Colorado Springs city council took the first step in officially disbanding a commission aimed at improving police relations with the public by voting unanimously to dissolve it. The Law Enforcement Transparency and Advisory Commission, or LETAC, created by city council in 2020, voted in March to recommend they disband.
Many residents attended the city council meeting in support of the dissolution, but also to urge council to create a new body for more police accountability.
Genevieve Richard with the Colorado Springs Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (COSAARPR) said the commission lacked enforcement mechanisms.
“LETAC was created on purpose to be toothless,” Richard said. “ It had the power to make recommendations to the Colorado Springs Police Department that they were just free to completely ignore – and they often did.”
The Law Enforcement Transparency and Advisory Commission, formed in the aftermath of the 2020 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and locally, the 2019 police killing of De’Von Bailey. Leadership said the decision to disband was rooted in concerns over the group's relevance and effectiveness in serving the community.
Many residents referenced recent instances of shootings involving police and urged council to replace LETAC with a new group that can have more of an impact
“We need civilian police oversight that has teeth, power to actually hold these officers accountable and actually work to keep our community members safe,” said resident and COSAARPR member Bug Peterson.
Leadership from the Colorado Springs Police Department told council at a previous work session that since the inception of the commission the agency has improved transparency, and worked with the city to open up avenues of communication with the public.
Council passed the measure without comment. A second vote is expected in two weeks.
