When Colorado rewrote the rules for policing

2020 was an extraordinary year for the Colorado legislature. COVID-19 forced lawmakers to break halfway through session. They returned to work in May with a short list of priorities: balance the budget and respond to the pandemic. But almost immediately, the Capitol became the epicenter of protests over the killings of George Floyd and other Black people at the hands of police. The chants of “Black lives matter” outside the statehouse walls pushed lawmakers to take up the issue of police reform that summer. They ultimately wrote and passed an ambitious bipartisan bill, which included body camera requirements and deadly force use limits. The governor signed into law within weeks.

CPR’s Bente Birkeland looks at what made this major piece of police accountability legislation possible and, along with CPR’s Ben Markus, examines the law’s impact in the five years since.

Read more: How protests over George Floyd’s death led Colorado to rewrite its rules for policing

Purplish is produced by CPR News and the Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS, and The Colorado Sun, and shared with Rocky Mountain Community Radio and other news organizations across the state. Funding for the Alliance is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Purplish’s producer is Stephanie Wolf. This episode was edited by Megan Verlee and sound designed and engineered by Shane Rumsey. Our theme music is by Brad Turner. Additional reporting in this episode from Allison Sherry and broadcast tape came from NPR and CBS News Colorado. Special thanks to KDUR at Fort Lewis College for allowing us to record in their studio.