Colorado’s witness intimidation law is set to expand after Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday signed Senate Bill 24 into law.

The bill will go into effect on July 1, expanding legal protections to cover intimidation that influences a person to withhold information or give false information to law enforcement, a defense attorney or a defense investigator. Currently, the law only covers intimidation that influences testimony in court, meaning a witness or victim is not protected until after they report the crime.

“This is a great step forward,” said bill sponsor Rep. Matt Soper, R-Delta. “It’s something that should have been done years ago.”

Polis’ approval comes after lawmakers in the state Senate and House of Representatives unanimously approved the bill earlier this session. The bipartisan legislation was championed as a way to crack down on crime.

District Attorney Gordon McLaughlin of Larimer and Jackson counties said the bill idea came out of his office after years of seeing intimidation not protected by the law. He said intimidation before a crime is reported is common in domestic violence cases, organized crime and gang-affiliated crime. 

“This is about ensuring victims of crime feel safe in reporting what’s happening to them and not letting criminals or other people try to get them to withhold information,” said bill sponsor Rep. Dylan Roberts, D-Avon. “This is about prosecuting crimes in an effective way and making sure that we can get the full truth.”

Current law already criminalizes the intimidation of a witness to a legal proceeding, but the legislation will also explicitly cover intimidation of any person who may have information relevant to a criminal investigation, as well as any person who is believed to be able to influence a victim or witness.

Intimidating a witness is a Class 4 felony in Colorado, carrying a maximum sentence of six years in prison and a fine of $500,000. From 2018 to 2021, 108 people were convicted and sentenced for intimidating a witness in Colorado, according to state data.

“We know that when information is provided under duress it’s often not accurate, unactionable,” Polis said. “Intimidation often leads to worse outcomes. I want to thank the bipartisan group for working on this bill.”