August 01, 2012 06:28 PM UTC

Denver's New Independent Monitor: Richard Mitchell

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• by: Colorado Pols

Just a week after three finalists were in Denver to be interviewed for the job, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock has selected the city’s second independent monitor: Nicholas Mitchell.

From the mayor’s office:

DENVER – Mayor Michael B. Hancock today announced the selection of Nicholas E. Mitchell, Esq. to be Denver’s next Independent Monitor, pending City Council confirmation.

Mitchell will be responsible for actively monitoring and participating in investigations of sworn personnel in the City and County of Denver’s Police and Sheriff Departments.

“Strengthening the relationship between our residents and our safety officials is one of my highest priorities, and the Independent Monitor plays a vital role in that process,” Mayor Hancock said. “Nicholas will bring a judicious eye and investigative wherewithal to the position, traits we are working to instill at all levels of the civilian oversight process. He will aid in providing transparent, balanced and swift resolution to our disciplinary actions, and ultimately help make Denver a safer city.”

The Office of the Independent Monitor was created to provide fair and objective oversight of the Denver Police and Sheriff’s Departments. As the Independent Monitor, Mitchell will make recommendations to the Manager of Safety, Chief of Police and Director of Corrections regarding disciplinary action as well as broader disciplinary policy issues.

“I’m greatly honored to have been selected by Mayor Hancock to take on this important position,” Mitchell said. “This is a unique opportunity for a fresh approach when it comes to investigating cases of alleged misconduct. I will work to ensure that investigations are conducted aggressively but fairly, to foster transparency in the process and to help strengthen relationships between the public and Denver’s safety departments.”

Mitchell currently works as a federal and state commercial litigator at Silver & DeBoskey in Denver, focusing on complex commercial, real estate and employment matters. Before joining Silver & DeBoskey, Mitchell was a litigator at Allen & Overy, a large international law firm, where he litigated securities class-action lawsuits and U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigations.

Prior to his career in private practice, Mitchell served as an investigator for the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board, supervising a team of investigators responsible for investigating alleged police misconduct.

So why Mitchell, and not Gary Maas or Kenneth Moore? Only Hancock knows for sure, although Kelsey Whipple sheds some light over at Westword:

At last week’s public forum featuring Mitchell, Gary Maas and Kenneth Moore, the final three independent monitor candidates, the former distinguished himself from his peers by addressing the small audience in Spanish, in which he is fluent. (Other local speakers applauded his pronunciation.)

It’s unlikely that Mitchell’s Spanish-language fluency was the sole reason he landed the job, but given that one of the core duties of the independent monitor is to investigate biased policing and that Hispanics make up the city’s largest minority group, it certainly didn’t hurt.

Mitchell’s selection is expected to be approved by the Denver City Council in an upcoming vote, at which point the job will officially be his.