GEORGETOWN, Colo. — Four of six law enforcement officers who were charged with failure to intervene in the death of Christian Glass appeared in a Clear Creek County courtroom Tuesday to hear the charges they face. The two remaining officers are scheduled for a first appearance Jan. 16.
It was the largest number of officers to be charged at one time under Colorado Senate Bill 217, the sweeping police accountability law which went into effect in June 2021, after the murder of George Floyd — a Minnesota man who died beneath the knee of a police officer as other officers stood by and did nothing to stop it.
Glass’ death happened a year after Colorado’s police reform bill was signed into law.
Glass, 22, called 911 for help on the night of June 22, 2021 after his SUV got stuck on a rock near Silverplume. Two Clear Creek County Sheriff's deputies were the first to respond to the scene, but eventually six others showed up at intermittent times and stayed as Glass got more and more agitated.
None of the eight stepped forward to stop the situation as it escalated out of control. Glass never left his car during the hour-long incident — at times showing heart hands through the driver's side window —which ended with his shooting death.
“This is what the law was intended to do. It was written to ensure that officers intervene when excessive force is used,” said State Representative Leslie Herod, (D) Denver, a co-sponsor of the landmark bill. “There were many opportunities where they could have de-escalated the situation.”
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