Denver's chapter of the NAACP on Wednesday urged the city's manager of public safety to discipline three Denver police officers involved in the beating of a man in 2009.
Rita Lewis, president of the NAACP-Denver branch, said the organization is disappointed that the Justice Department has opted not to charge the officers with civil-rights violations in the case of Alexander Landau, 23, who said they tried to cover up the beating that left him scarred and suffering neurological damage.
"Clearly, they abused their authority and violated Mr. Landau's civil
rights. Their actions were indicative of Jim Crow era police brutality," Lewis said in a statement.
"At this juncture, the Manager of Safety must adhere to his civic duty and do what is morally right by disciplining the Officers involved in this travesty."
Manager of Safety Alex Martinez has said he wants to review the Justice Department's investigation before making a decision about whether to punish Cpl. Randy Murr and Officers Ricky Nixon and Tiffany Middleton. The police department's internal-affairs bureau completed its investigation into Landau's allegations, but leaders delayed a discipline decision in light of the federal probe.
"The Manager of Safety will do what is morally right, not by reaching a pre-determined result, but by considering all the evidence fairly and without bias," Martinez said in e-mail provided Wednesday by his spokeswoman, Daelene Mix.
"At this point, we are waiting for the opportunity to review any witness statements or other materials resulting from the DOJ investigation."
The Jan. 19, 2009, incident started as a traffic stop. Landau said in a federal civil lawsuit that the officers hit him with a radio, fists and a flashlight and called him a racial epithet.
Police, however, said he had reached for Middleton's gun during the traffic stop.
The federal lawsuit ended in 2011 with a $795,000 settlement.