Gonna be tough for CO law enforcement. The new law also stops agencies and individuals from getting insurance. That is a pretty scary hammer hanging over your head.
Colorado state lawmakers passed legislation on Saturday that fundamentally changes policing in the state, and the governor is expected to sign it quickly.
The legislation was proposed after violent protests and riots broke out across the United States in response to the death of 46-year-old George Floyd in the custody of the Minneapolis police.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis has said that he will sign the bill into law once he receives it, the Denver Post reported.
Senate Bill 217 – the Enhance Law Enforcement Integrity Bill – calls for multiple dramatic changes to the manner in which policing is conducted across the state.
Under the new law, every officer in the state will wear a bodycam by July of 2023, and bodycams are required to be activated whenever officers respond to a call, the Denver Post reported.
Failure to activate the camera could result in criminal liability or other penalties.
The law also creates timelines for the release of bodycam footage to the public.
SB 217 also requires officers to intervene if they see another officer using excessive force or face a class 1 misdemeanor or greater charge, according to the Denver Post.
The new law also removed qualified immunity protections for police officers, meaning that individual cops can be sued for actions taken in the course of doing their jobs that may violate an individual’s civil rights.
If a police department determines that an officer acted in bad faith, they may hold the officer accountable for up to 5% or $25,000, whichever is less, of the settlement or judgement collected by a plaintiff, the Denver Post reported.
Colorado state lawmakers passed legislation on Saturday that fundamentally changes policing in the state, and the governor is expected to sign it quickly.
The legislation was proposed after violent protests and riots broke out across the United States in response to the death of 46-year-old George Floyd in the custody of the Minneapolis police.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis has said that he will sign the bill into law once he receives it, the Denver Post reported.
Senate Bill 217 – the Enhance Law Enforcement Integrity Bill – calls for multiple dramatic changes to the manner in which policing is conducted across the state.
Under the new law, every officer in the state will wear a bodycam by July of 2023, and bodycams are required to be activated whenever officers respond to a call, the Denver Post reported.
Failure to activate the camera could result in criminal liability or other penalties.
The law also creates timelines for the release of bodycam footage to the public.
SB 217 also requires officers to intervene if they see another officer using excessive force or face a class 1 misdemeanor or greater charge, according to the Denver Post.
The new law also removed qualified immunity protections for police officers, meaning that individual cops can be sued for actions taken in the course of doing their jobs that may violate an individual’s civil rights.
If a police department determines that an officer acted in bad faith, they may hold the officer accountable for up to 5% or $25,000, whichever is less, of the settlement or judgement collected by a plaintiff, the Denver Post reported.