DA could name Weld officers in shootings
The district attorney of Weld County said he will decide on a case-by-case basis whether to release the names of police officers involved in shootings.
The decision by prosecutor Ken Buck came after three such shootings in the county in the past four months. He previously had a blanket policy of not releasing the names.
“I think that the worst thing that we can do in law enforcement is to hide facts from the public,” he told The Greeley Tribune. “It immediately creates a level of suspicion that is unwarranted.”
Greeley Police Chief Jerry Garner told the newspaper the change could put officers in peril because there are dangerous criminals in the county.
“Frankly, it’s unnecessary,” he said. “If an officer has done wrong, he’s going to be charged and that is always public, so you’ll know. And (not naming the officer) tells you that he or she didn’t do anything that was criminally chargeable.”
The Police Department does not name officers involved in shootings unless there is a court order to do so.
Weld County Sheriff John Cooke, who will be stepping down in November and is a Republican candidate for the Colorado Senate, was also critical of Buck’s announcement, calling it political grandstanding. Buck, a Republican, is running for Congress and will step down as district attorney if he is elected.
“He’s using politics to say, ‘Hey, I’m reasonable. I’ve come to the center,’” Cooke said. “But he’s not going to dictate to law enforcement. He did this knowing he was going to get pushback.”
The sheriff said his office will release officers’ names if no threat is posed, but it’s up to him to decide, not the district attorney.
Buck said he will only release names if there is no danger to the officer or his or her family.
“We are concerned about officer safety,” he said. “But we are also concerned about making sure the public is confident that an investigation has been done and the appropriate information they need has been released.”