Officers have stopped attending meetings of a community group assembled to write a new use-of-force policy for the Denver Police Department.

The sole officer who remained on the advisory committee that was formed in April dropped out Tuesday after sending a letter to the police chief tendering his resignation from the group.

Tyson Worrell, treasurer of the Denver Police Protective Association, said in his letter that he had attempted to forge bonds with fellow committee members and keep an open mind to their opinions and ideas, but the early proposal from his work group “does not reflect the type of policy all Denver citizens expect from police.”

“Furthermore, it puts officers at risk in the performance of their duties,” Worrell’s letter said. “Therefore, I cannot continue to participate nor does the draft reflect any of the input I have provided. I cannot endorse it.”

Other police officers who were initially a part of the advisory committee, including representatives from the department’s training academy, already had left the group, multiple committee members said.

The advisory committee held a public meeting Thursday night at Denver Park Hill Seventh-day Adventist Church to discuss its progress. It will present its recommendations to Denver police Chief Robert White in October.

Some committee members expressed concern Thursday that rank-and-file police might believe a new use-of-force policy that does not include their direct contributions is being forced on them.

“We have no one from the police department who is participating in this process,” said committee member Robert Davis, vice president of social justice for the Greater Denver Ministerial Alliance. “That’s ultimately going to present a problem.”

Deputy Chief Matt Murray attends the group’s weekly meetings but has said he is there only to answer technical questions about policing, not to offer his opinions about the use-of-force policy.

The committee has traveled a bumpy road from a rough start.

White reluctantly assembled the group following public criticism of officers’ use of force in the community, and members said the first meetings lacked direction and organization. On top of that, members said they didn’t get along with each other and, at times, resorted to name-calling.

In June, the group took a weeklong hiatus and two facilitators were brought on board. Members said they resolved their differences, got organized and started making progress toward creating a new policy. They have divided into three subcommittees and, on Thursday, gave updates on their work and sought more community input.

White announced in January his plans to revise the department’s use-of-force policy so that it reflects modern policing trends.



