Fox 31 Denver – by Chris Halsne
DENVER — Denver police officers should stop punching suspects in the face when they believe the person might have put evidence such as drugs in their mouths, the Office of the Independent Monitor, the city’s top police watchdog, recommended.
It’s an issue the FOX31 Denver Problem Solvers brought to light 18 months ago, but after a long investigation, independent monitor Nicholas Mitchell is weighing in with the release of the 2015 annual report.
“The OIM recommends that the DPD revise its Use of Force Policy to provide specific guidance on what types of force are permitted, and prohibited, to remove potential contraband from the mouths of persons being placed under arrest. The OIM further recommends that this revised policy prohibit the use of strikes to force persons being place under arrest to spit out potential contraband,” the report reads.
The recommendation stems from a 2014 incident, videotaped by a citizen.
Witnesses said when Denver narcotics officers pulled Honduran immigrant David Flores out of his vehicle during a stop near West Fifth Avenue and Federal Boulevard, Flores put something in his mouth.
Suspecting it was cotton sock containing heroin, then-officer Charles Jones started punching Flores in the face in an apparent attempt to retrieve it. On videotape, officers can be heard saying, “Spit the drugs out.”
A federal court and the U.S. Justice Department agreed that officers can use reasonable force to prevent a suspect from putting possible contraband into their mouths. But once it’s in there, officers are required to treat the incident like a medical emergency and should call medics.
“Relying on brute force should never occur,” said Lisa Calderon, co -chair of the Denver Colorado Latino Forum.
She hopes Denver police leadership will take a stand and make positive changes.
“When you don’t direct officers, when they are left to make stuff up on the scene, then it becomes justified because there’s a gap in the policy? That’s a problem,” Calderon said. “The community should know what to expect and so should police officers.”
Denver police spokesman Sonny Jackson, said the department is working to clarify the contraband in mouth issue.
“We’ve reached out to other agencies throughout the country, medical professionals, and we’re in the midst of drafting a policy in that area,” Jackson said. “It’s very close — not so close I can speak on it yet, but close in that area.”
Watchdog group: Denver police should not punch suspects to retrieve drugs from mouths
This is always the time when police brutality is out the window for me. If he was legal, punch him in the mouth! ILLEGAL!? All you can eat MOFO. If you survive, take/send his pollio-muley ass back to where that bitch dropped you……