Updated language in Colorado’s police reform bill addresses privacy concerns with body-worn cameras

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Colorado's new police reform bill working its way through the legislature drew ire online from residents and law enforcement members claiming that the bill's text would require police to record all interactions with the public and release them within 14 days.

The bill was officially introduced into the state legislature by Rep. Leslie Herod on Wednesday in response to massive protests calling for police reform.

We received several messages from viewers with concerns about the bill infringing on privacy rights. Even Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith wrote a lengthy post on Facebook claiming that deputies would have to record interviews with victims of rape or child abuse and then release them to the public.

That won't be the case, though, if the bill is passed by the state legislature and signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis.

The original draft of the bill had language that specifically said the release of recordings only applied to incidents with law enforcement resulting in serious bodily injury or death -- that specific language was missing from the bill that was introduced, but amendments were approved Thursday night to address those concerns.

Instead of all incidents having body-worn camera footage released, the new text says the 14-day window of release only applies to "all incidents in which there is an allegation of peace officer misconduct."

In addition, family members or next-of-kin will have the opportunity to review all audio and video recordings 24 hours before release, and they can provide input for "appropriate redactions."

You can read the full bill here. The amendments can be found here.