police
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Judge refuses to toss lawsuit against Pueblo for ‘reckless’ cop’s killing of motorist
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A federal judge has refused to dismiss the legal claims against the city of Pueblo for failing to train or discipline an allegedly “reckless” officer who shot two vehicle occupants, killing the driver. U.S. District Court Senior Judge Christine M. Arguello ruled last week that Sarah Naranjo, the injured passenger, and Marie Adorno, the mother…
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Judge dismisses Denver from excessive force lawsuit, says not enough similar incidents
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A man who Denver police officers hit and struck in a church parking lot may not sue the city itself for enabling excessive force, as a federal judge decided that four similar incidents of police brutality were not enough to establish a pattern. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Philip A. Brimmer last week dismissed the…
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Appeals court interprets police accountability law to block lawsuits against localities
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Although people may sue individual law enforcement officers for violating their rights under a recently-enacted policing accountability law, Colorado’s second-highest court has clarified that lawsuits against local governments directly are not allowed. The ruling from the Court of Appeals on Thursday sets state-level lawsuits apart from those brought under federal law, where the U.S. Supreme…
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Judge finds Parker man cannot sue Aurora, officer for wrongful arrest
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A Parker man may not proceed to sue the city of Aurora and one of its officers for being wrongfully arrested for a theft he did not commit, a federal judge has decided. U.S. District Court Judge Daniel D. Domenico, while simultaneously finding Darren Rucker had not presented a viable claim against Aurora for the…
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Judge tosses suit by ‘high priestess’ of cannabis-focused church against Colorado Springs police
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A federal judge confirmed last month that neither Colorado Springs police nor the city itself was liable for any constitutional violation, tossing a lawsuit from the leader of a cannabis-focused ministry who was unhappy with officers’ presence on her property. Candace Sgaggio, the “high priestess” for Green Faith Ministry, claimed law enforcement personnel violated her…
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Fountain voters to decide whether to raise property taxes for police, fire staff
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Fountain voters will decide in November whether to increase property taxes to hire additional police officers and firefighters. The city would like to increase property taxes from 10.239 mills to 16.339 mills to hire an additional six police officers and six more firefighters and raise more funds for retention and recruitment, city officials said. If…
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Federal judge rejects immunity for Colorado Springs officers in suit over man’s death
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According to Colorado Springs, its officers acted reasonably during the hot pursuit of a felon. They applied minimal force to the resisting suspect and immediately changed course when they realized he might have stopped breathing. Lawyers for the now-deceased man, however, alleged the police had “preyed on” his mental disability, tasing him while he was…
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Federal judge sides with Lafayette officers who used dog to bite unarmed man
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Lafayette police officers acted reasonably by directing a dog to bite an unarmed, allegedly unconscious man for 20 seconds, a federal judge decided last month in rejecting the excessive force claims of plaintiff Adrian Martinez. Although law enforcement knew Martinez had walked away from his hospital bed in February 2018, it was unclear whether he…
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Appeals court overturns Jeffco drug conviction for detective’s improper testimony
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Colorado’s second-highest court determined last month that a detective’s expert testimony claiming the defendant had a “classic case” of possessing drugs with an intent to distribute amounted to a fundamental error that required reversing the conviction. State and federal courts have delineated when an expert’s testimony is improper at trial, including when an expert opines…
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‘At last – finally’: Civil liberties advocates celebrate recognition of right-to-record
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Civil liberties advocates are celebrating the Denver-based federal appeals court’s decision this week to recognize the First Amendment protects the right to publicly record law enforcement officers, even while scratching their heads at some of the reasoning the court employed to reach its conclusion. “All right, at last. Finally,” said Mark Silverstein, legal director of…