Police watchdog seeks reset in Colorado Springs
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Colorado Springs may soon be without a police watchdog now that the city committee tracking law enforcement accountability has asked the city council to disband.
Why it matters: The move comes as the fourth anniversary of the police department's use-of-force study approaches. And it raises questions about who — if anyone — will be left to hold the department accountable and strengthen the Springs' trust in its police.
Driving the news: LETAC, the oversight committee, wants to fold because it said it lacks the authority to provide meaningful oversight and hopes to be replaced with one that does.
- "Without some teeth, having an advisory committee is almost worse than nothing at all," says Steph Vigil, executive director of the progressive nonprofit the Citizens Project.
Zoom in: Deb Walker, LETAC's chair and a member since its founding, told Axios that the committee wasn't given authority to propose policy change or learn anything more about police incidents than the public. Those limitations were partially political choices, and partially because the formation of the group was rushed, she added.
- "What disbanding does is really allows us to start from scratch as a community and to figure out not only what is the best structure, who the right people are and what their authority would be, but also where that sits within city government," Walker told CPR.
Catch up quick: The city council established LETAC in 2020, weeks after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and less than a year after CSPD fatally shot 19-year-old De'Von Bailey. The 13-member committee was appointed by — and reports to — the city council.
- The group pushed for an independent study of the police department's use of force, and as a result, the department now releases an annual progress report that details how CSPD is performing based on the study's recommendations.
By the numbers: CSPD recorded 572 use-of-force incidents in 2025, the second-lowest tally in the last nine years. But police also paid several lawsuit settlements, including a wrongful death suit of $2.9 million to Bailey's family.
What they're saying: A department spokesperson told Axios that "CSPD continues to be grateful for the ongoing engagement we have with individual community members and many interest groups across our city," adding the department will await council instructions on the future of LETAC before commenting further.
What's next: The city council is likely to start discussing LETAC's request to disband at its March 23 study session.
- LETAC members and the Citizens Project will advocate for an exploratory committee to envision a more effective oversight body, according to Walker and Vigil.