Perea left abruptly, in the midst of an uproar over his failure to dismiss any of the officers in the Michael DeHerrera beating case, Garcia not only quickly fired two officers involved in that incident, but six more, as well as a sheriff's deputy, in his first few months on the job.
And then, after just over four months with the city, Garcia resigned yesterday. Here's the announcement that Michael Hancock's office sent out:
Mayor Hancock Announces Resignation of Manager of SafetyDENVER -- Mayor Michael B. Hancock today announced the resignation of Charley Garcia, the Manager of Safety for the City and County of Denver.
"From the beginning of his tenure, Charley has served the City of Denver with courage and candor, and we thank him for his dedicated service," Mayor Hancock said. "We deeply appreciate his bold efforts to restore the trust in our public safety departments and ensure the safety of all Denver residents."
Garcia began his term in March of 2011 and submitted his letter of resignation to the Mayor's office on Wednesday, July 27. The Deputy Manager of Safety, Ashley Kilroy, was sworn into the position of Manager of Safety this afternoon and will serve while Mayor Hancock continues the interview process to fill the position permanently.
"Ashley and I have built a great working relationship having worked hand-in-hand for the past five months," Garcia said. "I believe she will be a great addition to Mayor Hancock's administration. She is dedicated to the mission of the Department and will serve the citizens of Denver with honor and integrity in her role as Manager of Safety."
Garcia may be gone -- the mayor's office has referred any questions about his abrupt departure to Garcia himself -- but controversies in the city's law-enforcement agencies remain. The Office of Independent Monitor is releasing a status report today on an investigation into allegations of cheating on the sheriff's sergeant promotional exam; yesterday, U.S. District Judge John Kane demanded that Denver the turn over records on excessive force to a plaintiff who's charged Denver Police Department officers with brutality.
Read about Ashley Kilroy's work on a Career Service Authority investigation in Joel Warner's "Inside Job."