Michael DeHerrera

Alex Laundau responds to feds' decision not to charge Denver cops who brutally beat him

Organizations hoping to bury unpleasant or potentially controversial news traditionally release information late Friday, in the hope that many folks already in weekend mode miss the development. A classic example: Justice Department reps chose Friday at 6:30 p.m. to inform Alex Landau that they woul ... More >>

I went to jail for skateboarding, and all I got was this sweet mug shot

Skateboarding shouldn't be a crime -- but it is in certain parts of Denver. And during my recent run-in with the Denver Police Department after I was caught skateboarding on the 16th Street Mall, I learned that not only do some cops hate skateboarding, they also hate being questioned about their exc ... More >>

Can new faces and a new structure bring discipline to the Denver Police Department?

Alex Landau still waiting for DPD decision, but his Westword story wins a major award

In January 2009, Alex Landau landed in the hospital after Denver cops pulled over the black teen for making an illegal left turn. He's still waiting for the Denver Police Department to determine the fate of the officers involved -- but another verdict came in this weekend, when Joel Warner's cover s ... More >>

Alex Landau beating: Denver cops puts case on pause as FBI investigates

Update below: Alex Landau talks about the news. Three years-plus since Alex Landau was beaten bloody after being pulled over for what officers cited as an illegal left turn, and a year since he was

Derrick Saunders, Denver cop, unfired despite driving 143 MPH while drunk

Cynics who believe there's no fired Denver police officer the Civil Service Commission won't reappoint have a new example to cite as evidence they're right. His name is Derrick Saunders, and the commission overturned the decision to sack him even though he pleaded guilty to driving 143 MPH while dr ... More >>

Alex Landau refuses to re-enact Denver cop beating

On January 29, 2009, Alex Landau was brutally beaten by Denver cops after they pulled him over for what they said was an illegal left turn -- but he charged was racial profiling. And the City of Denver agreed -- or at least was worried enough about the federal lawsuit Landau filed to settle with La ... More >>

Mary Beth Klee, new DPD Internal Affairs boss, a brutality apologist, attorney says

Late last month, the Denver Police Department named former district and country judge Jess Vigil to the new position of deputy manager of police discipline -- a move ballyhooed as an indication that the DPD under Chief Robert White is getting serious about brutality allegations. But the attorney for ... More >>

Photos: Trayvon Martin inspires police brutality march, demand for DPD review

Laurie Fitzgerald tried to tell her grandson about Trayvon Martin, about his hoodie, about his family, but it's hard. So she taught him the basics. When asked why he's carrrying a poster of the seventeen-year-old Florida student's face, four-year-old Royce Edwards answers only, "Because Trayvon is d ... More >>

Photos: Occupy Denver marches against police brutality

On Saturday, at age six months and one day, Occupy Denver rallied downtown to protest police brutality. More than 100 people gathered with signs and chants for one in a handful of protests dedicated to the topic in the past week. Although relationships between Occupy Denver and the Denver Police Dep ... More >>

Police brutality: Witness upset Denver Diner cops to be back on street

New update below: Denver's Civil Service Commission has determined that officers Ricky Nixon and Kevin Devine, fired over an alleged brutality incident at the Denver Diner in 2009, can return to the street while the city appeals their reinstatement. This decision aggravates Colorado Progressive Coal ... More >>

Police brutality: Attorney blasts city for missing Denver Diner appeal date for reinstated cops

Last month, Denver's Civil Service Commission reinstated officers Ricky Nixon and Kevin Devine, who'd been fired for their actions in an alleged brutality incident at the Denver Diner in 2009. A lawsuit over the matter is still alive, but the victims' attorney is angry about the latest development: ... More >>

Police brutality: Reinstated cop still faces lawsuit in Denver Diner case

Big pics below.​Denver's Civil Service Commission has reinstated officers Ricky Nixon and Kevin Devine, who'd been fired for their actions in an alleged brutality incident at the Denver Diner in 2009. But a lawsuit over the matter is still alive, and the attorney representing the plaintiffs e ... More >>

Alex Landau discusses the lack of prosecution for the officers who beat him

Three years ago, Alex Landau became a symbol of sorts for racial inequality and police brutality in Denver. Three years ago, Denver police officers pulled Landau over for an alleged illegal left turn, and it was not long after that they beat him bloody. But that was three years ago, and Landau has c ... More >>

Alex Landau and the Colorado Progressive Coalition promote racial profiling hotline

​Three years ago on Sunday, police officers pulled over Alex Landau,then nineteen, for taking an illegal left turn onto Emerson. They then beat him bloody. Although Landau received one of the city's largest police brutality settlements in May -- $795,000 -- his story remains a chilling example ... More >>

John Diaz, former cop in excessive-force case, busted in assault on ex's boyfriend

Until last year, John Diaz was a Denver police officer. He resigned in the middle of an excessive-force investigation aimed at him and a fellow cop -- one in which his actions were ultimately found to be justified, more or less. But now, he's back in the spotlight for a potpourri of charges centerin ... More >>

Charley Garcia leaves the Manager of Safety job -- after sacking nine officers

CBS4​Charley Garcia is gone from the Denver Manager of Safety's office almost as quickly as he came in. In March, then-mayor Bill Vidal had appointed Garcia, a former state public defender, to the post, making him the fourth person to hold it in a year. He replaced interim manager Mary Maletes ... More >>

Denver police suit: David Lane on false Aaron Puller charge in racially motivated attacks case

