A veteran Denver Sheriff’s deputy stood on the steps of the Downtown Detention Center Wednesday afternoon and said the overcrowded conditions inside are a “dangerous powder keg that is ripe for another tragedy.”
The Denver Sheriff Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #27 held a rally at the jail to raise awareness about overcrowding that deputies say is putting them and inmates in danger. The deputy’s union was joined by 10 other community groups, who spoke about issues that contribute to jail overcrowding — addiction, bail policies, homelessness and mental illness.
Together, they called on the sheriff’s and police departments, city attorney, district attorney and judges to work on solutions to reduce overcrowding.
Deputy Mike Britton, who serves as the union’s vice president, said the deputies’ pleas for relief have fallen on deaf ears so they decided to make their concerns public.
The Downtown Detention Center is averaging about 1,500 inmates per day, Britton said. Problems in managing inmates arise when the jail reaches those numbers. Deputies must sort and house inmates based on their crimes, gang-affiliation, gender and other factors, and that becomes more difficult when there is little space open behind bars.
The overcrowding has led to an increase in assaults on deputies and between inmates, he said.
“This creates an environment where it is practically impossible to maintain safety and security,” Britton said.
Britton also criticized Sheriff Patrick Firman and Stephanie O’Malley, the executive director of the Department of Safety, for poor leadership and for failing to respond to their complaints.
In response to the rally, Firman issued an “open letter to the community” on Wednesday afternoon to reaffirm his commitment to criminal justice reforms that would reduce mass incarceration.
“Here in Denver, our sheriff-department transformation is progressing through a multi-faceted approach to address staff and inmate safety, manage jail population and engage our community — key aspects of that work locally,” the letter said.
In a statement e-mailed to The Denver Post, O’Malley said, “I am not surprised that the FOP, through ridiculous claims, would make attempts to point fingers at others like myself rather than focus its efforts and attention on remedying the problems that have been pervasive inside of Denver’s detention facilities for far too long. Be that as it may, I remain focused on the steadfast work the sheriff is leading to enhance and better the Denver Sheriff Department.”
