STEP #1

SIGN OUR COMMUNITY PETITION

Community Petition: Stop the DPD’s Education-Based Discipline Policy

To: Mayor Mike Johnston, DPD Chief Ron Thomas, Denver City Council, and the Department of Public Safety

We, the members of the Denver community, are calling on our city leaders to immediately stop the implementation of the Denver Police Department’s proposed Education-Based Discipline (EBD) policy. 

This policy is a dangerous step backward. It eliminates independent oversight in the majority of officer misconduct cases, allowing police leadership to discipline themselves in private. Community has fought for years to create public accountability—this new policy threatens to undo that progress.

Why We’re Taking a Stand

Oversight exists for a reason.
Community member and organizations have worked hard to create independent oversight because internal discipline wasn’t working. EBD would allow up to 85% of misconduct cases to be handled entirely within the police department—shutting out the Office of the Independent Monitor (OIM) and the Citizen Oversight Board (COB).

This isn’t reform. It’s self-policing.

Denver’s proposed Education-Based Discipline would quietly remove up to 85% of officer misconduct cases from independent oversight and public view. Instead of formal discipline, officers could complete internal “education plans” with no record of misconduct, making it nearly impossible to track repeat offenders.

  • Bypasses oversight: Independent Monitor  and the Citizen Oversight Board are sidelined or reduced to a procedural “check-the-box” role.
  • Secret internal control: Departmental staff design the “education plan,” implementing a system primed for bias and favoritism.
  • No transparency: Public reports will list EBD cases only as “resolved through education.” The community will never know who was diverted or for what misconduct.
  • Proven failure elsewhere: In Los Angeles, the model erased 72% of suspension days for excessive force and allowed sexual harassment, dishonesty, and repeat offenders to avoid consequences. LASD’s own oversight experts warned that EBD protected problem officers and undermined public trust.
  • Wrong incentives: Officers learn that misconduct won’t result in meaningful discipline. Research shows minor violations left unchecked lead to serious misconduct later.

Why It Matters Right Now

  • Colorado ranks top five for fatal police shootings per capita.
  • Black residents are 3.6× more likely and Latino residents 2.3× more likely to be killed by police than white residents.
  • In Denver, Black residents are 9% of the population but nearly 30% of all use-of-force victims.
  • Nearly half of all police shootings from 2017–2023 involved someone in a mental health crisis or with a disability.

EBD would make it even harder to confront these disparities by hiding patterns of racial bias, force violations, and misconduct from public view.

Denver’s current system—the Discipline Matrix, OIM, and COB—was built through years of community-driven reform. EBD would dismantle it behind closed doors. As Independent Monitor Liz Castle has warned:

“Without accountability, there is no community trust. EBD removes accountability from discipline… This is a not-so-veiled attempt to eliminate accountability and sideline the OIM.”

What We’re Demanding

We call on the City of Denver to:

  • Stop the EBD policy immediately.

  • Protect and strengthen the roles of the OIM and COB in all misconduct cases.

  • Reject any policy that removes transparency, reduces oversight, or hides misconduct from the public.

Add Your Voice

Sign below to demand accountability, transparency, and true public safety in our city. We deserve a system that centers our communities—not the comfort of officers who harm us.

Together, we can stop this policy and protect the progress we’ve made.

Sign to Oppose Education Based Discipline for DPD

  • By signing this form I oppose EPD and I demand accountability, transparency, and true public safety in our city. We deserve a system that centers our communities—not the comfort of officers who harm us.
  • Max. file size: 400 MB.

STEP #2

CONTACT DENVER POLICE DEPT. CHIEF THOMAS DIRECTLY

CONTACT YOUR DENVER POLICE CHIEF THOMAS AND TELL HIM YOU ARE OPPOSED TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF EDUCATION BASED DISCIPLINE AT DPD AND YOU SUPPORT INDEPENDENT OVERSIGHT OF THE POLICE!

STEP #3

CONTACT THE DECISION MAKERS DIRECTLY

CONTACT DENVER MAYOR MIKE JOHNSTON AND TELL HIM YOU ARE OPPOSED TO IMPLEMENTATION OF EDUCATION BASED DISCIPLINE AT DPD AND YOU SUPPORT INDEPENDENT OVERSIGHT OF THE POLICE.

CONTACT YOUR CITY COUNCIL MEMBER DIRECTLY AND TELL THEM YOU ARE OPPOSED TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF EDUCATION BASED DISCIPLINE AT DPD AND YOU SUPPORT INDEPENDENT OVERSIGHT OF THE POLICE!

  • Use this link to located your City Council Member and contact them directly

STEP #4

Read more about Education Based Discipline and Why it is Dangerous

CITIZENS OVERSIGHT BOARD MEETING WITH DPD CHIEF RON THOMAS

(Discussion about Education Based Discipline)