• Font Size    
E-mail

Close Window E-mail This Page

Denver Police Chief: 'Mission Accomplished' On DNC

Required fields are marked with an asterisk(*)

The information you provide will be used only to send the requested e-mail and will not be used to send any other e-mail communications. Read more in our Privacy Policy

Send E-mail

   Print     Share +   
Aug 29, 2008 6:42 am US/Mountain

Denver Police Chief: 'Mission Accomplished' On DNC

Written by Brian Maass

DENVER (CBS4) ― Denver Police Chief Gerry Whitman said that from a security standpoint, the Democratic National Convention in Denver was a "huge success" and that police performed admirably under difficult circumstances.

"I thought it went really well," Whitman told CBS4's Brian Maass as festivities were winding down Thursday evening.

"Leading into the event with the information we had on the number of demonstrators, I thought we were going to have more difficulties than we did. I think the cops are satisfied. It was busy but not out of control. There were no major incidents or injuries."

While police arrested more than 100 demonstrators Monday evening during a violent confrontation, the Chief opined that his officer's handled "flashpoints" well.

Asked how his officers fared on a 1 to 10 scale, Whitman said he "gives them a 15. We're not flawless, but this was pretty close."

During the week, hundreds of officers from area departments blanketed the downtown and LoDo areas on foot, motorcycle, bikes, cars and in vans.

There was some criticism of the heavy police presence as being an overreaction and heavy handed.

Thursday night, Whitman rejected that criticism, saying the saturation was intentional and worked.

"They got the message to come downtown and enjoy it," Whitman said. "And I think they needed to feel secure when they did that. The security was necessary to make people feel safe ... mission accomplished."

(© MMIX CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Curious & Controversial News

You need the latest Flash player to view video content.
Click here to download.

Click here to bypass this detection if you already have the latest Flash Player.

Colorado & Denver News

Top News Stories

© MMIX, CBS Television Stations Inc. All Rights Reserved.