DENVER — In an open letter to city leaders, a citizen oversight board is calling for more accountability and transparency to make sure the City of Denver is honoring all aspects of its settlement agreements in police-related lawsuits.
This week marks eight years since the death of 50-year-old Michael Marshall.
“Michael Marshall was an individual who was experiencing a mental health crisis in the Denver Sheriff’s Department custody,” said Julia Richman, who chairs the Denver Citizen Oversight Board, a nine-member board that reviews police hiring, training and disciplinary practices.
Video obtained by Denver7 after the incident shows deputies holding Marshall face down for several minutes. A medical examiner said this caused Marshall to choke on his vomit and ruled his death a homicide.
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The city settled out of court with the family for $4.6 million.
“So, in thinking about the death of Michael Marshall, our board administrator really started to look into the settlement that surrounded his death,” said Richman.
In reviewing high-profile settlements like Marshall’s, Richman said the board discovered the city was not complying with its promises to implement change.
“The non-financial elements of these cases are the things that prevent harm in the future for members of the public, members of the city, and that’s really where the change is supposed to take place,” said Richman.
The board said the city has done a poor job of tracking records and sharing critical information that would show its progress.
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“In one case, we found a real lack of documentation. Nobody seemed to have ownership of them. They weren’t in city records anymore,” said Richman. “And so, things like that lead us to believe that the city wasn’t really taking those elements seriously.”
The board issued an open letter Friday detailing its findings and concerns to Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and other city leaders.
“We wanted to raise awareness around that and wanted the city to begin to take these seriously with a new mayor and new council. We felt like this is the time to start to have this conversation,” said Richman. “We can do this differently going forward.”
In a statement, Johnston said the city and his administration are “committed to accountability.
“The City and County of Denver and the Johnston Administration are committed to accountability throughout the city, and we are always open to meeting with the Citizen Oversight Board to discuss opportunity for improvements,” Johnston said in a statement. “Citizens’ trust that the City will enforce and follow through with settlement agreements is crucial, and we will continue to work diligently to ensure we meet Denverites’ expectations.”
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The Denver Department of Public Safety, which includes the police and sheriff’s departments, said it has complied with its settlement agreements and took issue with the oversight board’s conclusions.
“The Department of Public Safety meets regularly with the Citizen Oversight Board and always makes ourselves available to address their concerns. While the COB may hold opinions that the settlement agreements should have been negotiated differently, the department has complied with the terms that were agreed upon and will continue to be transparent and share improvements with the public to enhance trust in public safety,” said Armando Saldate, the executive director of the Denver Department of Safety.
The Denver Police Department deferred to the Department of Public Safety’s statement.
The citizen oversight board said the city has paid out more than $17 million dollars in police-related settlements since 2022, including $9.5 million since July of this year.
The board holds public meetings on the first and third Friday of each month and often questions law enforcement officials, such as Saldate and Denver Police Department Chief Ron Thomas about a variety of matters.
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Citizen oversight board calls for accountability in Denver police lawsuit settlements
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Children’s Hospital Colorado signed an agreement this week with TriWest Healthcare Alliance to remain in network with Tricare, which will ensure that Children’s medical services for uniformed service members, retirees and their families in Colorado don’t lapse.
The new arrangement, which begins on Jan. 1, comes as Tricare switches third-party companies — from Health Net to TriWest — to administer its healthcare plans. Tricare is overseen by the Defense Health Agency, which is part of the U.S. Department of Defense.
In a press release, Children’s Hospital Colorado said the new deal supplants a plan that would have moved it to a non-network participation status with Tricare. Children’s said Tricare reimbursement for children’s hospitals remains “well below the cost of providing care.”
This past spring, Children’s warned that it would have to make cuts to key departments this year because of a change in how Tricare pays for care. The insurer tied the payments to what Medicare would pay for the same services, as Tricare does for services to adults at civilian hospitals.
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The U.S. Department of Defense said the change, which was implemented in October 2023, would save the military up to $45 million in taxpayer funds annually, according to the Military Times.
Children’s Hospital Colorado estimated it had lost about $2.1 million a month since the reimbursement change was put in place compared to how Tricare used to pay. The system estimated about 16,000 kids insured by Tricare receive care at Children’s Hospital Colorado facilities, and about one in five children who receive care at the Colorado Springs hospital and clinics have military coverage.
Children’s this week said it will continue conferring with the Department of Defense, and elected officials, to ensure it can maintain high-quality, specialty pediatric care for all kids in Colorado.
“We are grateful for all the individuals and families who have joined us in our efforts over the past 18 months to address these TRICARE cuts,” the hospital said in a statement. “We will continue to share opportunities where your advocacy can help us preserve critical access to healthcare services for military families like yours at Children’s Colorado.”
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Cleveland Cavaliers (26-4, first in the Eastern Conference) vs. Denver Nuggets (16-11, fifth in the Western Conference)
Denver; Friday, 9 p.m. EST
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BOTTOM LINE: Cleveland will attempt to keep its five-game win streak alive when the Cavaliers take on Denver.
The Nuggets are 8-4 on their home court. Denver leads the Western Conference with 20.3 fast break points led by Christian Braun averaging 4.8.
The Cavaliers are 9-3 in road games. Cleveland ranks fourth in the Eastern Conference scoring 50.7 points per game in the paint led by Evan Mobley averaging 12.2.
The 119.8 points per game the Nuggets score are 9.6 more points than the Cavaliers give up (110.2). The Cavaliers average 16.1 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.2 more made shots on average than the 13.9 per game the Nuggets allow.
TOP PERFORMERS: Nikola Jokic is averaging 30.9 points, 12.5 rebounds, 9.7 assists and 1.7 steals for the Nuggets.
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Mobley is scoring 18.5 points per game and averaging 9.0 rebounds for the Cavaliers.
LAST 10 GAMES: Nuggets: 6-4, averaging 123.2 points, 45.8 rebounds, 33.6 assists, 9.5 steals and 4.5 blocks per game while shooting 52.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 117.2 points per game.
Cavaliers: 9-1, averaging 120.7 points, 44.8 rebounds, 29.2 assists, 8.9 steals and 3.6 blocks per game while shooting 48.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 105.5 points.
INJURIES: Nuggets: Aaron Gordon: day to day (calf), DaRon Holmes II: out for season (achilles), Vlatko Cancar: out (knee).
Cavaliers: Emoni Bates: out (knee), Isaac Okoro: out (shoulder), Dean Wade: day to day (knee).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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