CFOIC’s Zansberg inducted into Colorado Press Association hall of fame
Steve Zansberg, First Amendment attorney and president of the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition, is a new member of the Colorado Press Association’s hall of fame.
Public Records Laws
CFOIC/ACLU brief: Fees for bodycam footage not authorized in Colorado’s Law Enforcement Integrity Act
Colorado’s Law Enforcement Integrity Act does not permit agencies to charge requesters hundreds or thousands of dollars for body-worn camera footage showing possible misconduct by police officers, three briefs submitted to the Colorado of Appeals argue.
The legislature made it easier to obtain police bodycam footage in Colorado, but barriers to access remain
Enacted five years ago following the killings of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Elijah McClain in Aurora, Colorado’s Law Enforcement Integrity Act has made it easier to obtain police body-worn camera footage. But some barriers to access remain.
MuckRock, NFOIC and other leading transparency groups receive $1.25M Press Forward grant to help local journalists obtain government records
The initiative brings together the resources of each organization and connects journalists with the country’s foremost records experts at the state level who have deep, local knowledge of laws, judicial precedents and strategies that can help them overcome challenges.
Appeals court: Children’s Code does not bar public disclosure of blurred body-cam footage showing Lakewood officers killing 17-year-old robbery suspect
Colorado’s Children’s Code does not prohibit the public disclosure of blurred body-worn camera footage of Lakewood police shooting and killing a 17-year-old robbery suspect in 2023, the Colorado Court of Appeals ruled.
Should the right to know be enshrined in Colorado’s constitution?
Colorado’s constitution guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of the press, broadly stating that “every person shall be free to speak, write or publish whatever he will on any subject.” Should it also guarantee freedom of information?
Judge: Aurora PD must release all unedited body-cam footage of May 2024 shooting of Kilyn Lewis
A judge ordered Aurora to release all unedited body-worn camera footage of police shooting and killing Kilyn Lewis, finding that the city denied 9NEWS’ requests for the video in violation of Colorado’s Law Enforcement Integrity Act.
Wrap-up: Veto of CORA bill, passage of NIL and wildlife-damage compensation measures marked 2025 Colorado legislative session
Lawmakers made another unsuccessful attempt to weaken the Colorado Open Records Act during the 2025 state legislative session.
Lawmakers drop effort to override veto of CORA bill that would have let governments take more time to process requests — except for those made by journalists
Gov. Jared Polis’ veto of a bill to extend Colorado Open Records Act response deadlines for requests made by the public and businesses will stand after legislators abandoned their effort to override it.
Concerned about creating ‘three classes of open records requests,’ Polis vetoes CORA bill
Writing that “all legitimate requests for public transparency” under the Colorado Open Records Act “should be treated equally under the law,” Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday vetoed a bill that gave government entities more time to respond to requests made by the public and businesses but kept deadlines the same for journalists.