NOTE: *Ismael Mena Story*

DENVER POLICE CHIEF RESIGNS AFTER 18 MONTHS OF CONTROVERSY

DENVER, Feb. 9 -- Mayor Wellington Webb began a search today for a new
police chief after a series of problems, including the accidental shooting
death of a man in a botched drug raid, led him to seek the resignation of a
30-year veteran of the force who served less than 18 months as its chief.

In announcing his request late Tuesday after meeting with the chief, Tom
Sanchez, the city's first Hispanic police chief and one of the few
Hispanics leading a big-city police force, Mayor Webb said, "At certain
times, due to a convergence of issues, a leadership change is necessary."

Chief Sanchez, who is 50, said today that he felt "disappointed and
disenchanted" over his forced resignation, asserting that the criticism he
had endured over the controversies obscured the work of a 1,400-member
force that was otherwise performing well.

"We haven't had any catastrophic events," the chief said in an interview
today. "And I feel we prevented a lot of problems."

Still, Chief Sanchez could not escape public condemnation of police work in
several prominent incidents, including the killing of Ismael Mena, a
45-year-old Mexican immigrant who was shot to death by police officers last
September during a raid on what turned out to be the wrong house. Mr. Mena
had been asleep in an upstairs bedroom after working his shift at a local
bottling plant.

Officers involved in the raid, which had as its target the house next door
where drug activity was suspected, were cleared of wrongdoing. But last
Friday a special prosecutor filed perjury charges against one officer,
Joseph Bini, accusing him of providing false information to a court in
obtaining the search warrant.

Chief Sanchez said some of the false information played a role in the
officers' raiding the wrong house.

The chief had also been criticized over several other incidents that raised
questions among citizens and elected officials about his management style
and sensitivity to the people he served.

After the Denver Broncos won the Super Bowl on Jan. 31, 1999, retaining
their National Football League championship, the police used tear gas to
disperse vandals when a downtown celebration grew out of hand. Seven months
later the police used tear gas again to subdue unruly fans after a football
game between the University of Colorado and Colorado State.

The police were also accused of using excessive force last August after
officers subdued two people who led them on a chase through rush-hour
traffic.

In December, Chief Sanchez found his leadership skills under fire when a
police recruit, Ellis Johnson, admitted to a criminal history that included
theft and drug use.

Chief Sanchez recommended that Mr. Johnson not be hired, but the decision
was overruled by the chief's boss, Fidel Montoya, the city's safety
manager.

Chief Sanchez said news accounts of various incidents fueled the public
perception that he was not doing a good job.

As one example, he cited critical news reports about New Year's Eve
activities in the city, where the downtown area was virtually lifeless,
partly because city officials had warned that parking would be restricted
and rowdy behavior would not be tolerated.

"So all I heard was New Year's Eve was dull, too safe," Chief Sanchez said.
"As a police officer, how am I supposed to respond to that? My job was to
make sure people who came downtown had a good time and got home safe, which
was the case."

The final episode occurred last Saturday, a day after Officer Bini was
indicted in the Mena case. With permission from Mr. Montoya and Mayor
Webb's chief of staff, Chief Sanchez left Denver for Honolulu to attend a
conference of police chiefs from the nation's 55 largest cities. Television
crews appeared at the Denver International Airport and taped his departure
for news broadcasts that Chief Sanchez said made it seem as if he were on a
junket.

He was summoned back to Denver by Mayor Webb on Monday, a day before the
conference was scheduled to begin, even though Mr. Webb told reporters that
the Hawaii trip played no role in his decision to ask for the police
chief's resignation.

The resignation of Chief Sanchez leaves only a small number of Hispanics
serving as chiefs of large police departments. They include Joseph J.
Santiago in Newark, David Bejarano in San Diego and Sheriff Lee Baca in Los
Angeles County. But Chief Sanchez said he did not feel sadder because of
his Hispanic heritage.

"The whole thing," he said, "has been difficult."