Attorney General Phil Weiser says judge ‘properly ruled’ against issuing extreme risk protection order filed against Colorado State University police officer

Jan. 16, 2020 (DENVER, Colo.)— Today, state attorneys from the Higher Education Unit in the Colorado Department of Law represented Colorado State University police Corporal Phillip Morris in an extreme risk protection order (ERPO) hearing in Larimer County District Court. Attorney General Phil Weiser released the following statement regarding the judge’s ruling in the case:

“The extreme risk protection order law allows law enforcement and family or household members to ask a judge to temporarily remove a firearm from a person who poses a significant risk to themselves or others. The law is designed to save lives.

“In this case where a Larimer County resident, Ms. Susan Holmes, filed a petition for an ERPO against a Colorado State University police officer, the judge properly ruled against granting the petition. Ms. Holmes is neither law enforcement nor a family or household member.

“What the hearing today demonstrated is that there are protections in the ERPO law to prevent people from abusing it. Abuse of this important law undermines the very fabric of its critical purpose, which is to protect public safety.”

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CONTACT:

Lawrence Pacheco, Director of Communications
(720) 508-6553 office | (720) 245-4689 cell
Email: Lawrence.pacheco@coag.gov