Colorado is a step away from history with police reform bill
Tears streamed down Colorado lawmakers’ faces as House Speaker KC Becker, choking up, read the final vote tally.
52-13.
House members passed a bill Friday that promises to bring sweeping changes to policing in the state, and it was expected to get a final vote in the Senate later in the evening. A dozen House Republicans joined all Democratic representatives in voting for the bill.
“I am feeling incredibly proud and grateful that this legislative body has stood up and listened to the protesters and listened to the families and said, ‘We’re going to do something about this injustice in our society, and we’re going to start today,’ ” Rep. Leslie Herod, a Denver Democrat, said after the vote.
The bill passed the Senate 32-1 this week,
and Gov. Jared Polis said he will sign it.
The House vote came after lawmakers spent nearly two hours Friday sharing personal experiences they and their loved ones have had with law enforcement and the need for accountability to keep black and brown communities in Colorado safe. Several stressed that the bill isn’t about demonizing good cops but about holding those entrusted with protecting their communities accountable.
Prior to Friday’s vote, lawmakers debated the bill for hours in the House and Senate, and committees heard testimony from families of victims and representatives of law enforcement.
Senate Bill 217 was introduced in the wake of George Floyd’s death at police hands in Minneapolis and the protests that followed, but lawmakers stressed that the issues are not new and are very much Colorado issues, too.
Among the biggest changes, the bill requires all officers to use body cameras and to release footage to the public within 45 days. It bans the use of choke holds and carotid control holds and limits when police are allowed to shoot at a person who is running away from them, commonly referred to as the “fleeing felon” statute.
Officers would need objective justification to make stops. They would be required to intervene when seeing other officers using excessive force or face a criminal charge. And officers could be sued in their personal capacities and held personally liable up to $25,000 for constitutional violations, removing the “qualified immunity” protection that previously didn’t allow it. The bill also restricts the force officers can use on protesters and changes the standards for deadly force.
The bill requires agencies to report data annually so issues can be identified and addressed. It entrusts the Peace Officer Standards and Training board to decertify officers who are fired for excessive force so they aren’t able to get rehired by another department. It tasks the POST board and Department of Criminal Justice to conduct independent reviews on shootings by police.
Herod said she wants to tell Coloradans and the people of Denver that Senate Bill 217 passed because they showed up, protested and demanded change, which helped push the legislation forward. But most
importantly, she said, it honors families such as those of Elijah McClain and De’Von Bailey. McClain died after a violent arrest by Aurora police in August, and Bailey was shot and killed by Colorado Springs police in December.
Although the Republicans who voted against the policing bill cited concerns with how quickly it was pushed through — the bill was introduced just nine days earlier — supporters said these issues have been studied and worked on for years, but the political will to pass them just wasn’t there. They also worked with law enforcement and groups that would be affected throughout the process.
“Our communities are tired. And we have been asking for change for generations. Now is the time,” said sponsor Rep. Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez, DDenver.
House Republicans who voted in favor of the bill said they were convinced by not only the stories shared but the need to hold accountable those entrusted with protecting their communities. Republicans previously opposed to the bill changed their minds after sponsors worked with them and stakeholders to make changes, they said.
House Minority Leader Patrick Neville, R-Castle Rock, said he was voting for it because it calls for policy changes that are needed.
“It’s my prayer that this bill will be a step forward, and that’s why I’m voting yes,” he said.
Still, not every Republican was on board. Rep. Rod Bockenfeld of Watkins questioned the bill’s impact on officers on the street, saying many worry about whether they can continue to work in Colorado.
After discussions and some changes, law enforcement organizations came out in support of the bill.
“As difficult as this legislative process has been, we really do believe this is going to make us better,” Steve Schulz, president of the Colorado Fraternal Order of Police, said in a statement.
“We are committed to keeping the lines of communication open between law enforcement agencies, the communities we serve and lawmakers so that we can continue to work together and make necessary changes before crises arise.”
Thirteen House Republican representatives voted against the bill: Bockenfeld; Mark Baisely of Roxborough Park; Perry Buck of Windsor; Terri Carver, Larry Liston, Shane Sandridge and Dave Williams of Colorado Springs; Colin Larson of Littleton; Hugh McKean of Loveland; Rod Pelton of Cheyenne Wells; Lori Saine of Firestone; Matt Soper of Delta; and Perry Will of New Castle.
The Democratic governor applauded its passage.
“This is about a pattern of injustice and unfair treatment that Black Americans and communities of color have endured, not only in our criminal justice system but also in aspects of everyday life,” Polis said in a statement.