CUPD in compliance with new state law, seeks to be higher ed leader
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis in June signed into law Senate Bill 2020-217, commonly known as the Enhance Law Enforcement Integrity Act. Portions of the law immediately went into effect while others will go into effect at later dates.
“Since the bill was signed, we are often asked what we are doing to meet the requirements,” said University of Colorado Boulder Police Chief Doreen Jokerst. “We are proud to say that we are already in total compliance.”
Signed into law on June 19, the bill included several requirements for police departments, but sections detailing the use of chokeholds and body-worn cameras have elicited the most interest.
In the past, chokeholds were considered a use of lethal force for CUPD officers. Because of that, CUPD officers have not used them during arrests or any other encounters with the public. Immediately after the law was enacted, the department eliminated chokeholds from its policies altogether and they are now prohibited in every circumstance.
The new law also mandates that all police departments issue body-worn cameras to their officers by July 1, 2023. CUPD already meets that requirement as well. In fact, CUPD officers started wearing body-worn cameras in August 2019 and, in August of this year,announcedthat they have expanded that program by adding two cameras inside their patrol cars. One camera is pointed out of the front windshield to record activity in front of the vehicle and a second is pointed atthe back seat.
Chief Jokerst has alwayssaid thatanyone wwith questions is encouraged to reach out to the department directly.
“We are proud to be your police department,” Jokerst said. “And we look forward to working together and being a leader in higher education policing."