AURORA | Coloradans are now able to report federal agent misconduct online through a Colorado Department of Law’s public complaint-filing system, state attorney general officials announced Wednesday.
Attorney General Phil Weiser said the state added a new section on the Colorado Attorney General website for Coloradans to report federal agent misconduct, according to a statement from the Attorney General.
“Nobody is above the rule of law, including federal agents such as ICE or border patrol,” Attorney General Phil Weiser said in a statement.
Information shared through the “file a complaint” section of the website will assist the department in ensuring federal accountability, documenting concerns and identifying potential patterns of misconduct by federal agents, according to the statement.
“This new reporting form is about keeping our communities safe and reminding them that we have their back,” Weiser said in a statement. “If you see misconduct from a federal agent, we want to hear about it. Please document it and report it to our office.”
The reports will be reviewed and may be shared with relevant government offices with authority or oversight, including the Colorado congressional delegation and local district attorney offices, the statement said.
The reports are key to the department’s data collection and to identifying patterns of unlawful conduct. In the form, the public will be asked to submit basic information, including details or images of an incident they wish to report, and to answer key questions such as whether other law enforcement was at the scene, the statement said.
“This complaint form is part of the state’s ongoing work to protect Colorado against the ongoing harmful and illegal actions of the federal government,” the statement said.
Weiser’s office has filed more than 50 lawsuits against the Trump administration since it took office last year.
A list of that work can be found on the Attorney General’s website under “Defending Colorado.”
Members of the public seeking legal assistance should contact a private attorney or organizations that may provide free legal assistance, since the Colorado Department of Law is not authorized to provide legal advice or representation to individuals, including in immigration proceedings. Victims or witnesses of a crime should contact their local law enforcement agency.
Aurora state Sen. Mike Weissman has created a state bill that would ensure that residents who are injured or suffer damaged property can sue the federal government in state courts. The bill must pass both chambers of the state legislature and garner the signature of Gov. Jared Polis before becoming law.
The leaders of South Carolina once thought that the Supremacy clause in the Constitution really didn’t apply to them or the other confederate states. South Carolina then lost 18,000 soldiers in the Civil War.
AG Wieser plays with fire when he ignores history like this.