Denver mayor is pressuring Civil Service Commission to accept unqualified police recruits, director alleges

DENVER — The director of the city agency tasked with screening recruits for the Denver police and fire departments on Tuesday accused Mayor Mike Johnston of pressuring that agency to lower its standards so the mayor can meet his promise to hire 167 new police officers this year.

Niecy Murray is the executive director of the Denver Civil Service Commission, an independent city agency tasked with working hand-in-hand with an appointed board of five commissioners to set and apply standards for hiring, promotions and disciple within the ranks of the city’s police and fire departments.

Originally a commission member appointed by then-Mayor Michael Hancock in 2018, Murray on Tuesday issued a news release in coordination with City Council members Shontel Lewis, Sarah Parady and Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez that directly accused Johnston of interfering in the commission’s work.

The accusations include pressure to reduce standards for new police recruits seeking admittance to the department’s training academy to the point of outright ignoring a psychological evaluation that would have disqualified an applicant from moving forward.

“The public’s trust is placed in us to ensure standards for safety are being met,” Murray said during a brief news conference in front of the Denver City and County Building on Tuesday morning. “The role of the Civil Service Commission is far too important to be diminished to one which is strictly performative.”

Murray did not take questions at the news conference. The three council members who joined her in calling out the mayor and his public safety leaders say Murray’s concerns have been raised internally and Murray coming out publicly was a last resort.

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