Someone at the Denver Police Department apparently has a lot of time - and some skills in graphic arts.
How else to explain the rendering of "Captain Cannabis" - a superhero-like figure in a green suit surrounded by marijuana plants? And the face of the superhero? None other than newly named Denver Police Chief Robert White, whose appointment has stirred opposition from the local police union just as the City Council begins considering approval of his contract.
The Post's Jeremy Meyer reported today about unflattering e-mails zipping around the city on the eve of the City Council's unprecedented opportunity to hold up White's appointment. Manager of Safety Alex Martinez told the City Council safety committee (which voted this afternoon to send the contract to full council) that he was embarrassed and "appalled" this morning by what was in the Post story, and that he called White to apologize and make sure White still wants to come to Denver. He said he hung up the phone feeling like his "spirit was raised" by White. He said White told him he understands that this "comes with the territory" of being chief.
The Post has also obtained the "Captain Cannabis" rendering, which sources have said is circulating in the department's e-mail system. The joke is apparently the result of the fact that White, in 1985, had a preliminary positive result on a drug test for a job promotion that later was ruled a false positive. He successfully sued the police union for defamation for releasing the information to the media and unsuccessfully tried to sue the media for reporting it.