Dignitaries joining in the dedication ceremonies were Denver Chief of Police Robert White; Denver City Council Member Albus Brooks; Lower Downtown (LoDo) Neighborhood Association President Josh Davies; Historic Denver Executive Director Annie Levinsky; and Open Door Youth Gang Alternatives Executive Director, Reverend Leon Kelly
...Eight new Ideal Orgs are additionally scheduled for grand opening in 2012.

Denver Police Capt. Jennifer Steck, who heads the department's public-affairs bureau, said she wrote prepared remarks for the chief.
At the church's request, Steck sent the speech to Banks, the church spokeswoman, for review. Banks replied with suggested additions to lengthen the speech, including more references to community respect and collaboration, according to e-mails obtained in a public-records request.
The "fabulous programs" line was among those added by church officials. All the church's suggestions were accepted, Steck said.

Scientology Plays Denver's Police Chief Like a Violin
We recently brought you footage of Sacramento's mayor, former NBA player Kevin Johnson, gushing about Scientology at the opening of an "Ideal Org" in that city.
Since that fancy new building opened in California's capital, additional celebrations have occurred in places like Orange County and Denver, Colorado.

We've written extensively about the Ideal Org program, which is Scientology's cynical way of trying to convince the public that it's thriving and expanding -- by opening unneeded large facilities when it's actually been losing membership for years. A key component of this scheme is roping in local politicians for the grand opening events to help contribute to the illusion that the church is actually a benefit to the local community.

Now, Denver Post reporter Eric Gorski has done everyone a big favor by documenting how Scientology put words in the mouth of Denver police chief Robert White when he willingly stroked the church at its Ideal Org celebration in that city last week.

Gorski pointed out that the press wasn't invited to the Denver ceremony (just as it was barred from the Orange County event, as our colleague Josh Delaney learned the hard way).

But the Post reporter was resourceful enough to use official records requests to obtain e-mails between the police department and the church which lay out in embarrassing detail how the church managed to get White to sing its praises exactly the way it wanted him to...

"I have seen your fabulous programs, and I know that they are open to all citizens in our community," White said.
Denver Police Capt. Jennifer Steck, who heads the department's public-affairs bureau, said she wrote prepared remarks for the chief.

At the church's request, Steck sent the speech to [Erin] Banks, the church spokeswoman, for review. Banks replied with suggested additions to lengthen the speech, including more references to community respect and collaboration, according to e-mails obtained in a public-records request.

The "fabulous programs" line was among those added by church officials. All the church's suggestions were accepted, Steck said.

Gorski then talked to White, who admitted that he was "unaware of many of the criticisms of Scientology."

(Sigh.)