Former Denver police officers speak out about harassment in the department

Rachel Saurer
·3 min read
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DENVER (KDVR) — Former female law enforcement officers with the Denver Police Department spoke out during hearings on an advancing law enforcement misconduct bill, and on Thursday, said there needs to be changes from within for women to feel safe.

“We’re bringing attention to some very important issues that is facing our community and that is, not only a focus on legitimacy in our police department, but also safety for women and minority communities,” said Carla Havard, a former Denver police sergeant.

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Havard was with the department for 25 years, retiring from her position last July.

“I retired so that I could have a little bit more freedom to legitimately challenge some of these narratives and certainly some of this propaganda that I’ve alleged has been out here,” Havard said.

Another woman also came forward on Thursday. She did not want her name or face printed but chose to go by “TC.” She said she was sexually harassed by a Denver police officer.

“This officer, in a way, was sort of grooming me. He pretended like he cared, he was compassionate, but in reality, it was a game for him,” she said.

Havard said this is a common thing she is hearing from many women still with the police department.

“You’re certainly the subject to offensive comments that have always been framed in the sense of being a joke. We’ve had situations where — that have been reported to me — where women have been physically assaulted, you know, their space not respected,” Havard said.

Former officers speak out
Former officers speak out

While she supports women doing what they are passionate about and joining the police force, she also advocates for more safety.

“Unfortunately, almost weekly we are faced with articles about police misconduct and issues with, oftentimes, with the woman being the victim,” Havard said. “And those are just ones that we know about.”

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With a women’s police academy approaching this weekend, Havard said this needs to be stressed even more.

“As more and more women get into this profession, as they should, I think we have to be ensured that they are truly operating in a safe environment, not just in a statement form, but their actual workplace environments are safe,” she said.

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The police department responded to the allegations in an email to FOX31, saying:

The police department also outlined a list of initiatives it has implemented to improve internal and external practices, including but not limited to:

  • The DPD Diversity and Support Bureau

  • Racial and Social Justice Academy

  • Multiple community academies including a Spanish-speaking Community Academy, Women’s Community Academy and Youth Community Academy

  • The Women’s Collective

  • A goal to have at least 30% of officers be female by 2030

  • Instituting respectful workplace training

  • Working with the Mayor’s Office of Social Equity and Innovation to develop an Equity Action Plan

  • Continuing the LGBTQ+ liaison program for internal and external outreach

  • Creation of an Asian Community Outreach Hotline

  • Providing Active Bystander for Law Enforcement (ABLE) training

  • Creating the Before the Blue and Beyond the Badge orientation program

  • A mentorship program

  • A childcare stipend grant to assist with childcare challenges and better support employees

The department said these are not all the steps they have taken but provide an idea of the department’s direction.

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