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New Legislation Affording Whistleblower Protections for Peace Officers

If your municipality employs peace officers and you’re involved in decision-making concerning their employment, you should take immediate steps to become familiar with the requirements of House Bill 25-1031, which was signed into law by Governor Polis and became immediately effective on June 3, 2025 (the “Act”). The Act provides whistleblower protections for peace officers who, in good faith, report to their employer information showing a danger to public health or safety or alleged violations of law by another police officer. The Act amends Colorado’s existing peace officer whistleblower protection statute to expand the list of retaliatory and adverse employment actions employers are prohibited from taking against peace officer whistleblowers, and to establish a distinct cause of action for peace officers to bring civil lawsuits against employers that violate the Act. The Act gives employers the option to adopt written internal administrative procedures for addressing whistleblower complaints within 180 days and, if adopted, an officer must exhaust those internal procedures before bringing a civil action. Finally, the Act requires employers to offer employee training and/or workplace postings regarding the Act’s requirements by January 1, 2026.

Read CIRSA’s new Legislative Alert for more information about the Act’s requirements.

House Bill 21-1250 Whistleblower Protections and Requirements

All law enforcement agencies across Colorado know what it means when a person refers to “SB 20-217,” “the law enforcement integrity act,” and “HB 21-1250,” the 2021 legislation that amended certain provisions of SB 20-217 and enacted further measures concerning law enforcement accountability.

However, you may not know that—buried beneath the provisions in HB 21-1250 relating to body-worn cameras and use of force—there is a new statute that addresses retaliation against whistleblower peace officers.

For more information about the new peace officer whistleblower protections, including mandatory training and posting requirements for law enforcement, read our most recent Blog Post.