Alvin J. LaCabe, Jr., Esq.
Manager of Safety
City and County of Denver
Alvin.LaCabe@denvergov.org
As Manager of Safety for the City and County of Denver, Al LaCabe serves as the civilian Department Head responsible for approximately 1450 Denver Police Officers, over 900 Denver firefighters, over 750 Deputy Sheriffs and over 600 civilian employees. The Manager’s Office administers the Department’s Community Corrections Program; Pre-Trial Service and Electronic Home Monitoring Programs, the Safe City Program, the Safety Office of Policy Analysis, the Crime Prevention and Control Commission, the Recruitment Office, the Combined Communications Center (Denver 9-1-1) and the Public Safety Cadet Program. The Manager of Safety’s Office is responsible for overseeing the budget of all safety agencies which is approximately $400,000,000 and represents about 45% of the total budget of the City and County of Denver. The Manager makes the final hiring and disciplinary decisions as to all uniformed members of the Department of Safety and pursuant to Denver City Charter, performs the duties of Sheriff of Denver County.
Since being appointed to Office in August, 2003, Mr. LaCabe has headed or participated in Task Forces and other processes to revise the Police Department’s Use of Force policy, gain voter approval for a new Denver Justice Center which will house the Denver Criminal Courts and pre-trial inmates, increase professionalism on the Sheriff Department, create the Office of the Independent Monitor, and revise recruitment practices which have resulted in increased minority hirings. Since December of 2004, Mr. LaCabe headed the Manager’s Disciplinary Advisory Group process which has led to a revision of the Denver Police Department disciplinary process and the creation of a matrix-based discipline system to be implemented on October 1, 2008.
Al LaCabe brings over three decades of law enforcement and legal experience to his position as Manager of Safety. Starting in 1970, he has served as a Patrol Officer and Investigator with the New Orleans Police Department, a Criminal Investigator with the Denver District Attorney’s Office, an Agent of the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Deputy and Chief Deputy District Attorney in the Denver District Attorney’s Office, an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Colorado where he was Chief of the Narcotics and Violent Crime Section and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, and as Of Counsel with the Denver law firm of Davis, Graham and Stubbs.
Mr. LaCabe has had extensive local and nation-wide teaching experience as a member of the faculty of the National College of District Attorneys where he was awarded the Distinguished Faculty Award and as Adjunct Instructor at the University of Denver College of Law. He has lectured at prosecution and law enforcement seminars across the country and continues to teach at the Denver Police and Denver Sheriff Academies.
Mr. LaCabe received his Bachelor’s degree with honors from Loyola University of New Orleans in 1972 and his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Denver College of Law in 1979. He is a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers.
Mr. LaCabe is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps having served from 1964 to 1968.