Denver Police Department

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Denver Police Department
DPD
Sworn	1,405
Non-sworn	319
Stations	6
Chief	Gerald R. Whitman

The Denver Police Department is the full service police department jointly for the City and County of Denver, Colorado, which provides the full spectrum of police services to the entire county, and may provide contractual security police services to special districts within the county.

The current police chief is Gerald R. Whitman.^[1]

1 Specialized units
2 Denver Police Department decorations
3 Controversy
- 3.1 Ismael Mena shooting
- 3.2 Spy files controversy
4 See also
5 External links
6 References

[edit] Specialized units

Denver Police Department Mounted Patrol

[edit] Denver Police Department decorations

Denver Police Medal of Honor
Denver Police Service Cross
Denver Police Medal of Valor
Police Purple Heart
Police Lifesaving Medal
Police Campaign Medal
Physical Fitness Award

[edit] Controversy

Denver Police have met with controversy and protest over several high-profile incidents that have led them to include citizens in their Disciplinary Review Board and Use of Force Review Board.^[2]

[edit] Ismael Mena shooting

On September 23, 1999, a Denver Police SWAT team performed a no-knock raid on the home of 45-year-old Mexican immigrant Ismael Mena. Officers shot and killed Mena. Police said that Mena pulled a gun on officers and opened fire, necessitating deadly force. Investigations revealed, however, that Mena's body may have been dragged from where it fell, and that gunpowder residue on his hands was not consistent with the gun in his hands, but with a SWAT submachine gun. Media and critics of the police department's handling of the situation have pointed out inconsistencies in officers' stories.^[3]