DENVER POLICE GAVE RECRUIT 2ND CHANCE

One other recruit in the current police academy class has a history of drug
abuse comparable to that of Ellis "Max" Johnson, whose appointment ignited
a furor after it was opposed by police commanders.

Two-thirds of the 35-member class admitted past drug use, Denver Civil
Service Commissioners revealed last week in response to criticism of
Johnson's appointment. Documents released Monday by the commission under an
Open Records Act request from the Denver Rocky Mountain News show that 19
of the 24 recruits admitting drug use list only random or long-ago smoking
of marijuana.

One recruit also admitted using cocaine once, another admitted using LSD
once in 1991 and a third said he had used a methamphetamine one time.

The commission released to the News censored copies of the personal history
forms and applications filled out by the 35 trainees. The commission
deleted names, dates of birth and other personal information.

The application of the other recruit who used drugs extensively shows he is
a white male. The 40-year-old Johnson is black.

Johnson's disclosure form is the thickest, detailing a series of security
guard jobs, unsuccessful applications to law enforcement agencies, his drug
use and a lawsuit for an unpaid student loan.

Johnson also admitted to shoving incidents involving his ex-wife and a
girlfriend.

One other applicant also disclosed being sued for an unpaid student loan.
He currently is an Arapahoe County deputy and admitted smoking marijuana
once in 1983.

The drug histories supplied by Johnson and another recruit are much more
extensive than those reported by their classmates.

Safety manager Butch Montoya says he appointed Johnson because he deserved
a second chance for turning his life around. Johnson said he stopped using
drugs in 1987.

But the other recruit, whose identity couldn't be determined, admitted
using drugs much more recently. He last smoked marijuana in spring 1996 at
his home, according to his application, and said he smoked marijuana five
times in 1995.

He also admitted smoking marijuana about 60 times between 1978 and 1980,
taking methamphetamine once in 1978, taking LSD in 1979 and using cocaine
in 1980 and 1983.

The same recruit also told the commission that he drinks between six and 14
beers per week, usually at home.

Johnson's admitted drug use includes marijuana, cocaine and crack following
a divorce. He also said he used LSD, PCP and mescaline once each in 1973.
Mescaline is a potent hallucinogenic substance contained in peyote. He also
took amphetamines between 1980 and 1985.

Johnson has been trying to become a police officer for five years. He
resigned from the Glendale Police Department in May 1998, when supervisors
told him they would not extend his training period after two months on the
job.

He had applied unsuccessfully 23 times at 19 law-enforcement agencies in
the metropolitan area -- including three previous attempts to join the
Denver Police Department. Johnson had applications pending at six other
agencies when Montoya approved him for the Denver police academy.