Citizens speak up about Karen Garner case at meeting of Loveland’s Police Citizen Advisory Board – The Denver Post

A handful of Lovelanders paid a visit to the Monday night meeting of the Police Citizen Advisory Board to air concerns about the arrest of Karen Garner and call on police chief Bob Ticer to step down.

While four or five spoke out of a crowd of visitors that, according to attendees, numbered between 12 and 15 people, chair Pat Kistler said as he later reflected on the meeting that the board “had one or two guests over the years, but never that many.”

Members of the board advise the Loveland City Council and police department on matters of messaging and policy. They do not have a hand in disciplining police officers.

But that didn’t stop citizens from directing their concerns and demands for accountability at board members and council liaisons Steve Olson and Don Overcash, in addition to Ticer. At least one Denver-area television crew also showed up to the Loveland Police & Courts Building to film the meeting.

Bill Jensen was among those who spoke Monday. He said he learned about the upcoming meeting through social media and addressed the chief to criticize the “code of silence” that he believes exists within the department.

According to Jensen, he also questioned the official timeline of when department officials learned about Garner’s injuries and whether the information made it outside of the department.

“I didn’t view it as a demonstration,” Jensen later said. “I just felt like I was one of several audience members showing a lot of concern about how our government operates and that we were there to enforce our rights.”

Another Loveland resident, Dawn Kirk, who also serves on the Thompson School District Board of Education, said she asked similar questions about the timeline of events following the arrest and supported Ticer being removed from his post.

“I think it is absolutely atrocious that chief Ticer didn’t know about it for 10 months, and I think it’s actually beyond belief,” she said. “Either he’s incompetent, or he’s lying.”

“He just stood there getting beat up,” Jensen said of Ticer’s demeanor during the meeting. “He spent quite a while catching hell … He was not argumentative. He did, ironically, demonstrate a kind of bravery, in my view.”

The police department did not respond Wednesday to a request to comment on calls for Ticer to step down. Kistler also declined to comment on the criticisms that were made of the city’s handling of the Garner arrest, noting that an investigation of the events is ongoing.

At one point, Overcash presented to the board a motion to establish a “community trust” commission, seeking its approval before taking it to the council on Tuesday. After Jensen and others objected to the move, the board opted not to vote on it.

“It was shocking,” Jensen said. “I’m shocked to think what would have happened if we hadn’t been there.”

The nine-member board meets at 5:30 p.m. on the first Monday of every month in the Police and Courts Building at 810 E. 10th St.

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