{"id":53211,"date":"2020-06-19T15:23:01","date_gmt":"2020-06-19T21:23:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/are-we-receptive-to-police-reforms-in-southwest-colorado\/"},"modified":"2020-06-19T21:23:01","modified_gmt":"2020-06-19T21:23:01","slug":"are-we-receptive-to-police-reforms-in-southwest-colorado","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/are-we-receptive-to-police-reforms-in-southwest-colorado\/","title":{"rendered":"Are we receptive to police reforms in Southwest Colorado?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"People
People protest May 30 in front of the Durango Police Department during a Justice for George Floyd March that started on Main Avenue. Many wanted to see changes in police training and accountability for law enforcement and government.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald file<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

On the corner of East 12th Street and Main Avenue in Durango, flowers, signs and memorabilia create a memorial for victims of police violence. The corner has seen marches, vigils and discussions about police reform since George Floyd\u2019s death at the hands of Minnesota police in May.<\/p>\n

In response, La Plata County officials have begun to look at their own policies. In some ways, they are in line with police reform proposals, but officials say they can always do more.<\/p>\n

Many in law enforcement, politics and civil rights advocacy in La Plata County support key police reform measures, such as the Enhance Law Enforcement Integrity Act<\/a>, which Gov. Jared Polis signed Friday after it passed with bipartisan support in the Legislature. But as the county\u2019s initial burst of engagement in the Black Lives Matter movement settles, one local leader, Dwayne Perry Jr., said it is time to turn support into action.<\/p>\n

\u201cMoving forward, I expect (Durango) City Council to make decisions that support people of color within this community,\u201d said Perry, who has taken on a leadership role in the local Black Lives Matter movement.<\/p>\n

In Denver, protests demanding police reform and accountability shook the state capital. Colorado responded by passing one of the most comprehensive police reform packages in the country.<\/p>\n

\"McLachlan\"
McLachlan<\/span>du1-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Rep. Barbara McLachlan, D-Durango, said the Legislature \u201cworked so hard to get so much input,\u201d including from public health and public service workers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were so happy they had been heard,\u201d McLachlan said in an interview. \u201cIt made people cry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Christian Champagne, district attorney for the 6th Judicial District, said 99% of peace officers are good professionals, but \u201cwe cannot ignore the racial disparities that plague the criminal justice system.\u201d He hopes the bill will be a step toward resolving those disparities.<\/p>\n

In La Plata County, two of three municipalities and all four law enforcement agencies have issued statements in response to Floyd\u2019s death and policing policies. Hundreds of people have gathered at protests<\/a> and vigils<\/a> in Durango, calling for racial equality, police reform and justice for people of color, with few counterprotesters in attendance.<\/p>\n

The Durango Herald<\/em> interviewed more than 15 La Plata County law enforcement officials, city councilors, town trustees and civil rights advocates about policing policy proposals and their vision for the future. Several people of color and advocacy organizations did not respond to interview requests. Some expressed concern about fair media coverage and retribution from community members.<\/p>\n

\u201cSmall town America is not excused from this situation,\u201d said Barbara Noseworthy, Durango city councilor. \u201cWe have to address this systemic racism within our law enforcement on a national and local level. Whether we see it or not here, we still need to be addressing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"About
About 350 people gathered June 5 in Buckley Park for a candlelight vigil to recognize George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others killed by police. In response to community activism, La Plata County municipal and law enforcement officials have begun to examine local police policies.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald file<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
Approaches to reform<\/div>\n

Officials with Durango City Council, Durango Police Department, the Bayfield and Ignacio boards of trustees and the Ignacio Police Department said they broadly supported Colorado\u2019s police accountability act. Some leaders had concerns.<\/p>\n

\"Kate
Kate Cohn brings her children, Kai, 1, and Koha, 5, to the Justice for George Floyd March on May 30 in Durango. She wants to see change in government, particularly who is elected.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald file<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Colorado\u2019s new law requires officers to wear and record interactions using body cameras. Policing agencies must track and publicly report demographic information of individuals contacted during incidents, including race and ethnicity. Officers can\u2019t use chemical agents, such as tear gas, without warning, or fire projectiles indiscriminately into protesting crowds.<\/p>\n

The law also requires law enforcement officers to intervene if fellow officers use excessive force. Failure to intervene will be considered a Class 1 misdemeanor, but prosecutors could bring higher charges depending on the evidence.<\/p>\n

Durango, Bayfield and Ignacio have already implemented many of the law\u2019s measures in law enforcement trainings and policies. Some changes could pose staffing and funding challenges, like changing documentation practices and paying for video data storage, law enforcement officials said.<\/p>\n

The three municipalities do not allow chokeholds, which the law banned unless the officer\u2019s life is in danger or certain other criteria are met.<\/p>\n

Perry advocated for chokehold bans in all instances. Allowing officers to use them in certain circumstances gives them an opening to keep doing what they\u2019ve been doing, he said.\u201cThose stipulations are still giving police officers loopholes,\u201d Perry said. \u201cThey are playing with the wording, and it\u2019s not really giving people of color that vote of confidence in how they\u2019re going about reform.\u201d<\/p>\n

The law dismantles qualified immunity for police officers, a protection that prevents members of the public from suing a police officer in situations like wrongful use of force while on active duty.<\/p>\n

\"Brammer\"
Brammer<\/span>du1-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

