Bill originally meant to ban ‘prone restraint’ for Colorado officers passes with new purpose

DENVER (KKTV) – A bill in Colorado that was originally intended to ban “prone restraint” for officers, outside of cases in which the use of deadly physical force is justified, passed the Senate and now has a new purpose.

HB24-1372, Regulating Law Enforcement Use of Prone Restraint, is headed to the governor’s desk as of Thursday morning. Following amendments, if signed into law the bill would require that law enforcement agencies adopt, and publish on their website, a written policy regarding the use of prone restraint. The policy must include when medical aid must be requested or rendered after the use of prone restraint. Prone restraint means a person is laid in the facedown position by someone else.

“In many circumstances, prone restraint is a tactic used safely by law enforcement and does not lead to harmful outcomes. However, when misused, it can lead to serious injury and even death, and one death is too many,” said Rep. Julie Gonzales. “Officers are already trained on the appropriate use of the tactic, but outliers unfortunately occur. This bill codifies best practices for the use of prone restraint, promoting safety for community members who are placed in it, and the law enforcement officers who deploy it, while extending currently existing liability to officers who misuse it.”

Under the bill, law enforcement agencies would be required to adopt a policy on the use of prone restraint by July 1, 2025, and the Peace Officer Standards and Training Board would be required to make a training on the use of the prone position available to law enforcement agencies. By July 1, 2026, law enforcement agencies would be required to implement and train peace officers on the provisions of their adopted policies and procedures.

Many law enforcement officials opposed the original purpose of the bill. 11 News has reached out to several agencies to see if their chiefs agree with the way the bill is currently written.

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