At FGMC, we have long represented police officers and other law enforcement officials in civil, administrative and criminal cases. Law enforcement is a very demanding job that has seen its ranks shrink over the past decade, due in part to increasing violent attacks on police officers, less public support, more cell phone wielding “justice warriors” who interfere with lawful police investigations, and more and more lawsuits and criminal indictments against law enforcement. While we believe all police misconduct should be viewed independently and objectively, there are times when the mob mentality forces politicians to pass hasty, poorly conceived laws that not only unfairly target good law enforcement but have the unintended consequence of reducing the desire of many good candidates to enlist in this important profession. As we speak, local law enforcement agencies across the greater Denver community and throughout the country are shrinking at an alarming rate, struggling to find more officers. Because law enforcement is a necessity, municipalities will be required to lower the stringent hiring guidelines to fill the ranks. However, the ranks will only be replaced by less qualified individuals who will be more likely to make bad decisions and thereby create even more distrust between communities and their police forces. You can see the vicious circle we have placed ourselves in.
We fully appreciate that not all law enforcement that are alleged to have been involved in excessive force incidents are innocent and we believe in ferreting out the bad apples, but we must be incredibly thoughtful in how we do this as a society. One such ill-conceived law is Colorado Revised Statute sec. 18-1-707, also known as ‘The Police Integrity Transparency and Accountability Act’. This was passed in the wake of the George Floyd and Elijah McClain deaths. Our senior law enforcement attorney, Mallory Revel, breaks down this statute so you can be more informed about the status of law enforcement in Colorado and hopefully contact your state representative to ask them to thoughtfully revise this troubling law. (Follow this link to read Mallory Revel’s article).
We all wish for safer communities, better well-informed police officers and more respect between citizens and their law enforcement agencies. We must realize that if we don’t come together and start treating each other with more respect, then we will all suffer.
