I have three recurring dreams in my life. The longest-running fantasy involves having to take a college final I haven’t even cracked a book for. Another replay involves me as a waiter, swamped with angry customers. But my worst vision involves a vexing Aurora cop nobody can get rid of.
Welcome to my nightmare, Aurora. Police Officer Chris Falco is back and appealing yet another attempt by Aurora police to punish him.
Falco is practically a household name around these parts because he’s the city’s most expensive, irksome employee, costing Aurora taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in payouts to the families of dead people and endless legal bills to try and make him go away.
Remember that guy in high school everybody gathered around in gym class when it was his turn to bat because he was the most nonathletic dork in the world and everyone died laughing when he started swinging, including the dork?
No, that was me. Falco was the guy making snide comments under his breath about my pathetic swing. His barbs got louder with the crowd’s laughter. He might have barked, “queer” or “fag,” like he did in the Aurora police squad room last year. The squad-room slur was typical of Falco’s missing mouth filter, former police Chief Dan Oates said at an appeals hearing this week. The city flew him in from his new job in Miami Beach, Florida, to testify, again, at an Aurora Civil Service Commission hearing, again, where Falco and his lawyer are trying to persuade the panel, again, that he was unfairly fired/disciplined/punished for not following department policy and inadvertently killing and maiming people. He continually defends himself for his offensive, disturbing outbursts and slurs, having babysat his grandson at city hall when he was supposed to be on-duty guarding it, and offending his fellow cops with his comments, again. Oates said during this week’s hearing that Falco’s relationship with other cops on the force is “toxic.”
In 2011, the list of offenses and incidents that would end the job of a night guard at a pallet warehouse finally prompted Oates to can Falco. It’s hard to say there was a clincher, but it might have been the “marshmallow head” slur. That’s what Falco called one of the kids shot in the head by cops during a car-parts burglary that went wrong. Three teenagers stealing parts from an auto graveyard got caught by Falco and other cops the night of March 20, 2011. The teens piled into a truck, refused to get out of it when cops sneaked up on them, and gunned it, nearly running over one cop as they tried to barrel out of the lot. Falco and another cop fired into the truck, violating Aurora’s strict policy prohibiting cops from firing at moving cars. You can guess why. One boy was killed. The other was critically injured when he was shot in the head. Later Falco told another cop the boy was now a “marshmallow head.” He joked that there wasn’t going to be much of a legal flurry since one of the witnesses was dead and the other so badly brain damaged he couldn’t talk. The other cops, devastated by the night gone wrong, didn’t see it that way.
Oates decided Falco needed to go. The city’s civil service commission decided otherwise. I was sure I was dreaming last year when Aurora was paying lawyers for the civil service commission to battle in court another part of the city. The commission was pissed because it ordered Oates to give Falco back his patrol job and Oates balked. The commissioners — a handful of volunteer civilians who agree that even wrongly killing people and joking about it isn’t grounds for firing — know better.
So the city-taxpayer-cash-hose was running full blast again this week in the commission’s hearing room. Falco’s lawyer wanted to point out that Aurora has spent about $100,000 in witness fees to keep his client off the force, which pales next to the bottomless legal tab this is costing taxpayers.
The commission will decide soon whether to overturn Falco’s two-month suspension. No doubt it will. And Falco will be on the payroll until next time. It’s enough to make you wake up in a sweat.
Reach editor Dave Perry at 303-750-7555 or dperry@aurorasentinel.com
Oh, yes.. I saw you at this hearing two rows away. I would have pinched you had you ask me. These were not kids, they were 27, 25, 24 and criminals who refused police commands and decided to jump into their stolen huge tundra truck and attempted murder on two cops If your gonna write stories get it right.
What about the other officer that was just feet away from falco. So, you must like him because he also shot at these adults paralyzing one. How come always officer falco, you show your nasty hatred and hope that officer sues you & sentinel this year.
Your not professional, YOU act like a KID of your editing columns being such an idiot.
By the way, your old and still a bully. You must be angry or was picked on when you were young to write horrible stories of people you just dont know or you got a DUI and your angry of this officer? Your just following Oates, and really this is not a compliment or an excuse.
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NICE
Just curious Mr. Perry, since when is an officer of the law who is sworn to uphold and is tasked with enforcing our laws, exempt from the right to not only face but, defend his or herself in a court of law against their accusor?
The following are the undisputed facts of this case that Mr. Perry has failed to inform the public about:
1. Not that any of the officers on the scene that night knew this at the time but, this wasn’t the thieves first run in with or out run of APD officers. It was the third.
2. The officers implemented a typical/common plan whereby they enter a site quietly and sneak up on thieves if they can, in order to catch them in the act of breaking the law.
