When I moved to Denver in 2015 after a career of reporting at newspapers in the southeastern United States I was surprised at how often I wrote about police shooting people at my new paper. In South Carolina, I had spent four years on the crime beat and had written about only two or three officer-involved shootings. It just felt like Colorado had a lot more. My instinct was correct, but it took a huge effort to confirm it.
In Colorado, there is not a consistent, statewide standard for how and when police departments, sheriff’s offices and district attorneys release information when one of their law enforcement officers shoots a person. While state agencies are required to report their data to the Colorado Department of Public Safety, there is no penalty for failing to do so, and there is no review to ensure accuracy. For example, the safety department’s most recent report includes only six months of 2019, and that data set did not include four incidents The Denver Post’s reporting had found. Some agencies have body camera footage and release it. Some have body camera footage and refuse to release it. Some don’t use body cameras at all. The public is forced to dig to find out what happened.
The Post’s breaking news team decided in January 2019 to track police shootings across the state. To do this, reporters Elise Schmelzer, Sam Tabachnik, Saja Hindi, Kirk Mitchell, Kieran Nicholson and Shelly Bradbury maintained two spreadsheets and filled out details on shootings as they became available. They spent January double-checking their numbers and analyzing the data. The team read hundreds of pages of documents, filed dozens of open-records requests, interviewed police chiefs, police officers, district attorneys, policing experts and families of those who were killed.
The reporting taught us a lot. More than once a week on average, a person is killed or wounded by a Colorado law enforcement officer. And, sure enough, when compared with states with a similar population, Colorado has one of the higher rates of officer-involved shootings in the country.
There is a lot of debate across the United States about the use of force by police. But to have informed, intelligent conversations we need to understand the circumstances surrounding the shootings. This project is a good start.
It truly was a team effort. The reporters pulled off this project while cranking out hundreds of daily stories, often scooping their competition, while staying focused on this long-term goal. I’m proud of this work.
Thanks for reading.
— Noelle Phillips, Denver Post breaking news editor
We tracked every police shooting in Colorado last year. Here’s what we learned.
COMING TOMORROW: Following police shootings, Colorado authorities are inconsistent when it comes to releasing information. Two lawmakers are looking to change that.
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Five of The Denver Post’s best stories this week
Colorado’s mobile monitoring lab goes to the source in fight against pollution
Carefully calibrated instruments inside the Colorado Air Monitoring Mobile Laboratory can identify pollutants and measure concentrations that residents inhale up and down Colorado’s Front Range.
State officials under Gov. Jared Polis have promised to clean up bad air, and the lab — which has been deployed primarily near oil and gas sites — reflects an emerging interest in finding out where improvements can be made. Read more from environmental reporter Bruce Finley.
RELATED: Denver among 10 worst U.S. cities for hazardous air pollution, two new studies say
Residents, municipalities, legislators, stakeholders seek changes, greater voice in how metropolitan districts work
With about four weeks remaining for metro district residents to file the paperwork needed to run for their local board of directors – seats on dozens of metro district boards are up for election in May – resident interest in wresting control of their community’s future has been high. This comes after a Denver Post investigation detailing concerns with the heavy debt and property taxes they face. Read more from reporter David Migoya.
RELATED: Read more from this Denver Post investigation here
Jason Crow, a surprise pick for impeachment prosecutor, brings a soldier’s-eye view
The Aurora Democrat argued his case to senators and the American people that the president of the United States committed high crimes and misdemeanors in a trial thatap expected to end in acquittal this week, Justin Wingerter and Linnea Lipson report.
“Now this isn’t politically expedient. It certainly isn’t for me,” Crow told the Senate on Jan. 24, as he concluded his final arguments. “Itap hard, it requires sacrifice, itap uncomfortable. But that is the very definition of public service, that we are here to give of ourselves for the country, for others, at sacrifice to ourselves.”
RELATED: Cory Gardner votes against witnesses in Trump impeachment trial; Michael Bennet votes in favor
After leaving Senegal last year, Lutheran’s Baye Fall has established himself as the state’s most intriguing basketball prospect
Minnesota has already offered this 16-year-old basketball player a scholarship, with Texas, CU, DU and Arizona State also showing significant interest as Baye Fall tears up the competition in his first season of CHSAA action.
“He’s 6-foot-11 but jumps like he’s 6-2 and moves like he’s 6-6,” Fall’s coach said.
Think Denver is Colorado’s most innovative food city? Think again.
In February, four new restaurants will open in Northwest Aurora with the help of a small business development grant from the city. If all goes well, Aurora will continue this pilot program offering more assistance to more small restaurants in years to come. Read more from Josie Sexton.
More of our best stories
+ Another San Francisco tech company is expanding in Denver. This one is banking on small businesses’ success
+ Colorado’s new graduation requirements could be a hurdle for Denver Public Schools students
+ Colorado’s reinsurance program explained
+ Emotional debate on Colorado death penalty repeal culminates in historic vote
+ What is social equity in Colorado’s cannabis industry? Regulators look to level the playing field for marginalized communities
+ Colorado hopes to make cannabis industry more eco-friendly by recycling breweries’ carbon dioxide
+ What happens when you use a different Colorado CBD product every day for a week? A whole lotta chill. — The Know
+ The outdoor recreation industry has gone from spunky upstart to economic heavyweight
+ Is natural gas a bridge fuel too far with the rise in renewables? It depends on who you ask.
+ Audit shows Colorado oil, gas producers lax in filling out over 50,000 mandated reports in two-year period
+ Colorado voters have until Monday to change party affiliation for presidential primary
+ RTD board names interim general manager — and turns to search for long-term leader
+ Village Inn shuts down six more Colorado locations as owner files for bankruptcy
+ Colorado developer, home builder team up to grow agricultural charter school near DIA
+ Jefferson County officials weigh options as sheriff continues to release inmates early
+ Lamar woman saved from child neglect now works with her rescuer at Colorado child abuse hotline
+ State seeks to split up Lookout Mountain youth detention facility after string of riots, escapes
+ Boise tweaked camping ban rather than removing it after legal challenge. Could that work in Denver?
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