A LOST CHANCE FOR REFORM

Hey, all you heavy drug users and bad credit risks. All of you who enjoy a
good shoving match with your spouse or significant other. Attention,
please. The Denver Civil Service Commission may still be able to find you a
job in law enforcement. Good pay. Great retirement benefits. Nice uniforms.

Sure, the job gets a bit dangerous at times, but what the heck. You know
all about danger, don't you? Those late-night purchases of illegal
substances can't exactly be anxiety-free.

If you've been following the news, you probably thought that opportunities
on the Denver police force for people with histories of extensive drug use,
bad credit and shoving incidents with loved ones would have dried up, given
the recent scandal involving the histories of a couple of police recruits.
But you'd be wrong. It turns out that one of two Civil Service Commission
members who voted against admitting the recruit to the police academy in
the most celebrated case is being rewarded for his common sense by getting
the boot.

It seems the City Council is poised to dump Ed Sullivan, a former aide to
Mayor Bill McNichols who has been on the commission for 16 years and who
voted to maintain high recruitment standards. His designated replacement,
whom the council will vote on Monday, is Kelly Brough, whose appointment
has been promoted by Councilwoman Susan Casey.

Now, Brough may indeed be a good candidate; for that matter, 16 years is a
long time for anyone to serve on a city commission. So what's the problem?
Simply this: Council members engineered the appointment behind closed doors
without a diligent attempt to find someone whose views on police
recruiting, testing and disciplinary matters meshed with their own. Unlike
the last time the council appointed a civil service commissioner, it has
made no effort to solicit applications or interest from qualified candidates.

By contrast, an opening in 1996 was announced to the public at a televised
City Council meeting, while a number of people were asked to submit names
of potential candidates. Wonder of wonders, candidates were even
interviewed to see what they thought about the important post they sought!

That's the sort of procedure Councilwoman Ramona Martinez wanted this time,
too. Unfortunately, a majority of her colleagues have decided that such
important formalities are an inconvenience.

Shouldn't the council and the public have some idea how long Brough thinks
a potential police officer should be drug free before being accepted as a
recruit? One year? Three years? Five years? There is a recruit in the
present police class who admits to illegal drug use on at least a half
dozen occasions within the past five years. Is that acceptable? We don't
think so, but three members of the present Civil Service Commission
obviously disagree. Why isn't the council interested in Brough's views on
this and the many other issues that the commission oversees?

We have no idea, but this much is clear: Average citizens may be alarmed by
the quality of some Denver police recruits, but a majority of council
members don't much seem to care.