• 20
  • June
    2011

A Denver police officer was recently fired from his job after his supervisor learned he had been held in contempt of court during his divorce proceedings. His case illustrates the need for people to channel their energy into productive means and to allow their lawyers to advocate for them instead of taking matters into their own hands.

Denver's city manager recently fired the detective after a judge issued a contempt of court order and sentenced the detective to 37 days in work release. Citing data and employee privacy concerns, the city would not comment further on the incident other than to say the contempt of court order was related to the detective's divorce.

Contempt of court is a court order in which a person is held to have been disobedient or disrespectful of a court's authority. While the facts of the Denver detective's case aren't clear, the contempt of court order means it can be safely assumed he was behaving in an unruly or disrespectful manner towards the court.

Divorces can be taxing and stressful events. There is a lot at stake, and when it's someone you used to love squaring off against you in the courtroom, it can cause a lot of emotional turmoil. However, it is not a good idea to act on feelings of anger or humiliation yourself. Whomever you have hired to represent you in your divorce should be zealously guarding your interests; it's best to let this person fight on your behalf. You're more likely to achieve a desirable result and you will avoid problems like the ones now facing this officer.

Source: The Huffington Post, "Denver Detective Kenneth Briggle Fire, Two Other Officers Suspended," Andrea Real, 1 June 2011.