Saja Hindi
The Denver Post
DENVER, Colo. — Colorado’s police accountability and reform bill passed the state Senate on Tuesday morning with just one Republican vote against it.
Senate Bill 217, sponsored by all of the state’s Democratic lawmakers, goes to the House next and is expected to head to the governor’s desk after the session concludes this week.
Sen. Rhonda Fields, an Aurora Democrat and prime sponsor, commended lawmakers for deciding “we have seen enough” and that “black lives do matter.” She noted that Tuesday was the day George Floyd, who was killed by police in Minneapolis, was being laid to rest.
“Engaging in race in policing is not an easy topic,” Fields said. “It’s an emotional topic for me. I’ve been black all my life, and I can tell you now, we have white people in our state and in the nation and globally saying, ‘black lives matter.’”
The bill passed 32-1, with Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg, R-Sterling, casting the lone vote against it. He said he voted against the bill because he’s representing his rural district.
“I appreciate the changes and the effort by folks on both sides, but the unfunded mandate on small rural communities with no history of problems needs addressed,” Sonnenberg said in a statement. “For instance, the bill could apply immediately to forces over a certain size with a mechanism to make it apply to forces that are smaller and have a history of problems. How are small rural forces with a total of 3 or 4 officers like Hugo or Haxtun expected to comply?”
The bill was introduced in the wake of Floyd’s killing, which has sparked continuing protests in Denver and across the nation. It calls for more transparency and new controls on police use of force. If it becomes law, it will require all officers to use body-worn cameras, ban the use of chokeholds and limit when they are allowed to shoot at a person who is running away, known as the “fleeing felon” statute. Cops also would have to have objective justification for stops, be required to intervene when seeing other officers using excessive force and could be sued as individuals for excessive force allegations. And it removes “qualified immunity,” allowing officers to be sued in their individual capacities when they’re accused of using excessive force.
“What we accomplished with Senate Bill 217 serves as a reminder that direct action matters. Protest matters. Black lives matter,” activist Elisabeth Epps of the Colorado Freedom Fund and American Civil Liberties Union said in a statement.
Senate Republicans supported the bill after initially opposing it, with Sen. Larry Crowder, R-Canon City, signing onto the bill as a sponsor.
Similarly, Sen. John Cooke, a former Weld sheriff and Greeley Republican, said he first referred to the bill as an “I hate police bill” but with amendments he now believes it will enhance law enforcement integrity.
NEXT: The attack on the police officer’s qualified immunity defense