under fire since police were televised
chasing down drug suspects and then beating and kicking them, and
since Ismael Mena, a father of nine, was slain in a botched no-knock
raid.

Chases and surprise raids both are seriously in need of
review.

Whitman also is to examine how police hiring is handled. But in an
unexpectedly strong stance, Webb already has told Public Safety
Manager Butcy Montoya to eliminate any aspiring officers who have used
cocaine. Ever.

That decision comes in the wake of controversy over the hiring of
Officer Ellis Johnson, who had an extensive, though long-past, history
of cocaine abuse as well as a record of stealing from his employers
and hitting and shoving the women in his life.

Webb, meanwhile, will be independently researching other police policy
concerns, including whether incentives should be offered to encourage
former chiefs and division chiefs, "older officers," to take early
retirement. With the department about to enter a stage of intensive
change, we see that as an excellent idea.

Perhaps most important, the mayor also wants to revisit how the
department reviews alleged police conduct, whether such probes should
continue to be done internally, or whether another venue for review
should be sought.

However such investigations are conducted, Webb made it clear that he
wants them to be more open - and he wants the entire department to be
more open with the public and the media.

In Florida, he noted, police investigations are made public within 45
days after completion. As we have said before, we believe probes of
alleged police misconduct should be undertaken by an independent
entity. The mayor appears open to that alternative.

In addition, Webb said, "We need to review our strategic plan for
training, discipline, recruitment, community policing and some of
these internal reviews." And while scrutinizing all of these
hot-button issues, Webb also will be searching for a new police chief
to guide a department in transition.

Clearly, the mayor has his plate full. But he has filled it with all
the right stuff - all the concerns that citizens have raised
repeatedly in recent years. We commend him for taking on the difficult
job of reforming the police force from top to bottom. While not an
easy task, this is an endeavor that is crucial to Denver's public safety.