Denver’s independent police monitor says her office is not receiving enough information from the Denver Police Department to properly review a new internal discipline program, raising concerns about transparency and compliance with city law.
Lisabeth Pérez Castle, Denver’s independent monitor, presented the Office of the Independent Monitor’s 2025 annual report to a Denver City Council committee on Wednesday. During the presentation, she said her office has been sidelined while trying to review the department’s new Education-Based Development program, commonly known as EBD.
The program allows police supervisors to use less punitive responses, such as coaching or mentoring, for certain lower-level policy violations instead of traditional discipline.
Dispute Over Access
Pérez Castle said her office believes the program was rolled out without sufficient oversight and public input, and that Denver police have not provided the materials needed to evaluate how the program works in practice.
“They are refusing to give us minimal intrusive information,” Pérez Castle told council members. She said the issue extends beyond EBD and reflects a broader pattern in which the department limits access to internal information.
According to Pérez Castle, her office has requested community survey results cited by the police chief as evidence of public support for the program, as well as training materials explaining how EBD is implemented. She said those requests have not been fulfilled.
Police Response
Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas disputes the claim that his department is withholding information. He told The Denver Gazette that the EBD program officially launched at noon on Tuesday and said the department complied with oversight requirements.
Thomas said DPD has shared survey data with the monitor’s office but withheld personal identifying information out of privacy concerns.
“She does not have the redacted personal identifying information,” Thomas said. “All of the raw data, all of the comments, both positive and negative, were provided.”
Thomas also said that while some training documents have been shared, EBD does not rely on a single standardized curriculum.
How the Program Works
The Education-Based Development program was first proposed nearly a year ago. According to Thomas, it is designed to reduce repeat violations and speed up the resolution of disciplinary cases by addressing behavior through targeted development rather than punishment.
Training under EBD may focus on areas such as emotional intelligence or decision-making, but Thomas said the approach is customized based on the specific incident and officer involved.
“Each of these development plans is tailored to the particular infraction,” he said. “I cannot build a curriculum for things that have not yet happened.”
Oversight Authority Questioned
Pérez Castle argues that the rollout violates both the city charter and a Denver ordinance that requires the Office of the Independent Monitor to be given the opportunity to review and comment on discipline-related policies before they are implemented.
Thomas said that process is routinely followed and described the relationship between DPD and the monitor’s office as more collaborative than adversarial.
“When we make discipline recommendations, nearly 90 percent of the time the OIM agrees with them,” Thomas said. “That suggests a healthy working relationship.”
The disagreement highlights ongoing tensions over how much access civilian oversight bodies should have to internal police programs, particularly those involving officer discipline.
FAQs
What is the Education-Based Development program?
A discipline program using coaching instead of punishment.
Who raised concerns about the program?
Denver Independent Monitor Lisabeth Pérez Castle.
What information is allegedly being withheld?
Community surveys and training materials.
How did police respond to the claims?
DPD says it shared data but protected personal details.
Has the program already launched?
Yes, it officially began this week.
