• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Subscribe to the Magazine
American Police Beat

American Police Beat Magazine

Law Enforcement Publication

  • Home
  • Editor’s Picks
    • The power of teamwork
      Stay awake and alert on the job
      The worst rank in law enforcement
      Firearms maintenance
      Why fries need salt
  • Topics
    • On the Job
      • “An emotional encounter”: Connecticut police officer talks a man...
        California police officer uses K-9’s leash to rescue drowning man
        Small town North Carolina police officer rescues man from house fire
        Boulder police recover $400,000 in stolen paintings, drug stash in...
        California police officer rescues three people from car teetering on...
    • Labor
      • Sioux Falls Police Department offers $5K hiring bonuses to boost...
        San Francisco mulls over increasing police recruitment bonuses to...
        Nevada may soon allow noncitizens to become police officers to...
        Florida pays out $5M in hiring bonuses for more than one thousand...
        Cops leave NYPD in highest number since 9/11
    • Tech
      • Airbnb expands law enforcement portal to fight child trafficking
        West Virginia law enforcement agencies use drones to get a...
        FBI seizes website of notorious ransomware gang in cybercrime...
        Wisconsin law enforcement warn of iPhone crash detection feature...
        Snapchat sued for facilitating sale of fentanyl that led to fatal...
    • Training
      • Pennsylvania police utilize VR for de-escalation training
        Running your patrol rifle like a champion
        Present ability, opportunity and apparent intent
        Defensive tactics
        Mechanics, consistency and aggression
    • Policy
      • Arkansas sheriff’s offices refuse to enforce federal ATF gun policy
        President Biden signs bill expanding national missing persons database
        California Highway Patrol spotlights new traffic laws for 2023
        Texas law enforcement leaders say the state has too many police...
        Justice Department launches new language initiative after resolving...
    • Health/Wellness
      • Retired Wisconsin police officer offers mental health services for...
        Coping with internal investigation or legal action
        The value of data: Wellness through the eyes of officers
        What officers love, hope and worry about
        Don’t be “that guy” — get moving
    • Community
      • North Charleston police officer drafted by professional football team
        “I’m very, very blessed”: Cleveland police officer back on...
        Newark good Samaritan honored for assisting wounded officers
        LAPD chief bans “Thin Blue Line” flag from department use
        Friday Night Lights duty
    • Offbeat
      • Drunk-driving suspect performs backflip for Ohio police during...
        “Like a scene from ‘Home Alone’”: Georgia man slips on ice...
        “Some real sitcom stuff there”: Florida burglars call 9-1-1 for...
        Wyoming police officer restores classic Chevy Bel Air as police...
        Santa Cruz police arrest 19-year-old for handing out fake parking...
    • We Remember
      • “I had a calling”: Colorado cadet inspired by fallen hero Eric...
        Chicago police remember fallen and injured officers this holiday...
        Deputy killed by roommate after he “jokingly” pulled trigger of...
        Maryland’s oldest cold case solved
        At least 13 officers shot in five days as wave of violence sweeps...
  • On the Job
    • “An emotional encounter”: Connecticut police officer talks a man...
      California police officer uses K-9’s leash to rescue drowning man
      Small town North Carolina police officer rescues man from house fire
      Boulder police recover $400,000 in stolen paintings, drug stash in...
      California police officer rescues three people from car teetering on...
  • Labor
    • Sioux Falls Police Department offers $5K hiring bonuses to boost...
      San Francisco mulls over increasing police recruitment bonuses to...
      Nevada may soon allow noncitizens to become police officers to...
      Florida pays out $5M in hiring bonuses for more than one thousand...
      Cops leave NYPD in highest number since 9/11
  • Tech
    • Airbnb expands law enforcement portal to fight child trafficking
      West Virginia law enforcement agencies use drones to get a...
      FBI seizes website of notorious ransomware gang in cybercrime...
      Wisconsin law enforcement warn of iPhone crash detection feature...
      Snapchat sued for facilitating sale of fentanyl that led to fatal...
  • Training
    • Pennsylvania police utilize VR for de-escalation training
      Running your patrol rifle like a champion
      Present ability, opportunity and apparent intent
      Defensive tactics
      Mechanics, consistency and aggression
  • Policy
    • Arkansas sheriff’s offices refuse to enforce federal ATF gun policy
      President Biden signs bill expanding national missing persons database
      California Highway Patrol spotlights new traffic laws for 2023
      Texas law enforcement leaders say the state has too many police...
      Justice Department launches new language initiative after resolving...
  • Health/Wellness
    • Retired Wisconsin police officer offers mental health services for...
      Coping with internal investigation or legal action
      The value of data: Wellness through the eyes of officers
      What officers love, hope and worry about
      Don’t be “that guy” — get moving
  • Community
    • North Charleston police officer drafted by professional football team
      “I’m very, very blessed”: Cleveland police officer back on...
      Newark good Samaritan honored for assisting wounded officers
      LAPD chief bans “Thin Blue Line” flag from department use
      Friday Night Lights duty
  • Offbeat
    • Drunk-driving suspect performs backflip for Ohio police during...
      “Like a scene from ‘Home Alone’”: Georgia man slips on ice...
      “Some real sitcom stuff there”: Florida burglars call 9-1-1 for...
      Wyoming police officer restores classic Chevy Bel Air as police...
      Santa Cruz police arrest 19-year-old for handing out fake parking...
  • We Remember
    • “I had a calling”: Colorado cadet inspired by fallen hero Eric...
      Chicago police remember fallen and injured officers this holiday...
      Deputy killed by roommate after he “jokingly” pulled trigger of...
      Maryland’s oldest cold case solved
      At least 13 officers shot in five days as wave of violence sweeps...
  • Between the Lines
    • Persecution of the LEO is Classic Schadenfreude
      The Rule of Law is Worthless Without Order
      School policing: a paradox of the defund movement
      Defending the honor of the LE profession – finally!
      The dichotomy of the defund movement: reality setting in
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Search

Policy

“You can’t ignore that people are dying”: Colorado law enforcement criticizes new fentanyl bill

APB Team Published April 5, 2022 @ 6:00 am PDT

iStock.com/Joaquin Corbalan

Colorado law enforcement leaders are speaking out against the new fentanyl bill, which lawmakers say is a step toward solving the state’s opioid crisis.

