Preventing Sexual Abuse in Jails

Plain English: This amendment adds money to the bill so the state can pay for extra staff needed to train peace officers on new jail search rules.

• It gives $38,916 from a specific training fund to the Department of Law for the 2026-27 budget year.
• The money is intended to hire an additional part-time worker (0.3 FTE) to help with officer standards and training.

• The amendment text does not explain exactly how the new staff member will be used or what specific tasks they will perform.
• It is unclear if this funding amount covers all costs needed for the entire state or just a portion of them.

Plain English: This amendment changes the rules for strip searches in local jails by requiring two authorized staff members to independently decide and document that a search is needed before it happens.

• Two authorized people must now separately agree there is a good reason for a strip search and write down their decision.
• The law changes the term 'peace officers' to 'personnel,' which includes employees or contractors allowed by jail policy to do searches, not just police officers.
• It updates the definition of local detention facilities to clearly include county jails and city or town holding centers.

• The provided text is incomplete because it cuts off mid-sentence at 'When the facility is conducting intak,' so we cannot explain all rules about when searches happen.
• Some specific details about how the documentation must be done are not fully clear in this short excerpt.

Plain English: This amendment expands the rules for strip searches in local jails to require written permission from a supervisor and adds penalties for officers who break these new rules.

• It requires every officer or employee conducting a strip search to get written approval from a police commander, sheriff, or their designated agent before doing so.
• It makes it a crime called 'second degree official misconduct' if an officer intentionally breaks any of the rules in this section about strip searches.
• It clarifies that officers can still be charged under other laws even if they are not prosecuted for breaking these specific new rules.

• The amendment text provided is incomplete and cuts off mid-sentence, so the full list of conditions when a strip search is allowed cannot be fully explained.
• Some parts of the official text contain conflicting words (like 'ALL PERSONNEL' inserted next to specific job titles), making it unclear exactly which workers must follow these rules.

Plain English: This amendment removes the specific rules about when a jail can perform strip searches that were written in pages 4 and 5 of the original bill.

• Deletes lines 7 through 27 on page 4 of the printed bill.
• Deletes lines 1 through 6 on page 5 of the printed bill.

• The provided text only shows which parts are deleted but does not include the new rules that replace them, so it is unclear what the final policy will be.
• Because the specific details about strip searches were removed without showing a replacement in this document, we cannot explain exactly how jail procedures would change.

Plain English: This amendment adds clear definitions for local jails and strip searches, while setting strict rules that video recordings of these searches must stay on-site and can only be viewed by officers with a specific law enforcement reason.

• Defines 'local detention facility' as a county jail or city/town holding center for people charged with violations.
• Defines 'strip search' as requiring an arrested person to remove clothing so their private body parts can be visually inspected.
• Requires peace officers to write down the specific law enforcement reason before watching any strip search video recording.
• Prohibits uploading strip search videos to cloud services or viewing them from a remote location.

• The amendment does not explain how these rules apply if a court case, internal investigation, or public records request asks for the video footage.

Plain English: This amendment clarifies that lawsuits against local jails for strip search violations cannot be blocked by a state law protecting government agencies, and it updates the definition of which facilities must follow these rules.

• It states that people suing under this new section can do so even though there is usually a law called the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act that protects government groups from lawsuits.
• It changes the legal definition of 'local detention facility' to specifically include county jails and city or town facilities used for holding people charged with breaking local rules.

• The provided text only shows specific line edits and does not explain exactly what procedures must be written down for employees, so the full details of those requirements are unknown.
• Several parts of the amendment just fix numbering errors in the bill (like changing '(9)' to '(10)') which do not change how the law works.

Plain English: This amendment updates the bill to allow strip searches only for people entering a jail from outside, requires staff to record these searches with body cameras and tag the footage, fixes legal citation errors, and removes extra sections of text.

• Changes the rule so strip searches are allowed only when taking in someone who is coming into the facility from an outside location.
• Requires jail staff to use a body-worn camera to record every strip search and tell the person being searched that it is happening before they start.
• Mandates that staff must mark or tag all video footage of strip searches so it can be easily identified later.
• Updates legal references, adds 'head of a municipal jail' alongside sheriffs in certain sections, and deletes several paragraphs from the end of the bill.

• The amendment text does not explain what happens if a body camera is broken or unavailable during an intake.
• Some deleted sections at the end of the bill are removed without showing their original content, so it is unclear exactly which rules were taken out.

Plain English: This amendment updates the bill to clearly define a 'local detention facility' as either a county jail or a municipal jail based on specific state laws.

• It replaces previous definitions with new text that says a local detention facility is a county jail described in section 17-26-101.
• It also includes municipal jails described in section 31-15-401 (1)(j) as part of the definition.

• The amendment only changes how 'local detention facility' is defined and does not explain what rules apply to those facilities.
• Because the text provided cuts off mid-sentence in the bill title, it is unclear if there are other parts of the law being changed.

Plain English: This amendment requires jail staff to use only body-worn cameras for strip searches, tag and store that footage separately from other videos, and create a written policy on how long the recordings are kept.

