Thomas enters the role during a time of rising crime, vacancies and a need for trust-building.
Denver City Council formally approved Ron Thomas as the Denver Police Department’s next chief on Monday. Mayor Michael Hancock’s appointment of Thomas comes after former chief Paul Pazen announced his retirement last month.
Thomas grew up in Denver and has worked for DPD since 1989. At a press conference in September, Hancock praised Thomas for his work at neighborhood meetings, and said Thomas’ priorities will focus on lowering crime, working on relationships with local communities and improving officer recruiting.
Recruiting will certainly be a problem to tackle for Thomas; amid a staffing shortage reaching over 10 percent, DPD is requesting $8.4 million from the city’s 2023 budget to recruit 188 new officers.
Local trust, particularly with communities of color, will also remain a key issue with DPD. Pazen marched in George Floyd protests in 2020, but during that same period, officers responded to protesters with violence. The city has been fined $14 million for violating First Amendment rights, and is still settling cases.
In fact, City Council approved a $350,000 payout for a civil case involving a claim from the 2020 protests at the same meeting in which they approved Thomas’ appointment. City settlements over police behavior have hit a five-year high in 2022.
DPD also faces a whistleblower complaint filed by a longtime sergeant alleging race and gender discrimination, sexual harassment of female officers and disability discrimination and retaliation.
It’s unclear how long Thomas will serve in the role. Hancock’s final term as mayor concludes in the summer of 2023, at which point the new mayor may want to choose their own appointee.