Gary Wilson stepped down as Denver sheriff Monday morning as Mayor Michael B. Hancock pledged to end a cycle of allegations of abuse among deputies at the jail.
Hancock named Elias Diggins, a 20-year department veteran, to replace Wilson as the city conducts a national search for a new sheriff. He also said a top-down review of the department will be conducted and deputy discipline cases will be expedited.
Hancock announced the change with multiple city officials at his side, including safety director Stephanie O’Malley and independent monitor Nick Mitchell.
“All of us have been incensed by what we’ve seen, what we’ve heard and what we are investigating,” Hancock said. “It’s not just one case we’ve been following up on. There’s been a string of incidents. Enough is enough.”
WATCH: Video of Mayor Hancock announcing changes for the Denver Sheriff’s Department
The mayor said he would consider multiple options to bring the department under control, including a review of the internal affairs unit and the administrative policies for disciplining deputies.
“Let me say this very clearly, I’m putting everything on the table,” he said.
Community activists who have been monitoring problems at the jail were not sure that Wilson’s move is a step in the right direction.
“We’re concerned about the appearance of reshuffling the deck by replacing him with someone from within,” said Rudy Gonzales, co-chairman of the Denver chapter of the Colorado Latino Forum.
The sheriff’s department has been embarrassed by continued complaints about deputies’ treatment of inmates.
In June, the city’s safety department reported 114 open internal affairs investigations. The actual number of deputies under investigation could be higher because an investigation could involve more than one person.
Also last month, a judge presiding over a jail abuse case urged federal authorities to investigate the practices of the police and sheriff’s departments.
Wilson on Monday revealed that one of his top commanders, Division Chief Frank Gale, has been placed on investigative leave after a complaint was filed by another officer. The complaint involved the detention of a sheriff’s captain, Sonya Gillespie, who is the ex-wife of Wilson and who was arrested for assault.
Last week, two sheriff’s deputies were placed on leave amid another allegation of the use of inappropriate force.
Deputy Thomas Ford, who has worked at the department for more than six years, was accused of using inappropriate force. He had been implicated in a 2011 choking attack on another inmate that led to a federal lawsuit.
A second deputy, William Lewis, was placed on leave for allegedly writing an inaccurate report on the incident. He has been at the department for 12 years.
Hancock would not say the latest incident had been the last straw for Wilson but said it “took a little more out of my heart and soul.”
The decision for Wilson to step down was mutual, Hancock said. He praised Wilson’s leadership, comparing him to a baseball pitcher with a strong arm who is struggling on the mound.
“He had to pitch himself out of a situation and the more pitches he threw, it just wasn’t happening,” Hancock said. “It doesn’t mean you get rid of the pitcher.”
In an e-mailed statement, Qusair Mohamedbhai, the attorney who filed the federal lawsuit in the jail abuse case, said his client, “Jamal Hunter, commends the city and county of Denver for having the courage to acknowledge the issues plaguing the Denver Sheriff Department, and for its commitment to making substantial positive changes in the future.”
Denise Maes, public policy director for the ACLU of Colorado, said she also was pleased to see Hancock express concern over the jails’ operations. But she said she had a “very, very big red flag” about Diggins because he has been at the department for 20 years, including having oversight of jails.
She and Gonzales said the jail’s culture has a long history of abuse toward inmates.
“We feel he has been one of the problems,” Gonzales said. “He’s the command staff.”
Both said they had been pleased with Wilson’s willingness to bring in outside community groups to help solve problems.
Wilson will remain at the department, but his new duties have not been determined, O’Malley said.
Wilson, who was hired as a deputy in 1992, was appointed as head of the department in 2010 under then-Mayor John Hickenlooper.
Wilson recently said he was addressing the issue of deputy misconduct by introducing new training and other resources to help deputies deal with stress. The plan included mentoring for recruits, a new chaplaincy program and an evaluation of shift and work hours. He also formed four task forces, comprised of people inside and outside of the department, to review policy and suggest changes.
After Monday’s news conference, Wilson said he had tried to send a message of zero tolerance within the department.
“We can set the tone,” he said. “We set the expectations but it’s up to the officers to fall in line with those expectations.”
The sheriff’s department has about 890 employees who operate two jails and a work-release facility and provide court security among other public safety duties.
Diggins most recently served as a acting department division chief where he oversaw the downtown jail and was acting unit commander for internal investigations. In 2006, he was the youngest person to be promoted to major, according to a biography provided by the city’s safety department.
He also has served with the emergency response unit, gang unit and as a tax investigator, field trainer and academy instructor.
Noelle Phillips: 303-954-1661, nphillips@denverpost.com or twitter.com/Noelle_Phillips
