Denver Police Won't Face Charges Over Records Request Failure

Denver Police Chief Robert White and his deputy chief, Matt Murray will not face charges in relation to their handling of an open records request from the police union. While not filing charges, District Attorney Beth McCann was critical of what they did.

The union had requested a letter to the police chief from the previous district attorney expressing concerns over the department's handling of rape allegations against an officer who was arrested but never charged. They also asked for the chief's response.

The police originally told the union that letters they request didn't exist and there were no records responsive to their request.

The union, though, received both letters through a separate request to the district attorney's office.

McCann opened a probe into the department's handling of the request to determine if they had violate the state's open records act.

She said that while her office determined there wasn't sufficient evidence that the police had knowingly and willfully violated the act, it was clear that the "requests in question were handled carelessly.

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"The public has the right to expect a quick and thoughtful response to CORA requests by city officials, particularly by its police leadership."

With the district attorney's probe done, the city is still conducting an internal investigation.

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