Big pic below.​In November 2009, more than thirty African-American suspects were arrested in what the Denver Police Department described as racially motivated attacks on whites or Hispanics. Among those rounded up was Aaron Puller, who spent sixteen days in jail even though the evidence agains ... More >>

Oleg Gidenko shooting justified because driving constituted deadly force, DA's office says

At the scene.​Although it hasn't gotten the publicity of alleged police misconduct involving the likes of Michael DeHerrera and Alex Landau, the March death of Oleg Gidenko is frequently cited by reform-minded protesters, who say Gidenko was unarmed when Aurora cops plugged him in the back of ... More >>

Michael Hancock: Prostitution-ring case taken over by feds as Denver cops get some distance

Michael Hancock.​At this point, Denver Police Department reps aren't saying why they handed over the Denver Players prostitution investigation to the feds. But no need to exhume Nostradamus to figure it out. After all, there are approximately a gazillion reasons why the DPD would want to put ... More >>

Alexander Landau police beating: Denver settles lawsuit for $795,000

Alex Landau.​Update: Denver City Council approved settling Landau's lawsuit for $795,000 during their meeting tonight. In a statement, Mayor Guillermo (Bill) Vidal noted, "This settlement sends our clear message to Mr. Landau and the community that we take these types of allegations seriously, ... More >>

Jose Sanchez lawsuit alleges Denver Police Department bias, says ACLU director

Flickr​Despite the firing of officers involved in the Michael DeHerrera beating, the Denver Police Department continues to be a criticism target. The latest example: an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit (read it below) filed on behalf of Jose Sanchez. Among other things, it alleges DPD bi ... More >>

Ken Simpson: A Denver mayor's race profile

Ken Simpson.​With John Hickenlooper serving as Colorado's governor, we know Denver will have a new mayor this year, and the race is wide open. To introduce you to the players, we're offering profiles of official candidates. Next up: Ken Simpson. "I believe that one person can make a differenc ... More >>

Dwight Henson: A Denver mayor's race profile

Dwight Henson.​With John Hickenlooper having taken office as Colorado's governor, we know Denver will have a new mayor this year, and the race is wide open. To introduce you to the players, we're offering profiles of official candidates. Next up: Dwight Henson. "A lot of people say, 'Don't ju ... More >>

Brad Mitchell, Scarlet Ranch bartender, latest to allege excessive force by Denver Police officers

CBS4​There are no shortage of excessive-force complaints against Denver Police officers these days, as our reporting about cases involving Michael DeHerrera, Alex Landau, Nick Lynch and others demonstrates. The latest? A threatened lawsuit by Scarlet Ranch bartender Brad Mitchell, who claims c ... More >>

Nick Lynch excessive-force complaint against Denver Police tossed, attorney charges cover-up

Flickr​Mere days after a jury considering an excessive-force lawsuit aimed at Officer Vicki Ferrari decided in favor of the Denver cop/ex-American Gladiators contestant, a similar complaint by Nick Lynch against four members of the DPD over a 2008 matter was rejected by Judge John Kane. Lynch' ... More >>

Marvin Booker protest rally and march on the 16th Street Mall: A photo gallery

Marvin Booker.​Earlier this month, we reported that a rally for Marvin Booker, who died in Denver jail this past summer, would take place Saturday on the 16th Street Mall. That evening, a crowd of approximately 200-300 people -- some sporting bandannas, some waving signs -- turned minimally vi ... More >>

Alex Landau rhymes about being beaten up by Denver Police (VIDEO)

​This week's cover story, "Black and Blue," by Joel Warner, recounts nineteen-year-old Alex Landau's run-in with Denver Police in January 2009. Landau, now 21, still has physical scarring and what could be identified as post-traumatic stress disorder after being beaten bloody by the DPD (cont ... More >>

Dan Maes not padding résumé with Jason Bourne tales about police past, spokesman says

Dan Maes.​The apparently damaging attacks on Republican guv candidate Dan Maes just keep coming. Hot on the heels of a front-page Denver Post story about allegedly catastrophic fundraising difficulties, which prompted Colorado GOP boss Dick Wadhams to call Maes opponent John Hickenlooper the l ... More >>

Ron Perea's resignation letter as Manager of Safety: "Respectfully" times two

Ron Perea.​As Patricia Calhoun noted earlier this morning, Ron Perea won't be headlining a Citizen Oversight Board forum tonight as planned -- because Perea resigned on Monday amid controversy over the alleged police beating of Michael DeHerrera. Now, KHOW's Peter Boyles has obtained Perea's ... More >>

Matias Mondragon (No. 16): Did Matt Weber kill him near Night Owl Lounge because he was gay?

Matt Weber.​Yesterday, we told you about the arrest of Matt Weber in a fatal stabbing at Broomfield's Night Owl Lounge. The victim has now been identified as Matias Mondragon, 31, of Taos, New Mexico, whose family suspects that he may have been targeted because he was a homosexual. And indeed, ... More >>

Ron Perea resigns from Manager of Safety job as police-beating scandals escalate

Ron Perea.​Did he jump or was he pushed? That's question one sparked by word that Denver Manager of Safety Ron Perea has resigned amid mounting negative publicity about alleged police brutality. Perea, you'll recall, found nothing wrong with the brutal 2009 beating of Michael DeHerrera, who c ... More >>

Denver Police Department announcement on reopening the DeHerrera investigation

​Yesterday's announcement from the Denver Police Department was short and very sweet to anyone who's been following the fallout from the DPD's handling of the Michael DeHerrera case: "Denver Police to Re-Open Investigation."