COP'S ALLEGATION BRINGS SWIFT ACTION

Police Chief Pledges Thorough Probe Into Charges Of Evidence Fabrication In
Mena Killing

Denver Police Chief Tom Sanchez promised a vigorous investigation Friday
into charges that a veteran cop was pressured by superiors to fabricate
evidence in a controversial shooting.

The charges were lodged by Susan E. Scott, a 20-year veteran who told
Internal Affairs officers this week she was pushed to make it appear as
though there was a history of trouble at a home where a man was killed in a
"no-knock" raid.

"This is a major integrity issue," Sanchez said after a hastily called
press conference late Friday afternoon.

The charges stem from the Sept. 29 shooting death of Ismael Mena in a
gunfight with Denver SWAT officers.

In late November, police officials acknowledged that the affidavit upon
which the warrant was based might have been flawed and that the home where
Mena was staying might have been mistaken for a nearby house.

According to police, Mena, armed with a handgun, fired at least two shots
in the confrontation with Denver SWAT officers.

The investigation of the shooting, including the accuracy of the original
search warrant, was turned over to Jefferson County District Attorney Dave
Thomas, who was named a special prosecutor in the case.

The complaints from the officer were forwarded to Thomas this week. He is
expected to wrap up his investigation as early as next week.

Scott, well-respected among her peers, has not been available for comment.
However, the Denver Rocky Mountain News has learned that she told
investigators she felt pressure from supervising officers to make it appear
as though there'd been a history of complaints about the home at 3738 High
St., where Mena was living.

Scott told investigators she also felt pushed to make it look like officers
were preparing a file of complaints about the house.

"When somebody comes forward and says officers are being asked to fabricate
evidence, it's a serious offense," Sanchez said Friday.

He said he forwarded the allegations to Thomas immediately.

He also said he made it clear to officials in the Internal Affairs Bureau
"that this investigation is the police department's highest priority."

"We ask the community to wait until the investigation is complete before
passing judgment," he said. "We do not want to taint or pre-judge the
investigation."

He promised "appropriate action" if the charges prove true.

Sanchez said he expected his own department's investigation of the
officer's charges to be completed early next week.

Mayor Wellington Webb, in Washington, D.C., at the U.S. Conference of
Mayors, said he would wait to comment on the allegations.

"I think it would be premature for me as mayor to second-guess an
investigation that hasn't been completed," he said.

The charges triggered shock inside the police department and criticism
outside it.

Detective Manny Alvarez said that he felt "sick after hearing the
allegations."

"You think about something like that happening in New York or Los Angeles,"
he said. "You don't think about something like that happening at home."

Denver City Councilman Ed Thomas, a former police officer, said he was
worried about the implications of the charges.

"If allegations like this are true, it breaks down the basic foundation of
the criminal justice system," he said. "That is very disturbing."

The Rev. Gill Ford, an official with the Denver chapter of the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said the officer did the
right thing by coming forward.

"It would be far easier for her to do what she was asked than to stand up
and file a report with Internal Affairs," he said.

Additional reporting by staff writer Michael Romano.