Denver to siphon $3.5 million from general fund for police settlements

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The Finance and Governance Committee of the Denver City Council on Tuesday approved a $3.5 million transfer from the general fund to the liability claims fund. The liability fund started the year at $4,703,542.04, which included a $2 million transfer from the general fund, according to a memo from city staff to the committee.

The full City Council still must sign off on the payout. Denver pays out police settlements almost weekly. Settlements for other departments such as Parks and Recreation and the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure also come out of the liability fund, but those are far less frequent. The police and sheriff’s departments represent most of the settlements.

Council member Lewis monitoring payouts

At the Aug. 26 meeting, where the council approved a $437,000 settlement for police misconduct, council member Shontel Lewis said she is tracking every penny the city pays out for settlements. “I see it as my responsibility to make sure the public is aware of every tax dollar being approved,” Lewis said. She said with the latest settlement, the city paid out more than $4.1 million in settlements in 2024. She said council member Sarah Parady’s office will be reaching out to the plaintiffs to learn more about their experiences. “I want to be clear to everyone watching that we are paying attention that we are watching how our city spends our money down to the penny and we are making decisions for the future from this knowledge.”

Journalist, activist rake in settlement money

The $437,500 paid to a journalist shot by rubber bullets during a protest is just the latest in a string of settlements paid by the Denver Police Department. Last month, a man received $75,000 from police. He had been assaulted by police in his car while sitting peacefully in his church parking lot. In July, an activist and YouTuber for people experiencing homelessness shared a $100,000 settlement from the City of Denver with her husband after they accused police of violating their civil rights, according to the agenda for Monday's meeting. She also received a second settlement for $30,000, according to the agenda.

Millions distributed in police payouts

In June, the council awarded $500,000 in police and sheriff’s department settlements. The first, stemming from a lawsuit filed against the police department in U.S. District Court, case 2023 CV00750-RM-JPO, was for $100,000. The second settlement was for $400,000 to be paid to Scott Peters and stems from a prisoner’s civil rights allegedly being violated, according to Justia. According to Justia, the lawsuit lists as defendants the City and County of Denver, Daniel Rodriguez, John Doe 1, John Doe 2, John Doe 3-12, Mohammed Mohammed, Michael Fitzmaurice, James Casias, Billie Humbles, Daniel Trujillo, Ian Schiffhauer, Michael Bennett, Cherif Sarr and Noreen Roberson.

For the police lawsuit in U.S. District Court, case 2023 CV31159, the plaintiff is Lidya Ryans, and the defendants are Grisleit Blanco, Patrick Smith, and Christopher Brown.

Police settlements common

Police lawsuit settlements have become commonplace in Denver. In March, the council paid $20,000 to a man who alleged police falsely handcuffed him. In February, the council paid out $55,000 in settlements. In October, the council awarded $1.6 million to people injured in the summer 2020 protests of the death of George Floyd. In September, the council paid out more than $1.3 million in police settlements. A week earlier, Denver had paid out $1.1 million. In August, Denver paid out $4.7 million to people it had arrested for curfew during protests. In July, the city settled two lawsuits against the police department for $305,000. In May, Denver paid $135,000 to settle two claims against the police department. In April, the city paid a man $350,000 after he claimed Denver police violated his rectum with a police baton. In March, the city settled half a dozen lawsuits totaling $1.6 million.