Police Transparency

Our policies are regularly reviewed to ensure they reflect community values and the most current industry standards and practices.

The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) helps ensure professional excellence in public safety by accrediting agencies through standards developed with major law enforcement associations. Fort Collins Police Services earned CALEA accreditation in 2019, and was re-accredited in 2023.

• The initial accreditation process included a comprehensive review of policy and practices, a site-based assessment that included a tour of the facility, equipment and specialty teams, and public comment sessions with agency and community members.
• To maintain certification, we continually review policies, procedures and directives to ensure we are monitoring our processes and continually improve. CALEA conducts annual reviews as well, which culminate in a re-accreditation every four years after review and approval by the CALEA commission.

CALEA accreditation facilitates an agency’s pursuit of professional excellence and provides oversight to ensure that accredited agencies are providing the highest level of community service possible. As part of this process, we provide an opportunity for public feedback via the CALEA portal. Comments regarding our compliance with CALEA Accreditation standards can be in the form of commendations or concerns and refer to compliance with bolded standards only. The public portal should not be used to submit information for investigatory purposes.

The trust and confidence of our community is paramount to ensuring the safety of everyone in Fort Collins. We hold integrity as one of our core values and expect all employees to exemplify character on and off the job. All matters of personal and professional misconduct are taken seriously. 

Racial or bias-based policing is strictly forbidden. FCPS is committed to providing law enforcement services to the community regardless of the racial, cultural, or other differences of those served. We provide law enforcement services and enforce the law equally, fairly, and without discrimination toward any individual or group.

Related policies:

The data below shows arrests and citations by race. We don’t track ethnicity because it requires individuals to self-identify or officers to ask directly, which we avoid to prevent concerns about bias. Since “Hispanic” is considered an ethnicity rather than a race, it is not listed separately in the data.

Arrests or Criminal Citations

Traffic Citations

Training

One-third of FCPS officers are certified in Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training, exceeding the national standard of 20%. CIT is a community partnership of law enforcement, mental health and substance use disorder professionals, individuals who live with mental illness and/or substance use disorders, their families and other advocates. This innovative first-responder model of police-based crisis intervention training is designed to help persons with mental disorders and/or substance use disorders access medical treatment rather than place them in the criminal justice system due to illness related behaviors. It also promotes officer safety and the safety of the individual in crisis. Extensive information and research about CIT is available on the CIT International Website, as well as the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) resource page. 

FCPS and UCHealth Co-Response Program - MHRT

FCPS assists an increasing number of community members with behavioral health conditions, as well as their families who are concerned about them, on a daily basis. The Mental Health Response Team officer-clinician pairs work together to meet the needs of our community by 

a) increasing the safety of those people in crisis and officers who encounter them, and

b) helping families and individuals in crisis access appropriate community services.

MHRT is an integral part of the department’s overall philosophy of de-escalation by connecting with and helping community members without the use of force, as often as possible. The co-response model has been an extremely valuable resource to foster the safety of all involved parties in a mental health crisis incident, reduce the frequency of interactions with law enforcement, reduce repeated unnecessary trips to the hospital emergency room, and to help those in crisis access the most appropriate treatment services.

Interagency Treatment Group

The Interagency Treatment Group is a monthly forum of 25 community agencies; medical, mental health, social service, criminal justice and law enforcement, created to assist Fort Collins Police Services in its efforts to intervene safely and effectively with individuals who exhibit mental illness and addictive behaviors. The program’s mission is to bring together agencies that share clients with law enforcement in order to effectively coordinate services between agencies, provide the most effective interventions, reduce recidivism, enhance the safety of all service providers, and provide education and emotional support for agency representatives.

The use of force by law enforcement is an important topic for both the public and the police. Officers interact with many people each day and, when necessary, may use reasonable force while performing their duties. Because of this, officers must understand and respect the limits of their authority. this is especially important when dealing with resistance. Our agency values and respects all human life and dignity, without prejudice toward anyone. 

