Thomas W. McMahon: Full disclosure needed
The actions of the city of Steamboat Springs staff thus far have the appearance of a wish to 1) “Maintain control of the investigation” and 2) “To maintain control of the release and manner in which information is released.”
The very idea that the hired investigator is “independent” when the city is paying her anywhere from $50,000 to $75,000 of taxpayer money is itself an affront to the very idea of “independent.”
For the same reason that the police chief and deputy chief should be put on leave, so as to prevent them from influencing any “employees” that currently or have worked for them from coming forward. The city should distance itself both financially and in every other manner from this investigation.
Not only are there investigation units out there that do this type of investigation, they don’t charge the taxpayers of Steamboat Springs to do it. Two suggestions: the Colorado Attorney General’s Office, Criminal Justice Division Special Prosecutions unit or the U.S. Department of Justice, which is authorized under The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 that prohibits state and local governments from engaging in a pattern or practice of misconduct by law enforcement officers that deprives individuals of federally-protected rights. The act also allows the Justice Department to remedy such misconduct through civil litigation. This has been used often to reform police department nationwide.
While city government may not want or think its dirty laundry should be aired in public, that is exactly what is needed to resolve this issue and all allegations.
Thomas W. McMahon
Steamboat Springs
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