In an email to the Herald<\/em>, Durango Police Department Chief Bob Brammer said he is \u201cgravely concerned and opposed\u201d to efforts to change qualified immunity protections for police officers.<\/p>\n

He said he agrees with the International Association of the Chiefs of Police, which has said \u201cthe loss of this protection would have a profoundly chilling effect on police officers and limit their ability and willingness to respond to critical incidents without hesitation.\u201d<\/p>\n

For example, an officer might have to engage an active shooter, but if a stray bullet strikes a bystander, the officer could be held personally liable. Or an officer might use force against a person, believing the person had a real weapon, but if the weapon was later found to be fake, the officer could be held liable.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore, if someone broke the law or were in violation of civil rights, they were on their own anyway,\u201d Brammer said. \u201cQualified immunity gave them protection when they were acting on good faith.\u201d<\/p>\n

Several agencies, including the Bayfield Marshal and La Plata County Sheriff\u2019s Office, support a law enforcement officer\u2019s duty to intervene if another officer is using excessive force.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is the duty of all deputies with the La Plata County Sheriff\u2019s Office to preserve life in situations involving use of force,\u201d Sgt. Chris Burke with the Sheriff\u2019s Office wrote in an email to the Herald<\/em>. \u201cThe La Plata County Sheriff\u2019s Office stands with the County Sheriffs of Colorado in revision of this statute.\u201d<\/p>\n

Durango, Bayfield and Ignacio have also already implemented most of the eight strategies proposed in Campaign Zero\u2019s \u201c8 Can\u2019t Wait\u201d initiative, another effort pushed by racial equality advocates.<\/p>\n

Some protesters and advocates have called for defunding police agencies, or at least decreasing excessive budgets. Durango, Ignacio and Bayfield officials do not support defunding police. Some said they would support re-examining budget allocations.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are well ahead of the curve. That\u2019s not to say we can\u2019t do more,\u201d said Durango Mayor Dean Brookie. \u201cIn Durango, it\u2019s the opportunity for us to become better educated as a community as to what our current level of policing is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Hundreds
Hundreds marched through Durango and in front of the Durango Police Department on May 30 during a Justice for George Floyd March that started on Main Avenue. Local municipal and law enforcement officials support many of the state&#x2019;s proposed police reform measures, with some concerns about funding and impacts on police officers.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald file<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
Looking ahead<\/div>\n

In response to the protests and marches in Durango and Bayfield, local officials have focused on gathering information from community members.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a white woman with a whole lot of privilege. I haven\u2019t had a negative experience with law enforcement, but that doesn\u2019t mean they don\u2019t exist,\u201d Noseworthy said. Most top officials in Bayfield and Durango are white. Ignacio has a more racially diverse town leadership.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a big believer in continuous improvement. That doesn\u2019t mean we\u2019re critical or things are being done poorly in any way. But there are always ways we can be better,\u201d Noseworthy said.<\/p>\n

\"A
A Justice for George Floyd March in Durango on May 30 prompted conversations among local officials about police reform and racial equality. Community police reform advocates say the next step is funding alternatives to armed police for non-criminal incident response.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald file<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Several Durango councilors proposed working with the city\u2019s Community Relations Commission and examining personnel complaint processing within the Durango Police Department. The DPD also invited Perry to join its Citizen Review Board, which assesses how the department reviews personnel complaints.<\/p>\n

\u201cEssentially, just having a person of color on this board will hold DPD to a higher level of accountability,\u201d Perry said.<\/p>\n

In Bayfield, town officials said they are reviewing town policies, including those of the police department, and emphasized listening to the community. The mayor issued a proclamation welcoming peaceful demonstrations, supporting diversity and saying hate ideologies have no place in the town.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have (police discrimination) issues come across our desk,\u201d said Trustee Kelly Polites. \u201cI\u2019m not saying they\u2019re not out there. I haven\u2019t heard about them, and I want to hear about them if something like that is occurring.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ignacio Mayor Stella Cox said the Board of Trustees had not discussed police reform in response to the nationwide wave of protests or any next steps within the town.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no next step right now. \u2026 Our force isn\u2019t that big. If a complaint came up where there was a policy needing to be addressed, we would address it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

For Perry, the next steps come down to the budget and local voting.<\/p>\n

He would like to see City Council replace police officers with unarmed professionals for noncriminal matters, like those involving mental health, the homeless and school discipline, as a part of police reform.<\/p>\n

Perry advocated for more intensive trainings and more strict qualification requirements within law enforcement agencies. Legislation needs to be enacted to address and outlaw systemic racism, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIdeally, I\u2019d also like to see more people of color involved in political decisions and boards here in Durango. I\u2019d like to see more people of color opening businesses here. That starts with City Council and legislation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

smullane@durangoherald.com<\/a> ehayes@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Almost
Almost 200 people gather Friday in Buckley Park for a Juneteenth celebration, where LJ tells attendees it&#x2019;s not the job of Black people to educate white people about racism. Rather, white people should take steps to educate themselves and others. Recent protests and gatherings in Durango and around the country have addressed racial equality and police reform.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Protesters, law enforcement and government leaders agree changes must occur<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":53212,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[731,1175,4795,13,28,1235,52,445,51],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-53211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-bayfield","tag-civil-rights","tag-civil-unrest","tag-frontpage-lead","tag-headlines","tag-ignacio","tag-law-enforcement","tag-newsletter-lead","tag-police"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53211"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53211\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53212"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53211"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=53211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}