COLORADO SPRINGS — The Colorado Springs Police Department revealed the results of an outside review of their use of force at a presentation on Tuesday evening, saying it is a step towards a more transparent agency.
Newly-appointed Chief of Police Adrian Vasquez says in 2016, the department had a "sheer desire for more transparency.
In January 2021 CSPD entered into a contract with Transparency Matters, an independent law enforcement consultant. The department says the 280 page report cost roughly $169,000 from their City budget.
"If Colorado Springs had a serious issue that I was concerned about, you would've heard me talk about it," says Lieutenant Colonel Rick Brown, Owner and Founder of Transparency Matters.
In the presentation, the consultants referred to CSPD as a "professional, progessive agency - a leader in the country".
The report found that CSPD Officers pointed their firearms at individuals 4,134 times. 77% of the incidents when officers pointed their firearms were found justified, but about 14% of the cases reviewed were deemed unnecessary.
"If we find that an officer was malicious in how they did something, like that for example, or some other type of use of force, then by all means that officer should be held accountable for that and we have a process in place," says Vasquez.
You can read the full report here.
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