An Inside Look at Colorado's Year-Old Qualified Immunity Ban

The ban allows Coloradans to file individual lawsuits against police for alleged civil rights violations but caps potential payouts at $25,000.

From the beginning of negotiations to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a major sticking point has been qualified immunity — the broad legal protection that shields officers from lawsuits.   But in Colorado, police have been living with a qualified immunity ban for more than a year now.  In the weeks following the May 2020 death of George Floyd and the unrest that followed, Colorado's governor signed arguably the most sweeping statewide police reform bill in the country.