Investigating Police Shootings
Watch this month's Dialogue:Denver DA
An unfortunate part of police work is that officers sometimes have to use deadly force to provide public safety. When this occurs, the District Attorney and Assistant District Attorney are immediately notified and a specific investigative protocol is activated. DA Mitch Morrissey and Assistant DA Chuck Lepley join host Harry Cullis to explore this protocol.
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The Denver DA posts officer-involved shooting “decision letters” online at the Denver DA's at
website (News Release section).
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On average there are 7 or 8 officer involved shootings each year in Denver
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If criminal charges are filed in an officer-involved shooting, the case file would not be open for review – it would become a criminal justice record.
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Denver has had the most open officer-involved shooting protocol in the country for more than a quarter century.
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The District Attorney, Assistant District Attorney, and specially-trained Chief Deputy District Attorneys are always on call to respond to an officer-involved shooting.
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The same standard used in all criminal cases in Denver is applied to an officer-involved shooting – this is a review of the totality of the fact and applying pertinent Colorado law
True or False – The District Attorney’s Office handles the prosecution of all misdemeanors in Denver.
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False. There are some misdemeanor crimes that are prosecuted by the Denver City Attorney’s Office...