Colorado Being Proactive With Roundtable On Law Enforcement & Public Policy

DENVER (CBS4) - Keeping the peace between law enforcement and the public is a priority right now, and on Monday evening Colorado lawmakers, police and community activists met to see what needs to be done to make that happen.

"This is what makes Colorado different and unique, as we are proactive. We don't wait for problems to show up, we try and tackle them in advance," 18th Judicial District Attorney George Brauchler said.

Brauchler was just one of several local and state leaders who talked about public safety and public trust in the justice system. Sen. Michael Johnston, D-Denver; and Rep. Rhonda Fields, D-Aurora, organized the meeting.

Fields says her hope is that the conversation will lead to change in public policy for the entire state of Colorado.

"Things like body-worn cameras, special prosecutors ... data reporting and collection to drive better reforms as it relates to policing," Fields said. "So I'm just going to try and validate if those ideas make sense at all."

They are ideas that following events in Ferguson and New York City are being discussed across the country.

President Obama recently requested more than $200 million in funding for police cameras and training to help ease tension between citizens in law enforcement.

Aurora Police Chief Terry Jones spoke about the public's current perception.

"Law enforcement in the United States of America does far, far more right than we do wrong, but we're always scrutinized, and understandably so," Jones said. "We expect that as law enforcement professionals, but hopefully we learn from our mistakes."

The roundtable was just the first discussion involving the organizations and right now nothing has been decided.

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