Lakewood police announces community advisory group amid scrutiny

Crowd gathers around speakers

The Lakewood Police Department is establishing a community advisory group following a slew of criticism following an investigation into a suspicious death, the police chief said. 

Lakewood Police Chief Philip Smith told the City Council on Monday evening that the advisory group will consist of members within his department and the community.

As envisioned, the advisory group would meet with the police department regularly to discuss various issues related to policing and community relations. The department has not announced when it would begin; Smith said it will happen within the “upcoming months.”

“I assure our community members that we would more forward to endeavor as an agency to educate, engage and to build cultural competency,” Smith said. “We pursue trust, and building trust, and exemplify safety for all of our community members.” 

The idea is not new. The Golden Police Department created a community engagement group in 2022, which meets with the agency bimonthly.

Lakewood’s decision came on the heels of criticism over how the department handled the investigation of Jax Gratton’s death. Some 50 of Gratton’s friends protested outside of the meeting and speaking in public comments.

Gratton — a 34-year-old transgender hairstylist in Denver — was found dead in a Lakewood alleyway on the evening of June 6 in the 9600 block of West Colfax Avenue. The body was reportedly in advanced stages of decomposition. Authorities labeled the death as “suspicious” but did not elaborate.

Gratton was last seen leaving a southeast Denver apartment on the night of April 15.

The body was not released to the family until July 1, around a month after being found. Gratton’s family and friends raised fears that the investigation has slowed.

The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office has still not determined Gratton’s cause of death. The office said additional tests and reports are underway.

Gratton’s family wants Jefferson County’s commissioners and the Lakewood City Council to establish an independent committee to oversee the investigation and include a transgender, an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and a legal representative.

“The treatment Gratton’s mother has received by the Lakewood Police Department and Jefferson County Coroner’s Office has been frankly unacceptable,” Brandy Carey, a community manager at Solera Salon Suites, told the council. 

“We are not asking the police, city, county or coroner to release information that is not permissible,” Z Williams, a co-director of Bread and Roses Legal Center and spokesperson for Gratton’s family, said earlier this month. “We want to make sure this process is trauma-informed, trans-competent, and done with the aggressive nature this deserves.”

The Denver Gazette’s news partner, 9NEWS, contributed to this report.

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