3. The thieves, spotted the officers, jumped in their vehicle, and attempted to flee the scene one more time.
4. The officers, feet on the ground, ordered them to stop not once, but at least twice. Yet the driver continued to barrel towards them in spite of the commands that were given to stop.
5. Officer’s McIrvin and Falco, in an attempt to save life and limb, each fired on the vehicle/driver. One of Falco’s bullets hit the driver and one of McIrvin’s bullets hit the passenger who was sitting directly behind the driver’s seat.
6. Officer McIrvin was hit by either the door or possibly the side view mirror of the vehicle. He was thrown backward, hit his head on the ground, obtained a concussion and needed 5 staples to close his head injury. Each officer testified that they thought the other officer was dead.
7. The coroner testified that the driver had the following found in his system: Cocaine, Heroin, Marijuana, Caffeine, Nicotine, and some sort of anti-inflamitory.
8. A third Officer, Clark, in an attempt to save himself from being run over, crossed from Officer Falcos right hand side to his left hand side. A move that he testified was not the best tactical move but, he was not in danger of being shot by Officer Falco. In fact, he saw the flash from Officer Falcos gun, from a side view perspective so, he wasn’t in the line of fire.
9. It turns out that Officer Falco, as testified by the ballistic expert, Mr. Priest, is an accurate marksman. Not some gun waving, out of control, shooter. He didn’t endanger his fellow officer’s. He had 1.6 seconds to determine his course of action (remember, he thought McIrvin was dead) and some of his bullets were fired at a 3 ft. distance from his body to the vehicle which was coming at him.
This is testimony folks. Not opinion. These were not innocent little teen boys, joy riding and spinning out in a parking lot that night. This incident didn’t happen because they stole car parts. It happened because they tried to run two of our officer’s over with their vehicle, which is a deadly weapon.
An Aurora Police Officer should not be obligated to allow repeat offenders to maime or kill, himself or his fellow officer’s, because our former Chief Oates implemented a “no shooting into a moving vehicle” under any circumstances, type of policy.
Upon review of the facts of this case, a District Attorney, A District Court Judge and, our Civil Service Commission already determined that this shooting was justified. Or, that the firing of Officer Falco was not justified. It is my opinion that our former Chief Dan Oates, is the cause of our tax dollars being wasted. Not, Officer Falco.
*I wonder if there are any openings for reporters at the Miami Beach Herald so Dave Perry can work there and continue his man crush on Oates?
Wow! This person has to know exactly what is going on with in that department to have the knowledge that they do to write such an excellent column of what I am believing is the truth, at least we know the problem is gone that would be OATES, and I would highly recommend that is Ashlley apply for a position at the aurora sentinel news because Dave Perry and Brandon Johnson suck at their job. my heart goes out to these officers especially officer falcon for the injustice that he had to go through for saving his life against criminal pieces of shitthat would have never been a role model for America, they were foreigners who hate America, the police and who are cop killers they took that money and ran leaving this Chief and Mr Richardson trying to explain why they pay these criminals almost a million dollars to cover up taxpayers money that they have spent, that would be my guess.
I am sure somehow Miami Beach Heraldis going to get this story out to them so they’re kind polite Police Station does not turn into vicious animals turning against each other like OATES did hear in Aurora.
Oates testified shoulders back and chest puffed up with pride that he is about to hit Miami Beach PD with the same policy that created this mess.
My understanding of the policy is this and I’ll use a different application to show you how tightly written it is:
Let’s say an armed bank robber jumps in the passenger seat of my car, holds a gun to my head, and tells me to drive or else.
Now in a hostage situation, the police become involved, and manage to take the criminal out while the car is in motion. Thus, saving my life.
This means the City of Aurora would automatically HAVE NO CHOICE per this policy, but to pay the estate/family of the criminal.
I don’t know how anybody could have left that Chief Daniel Oates stay here, as long as he did not only does this officers dislike him but the families of the theater shooting despise him. Hope his name will be forever forgotten and soon.
Oates being here for so long didn’t surprise me. I was much more stunned by the conduct during testimony of the two city attorney’s. The man, Peter Morales and the female Julie (?) sitting to his left.
They spent a great deal of time whispering and then giggling with one another instead of listening.
As I recall, Charlie Richardson once said, in order to have good city attorney’s we have to pay more.
Well Charlie, our tax dollars and any compliment would be wasted on those two jokers.
Peter is a real stupid joke and this Julie is a man snake! I wish officer falco and his family, the very best.
God bless all officers and be safe and thank you for cleaning our streets from criminal (s).
Here’s another round of info. that came out during this hearing. Our former city attorney, tried to influence Civil Service when they were in diliberations, back when Oates fired Falco. He apparently wrote a letter that essentially said, “if you overturn Falcos firing, we’ll come after him even harder”. (That’s a crime).
