Two more videos surfaced Friday showing Denver Sheriff Department deputies using excessive force against inmates.
In one case, a sergeant ordered two other deputies to use their stun guns on an inmate who was sitting on his bunk on suicide watch.
In another case, a deputy punched an inmate, pushed him to the ground, handcuffed him and then lifted the inmate by his handcuffed wrists.
The deputies involved in each incident were disciplined by the city. Both are appealing and hearings are scheduled for next week, said Daelene Mix, spokeswoman for the city’s safety department.
Examples of deputies using excessive force keep coming up, causing more embarrassment for a department that can’t seem to escape criticism.
The consequences of excessive- force cases will cost the city millions in a lawsuit settlement, and they have cost people their jobs.
On Monday, Gary Wilson stepped down as sheriff because of the ongoing complaints. Elias Diggins was appointed his successor as the city prepares to launch a national search for a new sheriff.
Also this week, the city announced that it is offering former jail inmate Jamal Hunter $3.25 million to settle his jail abuse case.
In one disciplinary letter, Jess Vigil, deputy director of the city’s safety department wrote, “Due to the myriad consequences that can flow from such an incident, no issue is likely to impact the public’s relationship with, and respect for, the Department more than the inappropriate use of force.”
VIDEO: See the latest sheriff’s department abuse videos.
In the latest cases where jail video has been released, Deputy Steven Valerio was fired April 17 for the Dec. 26, 2012, incident where he punched and then lifted an inmate by his handcuffs. An investigation determined that he violated the department’s use of force policy and lied about the incident during the investigation.
Valerio originally reported that inmate Robbi Martinez threw a phone at him and sought to file a police report. Martinez had been complaining about homosexual inmates in his cell pod and had told the deputy he was feeling homicidal and “having bad thoughts about stabbing somebody.”
Valerio wrote inconsistent reports to the sheriff’s department and the Denver Police Department’s internal affairs bureau. Video showed that Martinez had not thrown the phone but had pushed it across the desk toward the deputy.
DOCUMENT: Read the investigator’s report on Valerio.
According to video footage, Valerio took a swing at Martinez as he was pushing the phone. The blow struck Martinez in the face, the letter said.
Valerio then came from behind his desk and attempted to put a hold on Martinez, throwing him to the ground and causing the inmate to hit the officer’s cinder block desk wall, the disciplinary letter said.
Once on the ground, Valerio put his knee in Martinez’s back and used his body weight to pin Martinez. After handcuffing Martinez, Valerio lifted him by his handcuffed wrists.
“Deputy Valerio struck inmate Martinez in the face with a closed fist at a time when the inmate posed no imminent threat to anyone’s safety,” the report said.
The letter cited the deputy’s “egregious behavior and his willful disregard of departmental rules.”
Valerio has appealed his termination, and a hearing is scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, Mix said.
Sgt. Ned St. Germain was suspended without pay for 10 days on April 14 after an investigation into the Sept. 26, 2013, stun gun incident. It was determined he violated the department’s use of force policy when he ordered two deputies to deploy their stun guns against an inmate, who had not displayed a physical threat to deputies, according to a disciplinary letter. The Colorado Independent first reported on the incident.
DOCUMENT: Read the investigator’s report on St. Germain.
In that case, inmate Isaiah Moreno was alone in a cell because he was on suicide watch. Video footage shows Moreno repeatedly hitting his head against a wall. A deputy spoke with Moreno through a door window, asking him to stop hitting his head. The inmate refused, according to a disciplinary letter.
Moreno also refused to allow deputies to handcuff him through a flap in the door.
Then, St. Germain entered the cell with six other deputies, including two who had their stun guns drawn. By this time, Moreno was sitting on a concrete bench with his feet on the floor.
After a minute in the cell, St. Germain ordered a deputy to fire his stun gun.
The first shot was ineffective after it stuck in Moreno’s jail-issued suicide smock. Probes fired by a second deputy hit Moreno’s arm, and he slumped to the floor, the disciplinary letter said.
Deputies then pulled him to his feet and strapped him onto a restraint chair.
Moreno “was not engaged in any conduct that could reasonably be viewed as attempts to hurt himself or others,” the disciplinary letter said. There were other ways to make him comply with orders.
“Simply stated, there was no need to use the Taser to gain compliance,” the letter said.
During a pre-disciplinary meeting between St. Germain and his bosses, St. Germain insisted his actions had not violated the department’s stun gun policy.
When asked by Wilson if he would do anything differently, St. Germain said he “would have done the exact same thing again,” the disciplinary letter said.
St. Germain has appealed his suspension and a hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, Mix said.
In the stun gun case, three other deputies were disciplined but did not appeal their punishment.
Deputy Douglas Smart was suspended without pay for one day for failing to file a use of force report after he responded to the incident, according to a disciplinary letter written on May 29. Smart, a 17-year department veteran, told investigators he had forgotten to write the report.
Deputy Frankie Romero, who was the second deputy to fire his stun gun, was given a written reprimand for failing to file a stun gun usage report, according to a disciplinary letter written on March 20. Romero has been with the department since 2005.
Deputy Luke Swarr, who was the first deputy to fire, was given a verbal reprimand for failing to file a usage report, according to a disciplinary letter written on March 20. Swarr has been at the department since 1992.
Noelle Phillips: 303-954-1661, nphillips@denverpost.com or twitter.com/Noelle_Phillips
