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.
Cordico Wellness App for CIRSA Members
CIRSA has partnered with CORDICO to provide member police departments with a multitude of self-service mental health and wellness assessment programs. Should your agency desire to participate in the CIRSA/CORDICO App, the steps for implementation and accountability listed below will be required.
Please review both sections below for all necessary information and details. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Greg Barlow, CIRSA Loss Control Manager.
gregb@cirsa.org | 720.605.6119 (Direct) | 720.415.9884 (Cell)
Program Overview:
- All CIRSA-Member Police Departments will receive free access to either an individual agency App or a more generic statewide App based on agency size. Police Departments with 75+ officers will receive an individualized app. At this time, the App is NOT available for any other departments, i.e., fire/EMS, Public Works, Parks & Recreation, etc.
- Each police agency will be responsible for ensuring the CORDICO App is NOT provided to any other agencies nor other agency personnel, i.e., sheriff’s departments, state patrol, campus police, etc. Agencies found to have shared the App with non-CIRSA members will have their access removed. Each agency will be provided with a specific login/password to compare usage with the number of authorized users.
- Regarding the “visibility” of users, CIRSA will NOT have access (by design) to see anyone’s name or personal information in the CORDICO App. Thus, CIRSA will not know which officers use the App. CIRSA will periodically ensure that the number of authorized users matches the approved number of officers per member per year. Neither CIRSA nor CORDICO will give any user information to an entity’s risk management, safety, HR, legal, or other internal departments. The user will remain completely anonymous.
- Upon receiving the required information (listed below), CIRSA will individually approve each agency for participation with CORDICO. Approvals are processed in groups; some members will receive the App earlier than others. We will roll out the App as fast as possible and do so in the order that we have received the required member information.
- CIRSA has contracted directly with CORDICO. Any member that has already purchased CORDICO directly from the vendor will need to discuss future options with CORDICO. CIRSA will not reimburse any agency for independent contracts, nor will CIRSA subsidize any agency for independent contracts and/or use of a different App, provider, etc. Additionally, no agency has the authority to upgrade to additional fee-based services as an addendum to CIRSA’s contract.
What We Need From You:
- To utilize the CORDICO App, each member entity must assign one person as an “agency coordinator.” This person will serve as the project manager for the implementation and rollout of the App. This “agency coordinator” must be a police department staff member.
- A spreadsheet or document must be provided listing the full name of every officer, command staff member, marshal, chief, etc., that will be given access to the CORDICO App. We do not need badge numbers, emails, phone numbers, or any other information. We will ask that each agency updates this list anytime staff change or, at minimum, once per year.
- CIRSA will compare the list provided to our records of employed officers by agency, and approval will then be granted for CORDICO to start the implementation process with that agency. Again, this will be done in sequence, so individual entity implementation may not begin immediately upon approval but rather in the order received.
After your entity has been approved, the CORDICO team and/or a CIRSA representative will reach out to schedule an implementation call, a virtual meeting, or an onsite visit.
Brower Psychological Police & Public Safety Services
CIRSA is proud to announce that we have contracted with Brower Psychological Police & Public Safety Services (BPS) to provide complimentary counseling services for Law Enforcement Officers. This service is intended to provide two sessions to CIRSA member Law Enforcement officers to assist in mitigating and stabilizing sensitive situations. Potential circumstances that may trigger activation of CIRSA Behavioral Health Sessions through BPS include, but are not limited to:
- Officer-Involved Shooting (OIS)
- Critical Incident Response
- Line of Duty Deaths (LODD)
- Disciplinary Action/Process
- Suicidality
- Familial Crisis
- Substance Abuse Crisis
- Trauma Exposure
- Other situations needing acute stabilization…
BPS acquires the most competent and culturally aware clinicians in the business, many of whom have served in an emergency responder capacity before becoming clinicians. The clinicians provide a full range of evidence-based modalities to treat even the most complex mental health issues and co-occurring conditions.
All sessions will be confidential, though limited non-identifying data will be shared with CIRSA (i.e., number of sessions used for billing purposes and general nature of sessions – trauma, stress, etc.). Exceptions to this general rule of confidentiality are in C.R.S. § 12-43-218.
If your care requires more than two sessions, BPS can assist in connecting you with your EAP or other covered health care provider, or you can continue with your BPS clinician for an out-of-pocket fee. These sessions will exclude sessions requested for general wellness visits and those mandated because of a psychological fitness for duty (PFFD) requirement.
For additional information on the BPS Team and the counseling services they provide, visit their website. To schedule an appointment, call 720.222.3400 and be sure to mention that you are a CIRSA Member Police Officer.