Civil Service overturned the firing. Then, council got rid of all Civil Service people except one. Deb Wallace (a former city council member) who they made the chair person. Hmmmm
Richardson retires but, council hires him back as an “advisor”, yeah right. Taking Richardsons place is a little Peter….with a bow tie on it. Ahem.
Yes, thank you officers.
DAVE PERRY OR BRAND JOHANNSON JUST HOW LONG WILL YOU CONTINUE TO WRITE STORIES ON OFFICER FALCO, AFTER READING ASHLEY’S STATEMENTS REGARDNG THIS SITUATION/SHOOTING ALL THAT I CAN SAY IS THE BOTH OF YOU AND OATES ARE A DISGRACE TO THE COMMUNITY AND HIS RETIRED FRIENDS ONE OF THEM NAME LT..JACK DALUZ, WHOM SHOULD BE IN JAIL FOR SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN WHICH WHY WOULD ANYONE BE SO BAIS.
THIS DEPARTMENT SHOULD THE FEDS TO LOOK INTO THIS POLICE AGENCY STILL HOLDING CHIEF OATES ACCOUNTABLE. ITS TIME SOMEONE ROPES THIS BULL BY THE HEAD AND END HIS MUCH TO TIME ON THE CLOCK.
Mr. Fed,
Let me explain to the people who Jack Daluz is and the role he played in all of this.
Commander Daluz, had a formal complaint filed against him two days prior to this incident by none other than guess who? Officer Falco!
IA Detective Yacano testified that Daluz took an “unusual interest” in this case. To the point that Daluz held a meeting with the 8 IA detectives assigned to invetigate it. He wrote on a board and tried in that meeting to convince the detectives that Falco and McIrvin must be lying about where they were standing when they fired their weapons.
Here is more info. on Daluz:https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/commander-s-accuser-claims-she-s-victim-of-retaliation
Could Falco be another case of retaliation?
Pay attention people:
City attorney Charlie Richardson: Retired
Div. Chief Roger Clod, I mean Cloyd: Retired
Command Jack Daluz: Retired
Chief Dan Oates: Leaves Aurora for a smaller agency, Miami Beach
All within weeks of one another.
Dave Perry is a complete idiot !!
Dave, pinch you or by you stating that he is becoming a household name? Well…it’s easy just STOP editing this officer. It appears that you obviously truly dislike this officer for unknown reasons other then the ex-chief oates asked that you slander him on paper and to pinch you, I think people would rather see you fired then I can pinch myself that your a trashing people person gone from aurora sentinel. …and your still an idiot for editing trash on this officer, that you dont know so if Oates says, “jump off a bridge would you” ……ummmm.
I hope to see you in a law suit to explain your actions of all these years of editing some dirty explicit name calling on Officer Falco, which are all lies, after lies. It’s easy to talk trash hiding behind a newspaper but you don’t have the guts to explain to the public why you write about hiim?
We know you think that having Oates for a friend will only last not so long.
You’ll be a no body like you were before and unemployed. Hackers are not liked and that is all you are. I would be a shame to notify the pubic that your a Chief Editor of Aurora Sentinel, I would not to proud if I were you…. yours truly.
Perry pinch me! Dan Oates is no longer the police chief of Aurora Police Department. He got out of dodge and left his mess behind. Dan Oates used you, and you were dumb enough to use your editing hacking skills to blast officer Falco, and that was slander, lies, harassment, and misleading the public while you and Dan Oates were laughing. Officer Falco has the means and smarts to fight Oates back and this pist him off. You were to his puppet having people do his dirty work. Dan Oates is gone and believe me when I say, the department is relieved more then you know since I know and hang out with APD cops & wives with them encouraging us to file District or Federal Court on a lot of people. Officer Falco was cleared, cleared, and cleared and all the fight was worth it because there is Karma and then there is law suit’s. At a hearing the mother and daughter of that car accident that someone lied and said, officer falco was rude well, they testified under oath and stated he and the others cops were pleasant, so need I clear up the other lies that Officer Falco, subposeitly said, was you and Oates egging it by putting all this in the paper that I use for my dogs to poop on. Dan Oates moved on and Officer Falco is a 20 year veteran and with the Aurora Police Department, so I doubt he will be a household name anymore unless you continue your sick sense but I would be careful we fought and won. A grand jury may side with us for your vicious attacks on my husband using Oates to corrupt it further. So, pinch me when a lot of you are broke, poor, jobless, and use less to this Community and a great police department to only gain your trouble into nightmares because you all totally deserve it by the slander in your Aurora Sentinel paper on Officer Falco and me his wife JoeAnn Falco. A lot of you involved and your vicious torment lies may be our dream to retiring early and I think you know that no one can hide what damage that has been done especially you voicing it in a thick file we have of all your ugly slander stories about us. See you in 2015, and this time you can’t bring your lap top.