Denver police pulled the plug this week on a freshly loosened Taser policy, retreating almost as quickly as they rolled it out after the city’s independent watchdog and the Citizen Oversight Board raised red flags. The whiplash reversal has dropped the department right back into a familiar local fight over so-called less-lethal weapons, officer discretion, and how fast the rules of engagement should really change.
The department had quietly updated its use-of-force policy on April 14, dropping the bar for Taser use from “active aggression” to “defensive resistance,” which is a lower threshold for force. That tweak would have broadened the situations where officers could fire a Taser, but the change was pulled within days, according to The Denver Post. City officials now say they will slow down, hear feedback, and only then consider any permanent shift.
Department spokesman Doug Schepman later described the revised language as “published in error” and said Denver police will take input from the Office of the Independent Monitor before moving forward. The Denver Post reports the monitor’s office had just five days’ notice before the April 14 update, and that the Citizen Oversight Board blasted the lack of community involvement, pressure that helped trigger the rollback.
Watchdog and Oversight Reaction
The Office of the Independent Monitor, the civilian watchdog that reviews Denver Police Department and Denver Sheriff investigations and policy, flagged the fast-track Taser change as out of step with the kind of public review it says should accompany any revision to use-of-force rules, according to the Office of the Independent Monitor. Members of the Citizen Oversight Board, speaking at a public meeting, said the department was right to reverse course so that future policy moves line up with city law and what residents expect to see from their police.
What the Policy Would Have Allowed
Shifting the standard from active aggression to defensive resistance might sound like legal fine print, but critics warned it would significantly expand the number of encounters where officers could pull a Taser trigger. The department also plans to deploy Axon’s new TASER 10 model; according to Axon, the device uses a detachable magazine that can hold up to 10 cartridges and has a maximum effective range of about 45 feet. Those extra shots and added range are exactly why watchdogs argue that careful policy language, plus robust training, are not optional details.
Legal and Liability Backdrop
Advocates have also pointed to Colorado’s recent history of costly settlements tied to disputed Taser incidents. Larimer County agreed to a $5 million settlement in 2024 after a man was tased and then fatally struck on I-25, and Colorado Springs signed off on a roughly $3.2 million settlement in 2025 related to a Taser death, highlighting the financial and civil liability stakes that hang over every policy decision. Details are outlined by Colorado Public Radio and in a statement from Larimer County…