Denver Manager of Safety Alex Martinez issued a four-day suspension to a police officer for using unnecessary force during a shoplifting arrest more than four years ago, after a video of the bust surfaced last year.
The Police Protective Association has appealed to the Civil Service Commission the suspension without pay of Officer Rick Guzman. The amount of force Guzman used was within department guidelines, said David Bruno, a lawyer for the union.
The incident was so long ago that Guzman, who joined the department in 2005, can't remember it, and the video doesn't show what caused him to react the way he did, Bruno said.
Witnesses talked to Internal Affairs investigators, said a police spokesman.
The video wasn't available for review Tuesday, said police-records coordinator Mary Dulacki.
Guzman was arresting a shoplifting suspect held by security at the Kmart at 363 S. Broadway when the incident occurred Aug. 4, 2007, according to Martinez's order of disciplinary action.
On May 27, 2011, "an anonymous complainant" provided police with a video of the arrest. "The video of the arrest was reviewed, and it illustrates that Officer Guzman used an unnecessary amount of force while arresting the suspect. Additionally, Officer Guzman did not file a report of the incident," according to the order. Tom McGhee, The Denver Post
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