A similar proposal was scrapped last year in favor of a task force to study the issue. This year’s version would create a system of services for kids between 10 and 12 who get in trouble with police.
Colorado District Attorneys’ Council
Posted inCrime and Courts, News, Politics and Government
The ACLU has become a powerful player at the Colorado Capitol. But at what cost?
The ACLU of Colorado team credited with helping pass a slate of sweeping criminal justice reform measures abruptly resigned this month amid questions about whether the organization — powered by a jump in donations and a favorable political climate — was too aggressive in wielding its new status as one of the most influential groups […]
Posted inSun Investigation
Colorado’s 2015 law changing how officer-involved shootings are reviewed still lets police agencies investigate themselves
Five years ago, Colorado lawmakers passed a bill that banned police departments and sheriff’s officers from investigating themselves without any outside assistance after one of their officers or deputies shoots someone. But here’s the hitch: the legislation, Senate Bill 219, specifically states “shooting,” meaning it doesn’t apply if someone dies at the hands of law […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News, Politics and Government
Colorado Democrats unveil sweeping police accountability bill in response to George Floyd’s death
Democratic state lawmakers on Tuesday began to unveil a sweeping bill aimed at increasing law enforcement accountability in Colorado by collecting racial profiling data, ensuring officers hold each other accountable and making it easier for the public to file lawsuits against police. The measure, which could be introduced as soon as Wednesday, also would beef […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
Colorado still allows killers to use gay or transgender “panic” defenses. But the strategy could soon be outlawed.
When Allen Andrade was charged with murdering a transgender woman in 2008, he argued that he killed her in the heat of passion after learning she had male genitalia. Andrade simply snapped, his attorneys said, and shouldn’t be sent to prison for the rest of his life. In fact, Andrade’s attorneys claimed, he was provoked […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News, Politics and Government
Colorado poised to revisit murder law that can send people to prison for life — even when they didn’t kill anyone
Jeff Johnson. Lisl Auman. Curtis A. Brooks. All three were convicted of first-degree murder in Colorado, which carries an automatic life sentence without the possibility of parole. None of them killed anyone. But Colorado’s felony murder law, similar to statutes across the nation, allows for defendants to be charged and found guilty of first-degree murder […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News, Politics and Government
A new Colorado law makes possessing thousands of fatal fentanyl doses a misdemeanor. Prosecutors are worried.
Colorado’s top federal prosecutor is sounding the alarm over a new state law that potentially makes possessing thousands of fatal doses of synthetic opioids a misdemeanor, saying it sends the wrong message as law enforcement and health officials are warning the public about the substances’ danger. State lawmakers earlier this year passed a bill that […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News, Politics and Government
Colorado prosecutors warn DUI-testing mess could have impacts far beyond drunken driving cases
Two district attorneys representing some of Colorado’s largest counties are warning that problems with the state’s ability to conduct blood testing in driving under the influence cases could have much broader impacts across the criminal justice system if they aren’t quickly resolved. That includes placing in jeopardy cases ranging from vehicular homicide to murder, where […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News, Politics and Government
A change to Colorado’s DUI testing system has stoked fears of dropped cases and could shutter a private business
Big questions are swirling around Colorado’s ability to carry out blood tests and prosecute offenders in driving under the influence cases after a policy switch that could jeopardize cases and put a private lab out of business. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation on July 1 began testing blood drawn during DUI investigations for free in […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News
A Colorado prosecutor admitted to dozens of ethical violations. Should taxpayers have to pay?
In 2015, Frank Ruybalid, the former district attorney for Colorado’s Third Judicial District, oversaw an office in disarray. State regulators accused Ruybalid of more than 150 instances of violating legal ethics by withholding evidence in criminal cases. As a result of those transgressions, 15 cases were dismissed in the Third, which encompasses the southern Colorado […]