The legislation introduced by Democratic Speaker of the House Alec Garnett attempts to increase the penalties for those caught selling or using fentanyl. It would also force those caught with the drug into treatment or education programs.

However, law enforcement leaders believe the bill is too lenient.

“This is something like we’ve never seen,” Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen said. “People are dying unwittingly and unknowingly … You can’t ignore that people are dying. In our city, more than one a day are dying. How do folks square that?”

House Bill 1326 makes selling the drug a class 2 felony punishable by up to two to four years in jail. The bill also makes distribution resulting in death a class one felony.

However, law enforcement leaders disagreed with its policy of decriminalizing minor possession of fentanyl.

Pazen said that while carrying just a small amount of certain drugs like bath salts, GHB, ketamine and Rohypnol remains a felony, the charges for carrying similar amounts of the synthetic opioid fentanyl are far less serious.

Under the current bill, carrying four grams or less of the drug would amount to a misdemeanor charge unless the prosecutor can prove they intended to distribute it. Carrying anything more than four grams would yield a felony charge.

Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers believes that carrying any amount of fentanyl should be a felony under the law.

“The number of people dying from fentanyl overdoses has grown over the last several years. The fact of the matter is that a very small amount of fentanyl is incredibly deadly. Less than four grams can cause the death of dozens of people, and they made it a misdemeanor,” Suthers said.

Suthers added that the bill allows those who sell fentanyl to someone who dies as a result to be eligible for probation. They can even avoid prosecution by reporting the incident and cooperating with police ­— known as a “good Samaritan” clause.

The mayor then called for the state legislature to “start listening more to law enforcement … and less to organizations whose objective is to minimize the consequences of criminal behavior.”

Law enforcement leaders like Pazen agreed with Suthers that the bill is too soft. They are now pushing to make simple possession of fentanyl a felony.

“This drug is so deadly that possession of any amount should have a felony consequence. Since no amount of fentanyl is safe, this coalition will seek amendments to elevate ‘simple possession’ to a felony,” a law enforcement lobbying group in a statement. “Colorado cannot afford to take small, incremental steps to address the fentanyl crisis.”

The Colorado Drug Investigators Association said the current bill allows a person to carry enough fentanyl to kill up to 2,000 people.

Criminal justice advocates and addiction experts supported the bill. They believe that increasing the penalties for possession is an ineffective way to solve the drug crisis.

“The most effective ways to address the overdose crisis are evidence-based public health and harm reduction strategies that keep people alive and maximize their potential for recovery,” the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition and the Harm Reduction Center said in a joint statement. “Such efforts warrant substantial investment, particularly in underserved communities of color who are experiencing higher rates of overdose deaths.”

Pueblo Police Chief Chris Noeller disagreed and said jail time often is the first step toward recovery.

“I don’t know that just saying, ‘meh, it’s a misdemeanor, you won’t have to go to jail,’ is helpful to them,” Noeller said. “I had an interesting conversation with an addict one time who is recovered, and they said the only thing that got them on the path to recovery was going to jail.”

In El Paso County last year, there were 102 deaths linked to the drug. Across the state, more than 800 deaths were due to fentanyl overdose — double the amount in 2020.

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock and District Attorney Michael Allen have also called for harsher penalties in the bill.

Categories: Policy Tags: misdemeanor, Paul Pazen, fentanyl bill, simple possession, opioid crisis, fatal overdose, distribution, Law Enforcement, Colorado, felony

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • “An emotional encounter”: Connecticut police officer talks a man out of jumping off bridge
  • North Charleston police officer drafted by professional football team
  • National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund Announces December 2022 Officer of the Month
  • “I’m very, very blessed”: Cleveland police officer back on patrol after surviving stage-4 ovarian cancer
  • Airbnb expands law enforcement portal to fight child trafficking
  • West Virginia law enforcement agencies use drones to get a bird’s-eye view of crime scenes
  • Sioux Falls Police Department offers $5K hiring bonuses to boost recruiting and diversity
  • Retired Wisconsin police officer offers mental health services for first responders
  • FBI seizes website of notorious ransomware gang in cybercrime crackdown
  • San Francisco mulls over increasing police recruitment bonuses to avoid “cata-strophic” staffing shortage

Footer

Our Mission
To serve as a trusted voice of the nation’s law enforcement community, providing informative, entertaining and inspiring content on interesting and engaging topics affecting peace officers today.

Contact us: info@apbweb.com | (800) 234-0056.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Categories

  • Editor’s Picks
  • On the Job
  • Labor
  • Tech
  • Training
  • Policy
  • Health/Wellness
  • Community
  • Offbeat
  • We Remember
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Events

Editor’s Picks

The power of teamwork

The power of teamwork

July 23, 2021

Stay awake and alert on the job

Stay awake and alert on the job

July 20, 2021

The worst rank in law enforcement

The worst rank in law enforcement

July 19, 2021

Firearms maintenance

Firearms maintenance

July 04, 2021

Privacy Policy | Copyright © 2023 APB Media, LLC | Website design, development and maintenance by 911MEDIA

Open

Subscribe

Close

Receive the latest news and updates from American Police Beat directly to your inbox!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.