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Bills passed, but police reform conversation only begins

Larger issues unaddressed
Gov. John Hickenlooper signs a package of police-reform measures that aim to “rebuild trust” in the wake of national incidents. Observers say the conversation is just beginning, as several systemic issues still need to be addressed.

DENVER – A package of police-reform bills signed into law last week take modest steps to address tension that started nationally after white police officers were assailed in the deaths of unarmed black men. That racial unrest spilled into communities all across the nation.

But observers believe the conversation is just beginning.

After recent chaotic riots in Baltimore, President Barack Obama pointed to larger social issues, suggesting, “This is not new. It’s been going on for decades.

“If you have impoverished communities that have been stripped away of opportunity ... if we think that we’re just going to send the police to do the dirty work of containing the problems that arise there without, as a nation and as a society, saying what can we do to change those communities, to help lift up those communities and give those kids opportunity, then we’re not going to solve this problem,” Obama said.

The six bills passed by the Legislature this year do not address the larger issues outlined by the president. The legislation runs the gamut, including encouraging the use of body cameras by police, improving training, emphasizing that citizens are allowed to record police incidents, requiring the collection and disclosure of data from officer-involved shootings and disclosing past misconduct history when hiring officers.

Four other bills that took more aggressive steps did not pass this year, including clarifying that charges should be dismissed if an unlawful order is given, requiring special prosecutors in certain cases of misconduct where there could be a conflict, expanding prohibitions on racial profiling and banning the use of a chokehold.

Sen. Ellen Roberts, R-Durango, played a key role in passing at least three of the bills.

“We pass laws that affect the whole state, and yet we have so many different kinds of communities,” she said at a signing ceremony for the bills, joined by Gov. John Hickenlooper, community leaders, law enforcement and other lawmakers. “We tried very hard to find something that made sense, whether you live in Durango or whether you live in Five Points.”

But lawmakers acknowledge that the bills stop short of addressing larger issues.

“We gave it our best effort ... we did what we could,” said House Speaker Dickey Lee Hullinghorst, D-Boulder.

“It’s important to continue this conversation,” added House Majority Leader Crisanta Duran, D-Denver. “The conversation started at the Legislature, the conversation is starting in communities, and as we continue to move forward, I think there is still work to do to build the necessary trust between law enforcement and the community. Some can be legislated, and some cannot be.”

Law enforcement officials acknowledge that departments need to look inward to bring change. But they worry about pointing fingers instead of engaging the public in a larger dialogue.

“There’s no question that the societal issues are much bigger than the police reform process,” said Chief John Jackson, president of the Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police. “We jumped immediately to police reform ... but societal issues are always bigger than anything else.”

For his part, Hickenlooper believes that the issue is about building trust within communities.

“We could not have been more timely in terms of having a session that had a strong focus on police reform,” Hickenlooper said. “The relationship between law enforcement agencies and communities across this country have been strained. In Colorado, we recognize that our law enforcement is part of our community partnership.”

Denver community leader Jeff Fard, also known as Brother Jeff, believes additional steps need to be taken, including working to solve larger issues. But he applauded lawmakers for taking bipartisan steps.

“These systemic issues, all of that remains. But we don’t want to discount or even shift the focus so much in terms of what we were trying to accomplish this legislative session, which is building community trust,” Fard said. “Could they have gone farther? Perhaps. And certainly, many of us think so. But we have to take baby steps to get to a larger issue.”

pmarcus@durangoherald.com

Police bills

Six measures signed by Gov. John Hickenlooper:

House Bill 1290: Emphasizes a citizen’s right to record police incidents

Senate Bill 219: Sponsored by Sen. Ellen Roberts, R-Durango, requires transparency after an officer-involved shooting, including disclosing why charges were not filed against an officer

House Bill 1285: Encourages the use of body cameras by police

House Bill 1287: Expands police training requirements

Senate Bill 217: Sponsored by Roberts, requires data collection after an officer-involved shooting, including demographic information

Senate Bill 218: Sponsored by Roberts, requires the disclosure of past officer misconduct information when the officer is applying for a law enforcement job

Four bills that failed

House Bill 1289: Would have required a court to dismiss charges against someone if the charges were based on an unlawful order

House Bill 1286: Would have required a special prosecutor in cases of police misconduct if there was an abuse of discretion

House Bill 1288: Would have expanded prohibitions on racial profiling

House Bill 1291: Would have banned the use of a chokehold



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