• Jail staff must label video of strip searches with a special 'strip search' tag using their camera's features.
• All strip search videos must be saved in a separate storage area away from other body-worn camera footage.
• Staff are not allowed to record strip searches using overhead cameras or any recording device that is not a body-worn camera.
• Local jails must create and follow a written rule about how long they will keep the recorded video of strip searches.

• The provided text does not specify exactly how many years the footage must be kept, only that a policy for retention is required.
• The amendment focuses on recording rules and storage but does not explain when or why a strip search can happen in this bill.

Plain English: This amendment requires county sheriffs to create a special, secure system for storing and tracking video footage of strip searches in jails.

• Sheriffs must work with their camera vendors to add a specific tag for strip search videos on body-worn cameras.
• Videos tagged as strip searches must be saved in a separate, locked storage system instead of regular files.
• The new storage system must keep an electronic record showing exactly who views the footage and when.
• Sheriffs are required to have this tagging and secure storage system fully working by August 1, 2026.

• The amendment text does not explain what Section 17-26-141 (4) says about who is allowed to view the footage.
• It is unclear if this rule applies only to county jails or also includes municipal detention facilities mentioned in the main bill title.

Plain English: This amendment changes the definition of a 'strip search' to specifically list which body parts must be visible during the inspection.

• It defines a strip search as making someone remove or move their clothes so officials can see their genitals, buttocks, anus, or female breasts.

• The provided text contains two different versions of the definition on pages 3 and 4 that contradict each other.
• Because the amendment cuts off mid-sentence on page 4 without finishing the thought, it is unclear which version was intended to be final.

Plain English: This amendment adds strict rules requiring jails to track who watches video footage, bans staff from watching it off-site without permission, and creates special approval steps for viewing strip search videos.

• Jails must use an electronic system that keeps a record of every time anyone views their security or body-worn camera footage.
• Staff members are not allowed to watch jail video footage when they are not physically at the facility unless specific rules are followed.
• Most staff need written permission from the sheriff and must write down what video they watched and why before looking at any footage, including strip search videos.
• If a jail stores strip search videos in a separate location that already follows tracking rules, only those special approval steps apply to viewing just those specific videos.

• The amendment text is very technical and refers to striking out large parts of the original bill report without showing exactly what was removed.
• It is unclear if this change completely replaces all previous rules about video footage or only adds these new sections, because the full context of the deleted pages is not provided.

Plain English: This amendment creates new rules for strip searches in local jails by defining the term, limiting when they can happen, requiring written reports and yearly data sharing, and banning body-worn cameras during these procedures.

• Defines a 'strip search' as removing clothing to visually inspect private areas like genitals or breasts.
• Allows strip searches only during intake if it is facility policy, or when two staff members independently believe an inmate has hidden weapons or drugs.
• Requires staff to write down the reason and results of every strip search in a report.
• Prohibits peace officers from turning on their body-worn cameras while conducting a strip search.

• The amendment text does not explain how facilities should handle situations where no overhead camera is available for recording the area, only that body cams must be off.
• Specific details about penalties for failing to follow these new rules are not included in this amendment text.

Plain English: This amendment requires that strip searches in local jails be recorded with both video and audio.

• Adds a requirement to record the sound (audio) during strip searches, not just the images.

Plain English: This amendment allows small jails with an average daily population of 250 people or fewer to share one PREA coordinator across multiple facilities instead of each jail having its own.

• Small local detention facilities (those with 250 or fewer people on average) can now use a shared regional agreement for their Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) coordinator.

• The amendment was marked as 'Lost', meaning it did not pass and is not part of the final law.
• The text does not explain what specific duties a PREA coordinator performs or how the shared agreement must be written beyond needing approval from sheriffs.

Plain English: This amendment updates the rules for strip searches in local jails by requiring two staff members to agree there is a specific reason, adding new safety conditions, and setting strict limits on who can view video recordings of these searches.

• A jail must have at least two employees determine that an inmate might be hiding drugs, weapons, or other dangerous items before conducting a strip search.
• Strip searches are allowed if there is a documented history of similar incidents and the facility has a written policy authorizing the search under those specific conditions.
• Video recordings from body cameras during strip searches must have the highest level of access restrictions possible to protect privacy.
• Jail officials must create written policies by August 1, 2026, that explain when strip searches are allowed and how video footage is stored.

• The amendment text contains many technical references to specific law sections (like Section 18-18-102) that define terms such as 'controlled substance' or 'dangerous instrument,' which are not fully explained in this document.
• Some parts of the bill include dates for when certain rules will be repealed, but the full context of those future changes is not detailed here.

Plain English: This amendment updates a number in the list of rules for strip searches by changing item (6) to item (7).

• The text changes the label "(6)" to "(7)" on page 6, line 27 of the bill.

• The amendment only shows a number change and does not explain what rule or condition is listed at that spot.
• It is unclear if this changes any actual rules for strip searches because the full text of the list item is missing from the provided material.