De-Escalation

FCPS has a long-held philosophy of de-escalation and it’s a central part of our culture and operations. We integrate de-escalation into all of our training (meaning it’s not just a one-time class). One-third of Fort Collins officers are also certified in Crisis Intervention Team training (exceeding the national standard of 20%). Additionally, FCPS has a Mental Health Response Team and an active partnership with UCHealth co-responders who assist in connecting people in crisis with local resources to avoid repeat visits to jail or the emergency room. In any situation, the safety of all involved parties is our top priority.

Our goal is to use the least amount of force necessary in response to resistance to ensure the safety of all involved in a situation. Our defensive tactics and training guide officers to make decisions and respond to resistance based on the level of threat presented, and practice transitioning between tools that de-escalate situations and meet safety expectations for all involved.

Reporting

Supervisors conduct a review of any incident where force was used, including a review of body-worn camera footage. All use of force and show of force incidents are entered into an Internal Affairs case management system, which sends a notice to Internal Affairs and supervisors for any required further review and documented follow-up. An early intervention system identifies areas for supervisors to address with employees so minor issues don't become major problems. The Internal Affairs software tracks:

• Use of Force & Show of Force
• Vehicle pursuits
• Vehicle collisions involving City-owned vehicles
• Performance complaints
• Level I investigations
• Level II investigations

Oversight

Citizen Review Board - At the request of the City Manager or the Chief of Police, the Citizen Review Board makes recommendations concerning interpretation of police policies and procedures. The Board reviews internal investigations concerning conduct in the following situations:

1. Upon written complaint, where an Officer is alleged to have: used force or discharged a firearm in violation of policy or law; committed a crime; or caused a person to sustain severe injury, death, or a civil rights violation.
2. Regardless of whether or not there is a complaint, where an Officer has used deadly force.
3. Upon written request, where a person wants to have Police Services' decision reviewed with regard to any other written allegation of misconduct of an Officer.
4. Any other investigation as requested by the City Manager or Chief of Police.

8th Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team - The multi-agency Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) is called any time there is an officer-involved shooting that results in injury or death. At the conclusion of a CIRT investigation, the findings are reported to the District Attorney, who then completes a thorough review of the entire investigation and uses the applicable law to determine whether the use of force was justified.

Related policies:

Fort Collins Police Services has employed a full time department psychologist for 30 years. The role of the psychologist is to:

• provide free confidential counseling for any staff member and his or her family,
• be available for 24/7 consultation and critical incident response,
• participate in the training of all new officers, dispatchers, records and evidence staff, and other department personnel regarding mental health issues,
• provide bi-annual training for patrol officers,
• provide consultation to any level of leadership as requested,
• and chair a monthly Interagency group to help facilitate effective collaboration between the police department, community mental health, social service and medical agencies. 

In addition, new officers have regular confidential meetings with the department psychologist for support and education on mental health topics.

Peer Support Team

FCPS has an active Peer Support Team made up of 19 sworn and non-sworn department staff, supervised by the department psychologist. The Team is granted confidentiality by department policy as well as state statute in order to provide support services to staff and their families 24/7. They also respond along with the department psychologist to all critical incidents.

After a 32-hour basic course, training and supervision continue on a monthly basis.  

Stress Debriefings

Law enforcement personnel respond to some of the worst situations imaginable and must put personal feelings aside in order to perform necessary action to safely resolve situations and perform thorough investigations following serious crimes. Following particularly traumatic situations like child deaths, homicides, violent assaults, and critical incidents, the staff psychologist conducts an after-action stress debriefing for any employee involved or affected by the incident. These meetings allow employees to discuss the impact the incident had on them personally, learn about post-traumatic stress symptoms, and make connections for ongoing support. 

Return to duty protocol

Officers often deal with situations that may result in psychological trauma. FCPS has a comprehensive return to duty protocol that officers follow before resuming work after a critical incident. The effectiveness of the recovery environment after a critical incident plays a significant role in both the prevention of a trauma response and a rapid recovery and successful return to work. The goal of the support offered is to return the involved staff member to duty mentally prepared to work safely and effectively.

Related policies: