Mayor John Hickenlooper says he has accepted the resignation of Ronald Perea as the city’s manager of safety.
Hickenlooper made the announcement Monday. Perea is resigning amid a controversy over his decision to retain police officers caught on video hitting a man during a violent arrest last year.
Perea will leave his job as manager of safety Aug. 31.
Hispanics and African Americans had called on Perea to resign or fire the two officers. The city’s independent police monitor has publicly said the officers involved in the incident should have been fired for trying to cover up what happened.
Protesters had become more vocal as the embattled Perea appeared to hold steadfast to his decisions.
Just before the resignation was announced, Perea had determined to rescind one of the controversial decisions that played a part in the growing din for police–and city–accountability.
Perea’s tenure as Denver’s Safety Manager had produced not only calls for his resignation, but brought additional scrutiny to the city’s administration and, in particular, Denver Mayor and Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Hickenlooper.