DNC security director named

Frank Conner, 55, spent 34 years as Denver cop

By David Montero, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published December 12, 2007 at 12:30 a.m.

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The building was filling with smoke and tension was high when Frank Conner and his team of Metro SWAT officers arrived at a Safeway warehouse near Stapleton in 2006.

Michael Ford, a troubled 22- year-old employee at the grocery store warehouse, was armed with a .357-caliber handgun and had used a burning bag of charcoal to create a smoke screen that allowed him to eventually shoot an officer in the leg.

Conner, just a little more than a year from retirement at the time, said it was a dangerous tactical situation - the kind of thing he'd been doing for several years with the Denver Police Department.

"That was a long day," he said of the incident that eventually led to Ford being killed by officers.

People had wondered what the lauded 34-year police veteran would do after retiring. Turns out he will head the security detail for the Democratic National Convention.

"You don't go 60 mph your whole life and then come to a dead standstill," Conner, 55, said Tuesday with a smile after the announcement was made. "You have to wean yourself from work."

His duties as director of security will include coordinating overall security inside the Pepsi Center, where the convention will be held Aug. 25-28, and working with the Secret Service and Denver police in developing a safety and security plan. He also will lead security efforts before and after the convention.

"He spent a large portion of his career on the SWAT team. I think there's probably only two people in the department who have as much experience and proven ability as Frank Conner," Denver Police Chief Gerry Whitman said.

Conner was joined Tuesday by Jim Malone, who was named deputy director of security by Democratic National Convention Committee officials.

Malone, 56, retired from the Denver Police Department in 2004 after more than 30 years on the force. He had worked as a detective investigating sex crimes and other crimes against children and spent time on the security details of Mayor John Hickenlooper and former Mayor Wellington Webb.

For the past three years, Malone has been doing background checks for the city and county of Denver.

Leah Daughtry, chief executive officer of the DNCC, said the two would be "ideal liaisons" between the committee and federal and city law enforcement officials.

Malone said this is the biggest event he's been involved in helping to coordinate - although he worked on the street as a police officer in 1993 when Pope John Paul II came to Denver for World Youth Day, attracting more than 185,000 people from all over the world.

"I'm excited about the opportunity," he said. "It's a change and a chance to use the skills I gained on the beat."

Conner and Malone have known each other since they entered cadet school at Metropolitan State College of Denver as teenagers.

Conner began as a beat cop in northeast Denver, working his way up to lieutenant in his 35 years with the department. He spent the last seven years with the Metro SWAT team. He said the challenges of the convention are similar to other big events he has worked, including the 2006 NBA All-Star Game and the Summit of the Eight in 1997.

While he can't disclose particulars about convention security, Conner said there are things from previous conventions in Boston and Los Angeles that can be applied to Denver.

"For someone to think they have to reinvent the wheel, that's absurd," Conner said. "For me, if someone has an idea or something that worked well in the previous conventions, I'm all ears."

The convention is expected to draw 35,000 people to Denver, and security is a big expense. Currently, $50 million of federal funds for security are awaiting approval.

Whitman said planning by the police department for the convention is an "ongoing process."

monterod@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5236

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