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"Our client continues to heal but is happy to move on to a new chapter in her life," the woman's attorney said in a statement
A woman who was seriously injured after a police car she was detained in was struck by a train in 2022 will receive a multi-million dollar settlement.
The Reporters Committee will update this map as new information becomes available. If you have information that you would like to contribute to this map, please let us know, or send email directly to guides [at] rcfp.org with “Bodycam update” in the subject line.
This map shows the current status of state legislation and police department policies regarding public access to police body-worn cameras (“bodycams” or “BWCs”) around the United States under public records laws. See more notes below.
The color of the state indicates the status of legislation regarding access to BWC videos. By clicking the state you can find more information and see a link to the bill(s) and/or case(s).
At her sentencing hearing, Steinke was visibly emotional as she apologized and said, “what happened that night has haunted me,” per The Washington Post.
Vazquez pleaded guilty to a count of reckless endangerment and was sentenced to 12 months of unsupervised probation, per KDVR and the Associated Press. Steinke, who put Rios-Gonzalez inside the car, was found guilty of reckless endangerment and assault and received supervised probation of 30 months.
According to the complaint obtained by PEOPLE, Sgt. Pablo Cesar Vazquez of the Platteville Police Department, who was responding to a reported road-rage incident involving a firearm on Sept. 16, 2022. Rios-Gonzalez parked her car on Weld County Road 36 facing east, after clearing the railroad tracks, while Vazquez stopped behind Rios' car “directly on top of the railroad tracks.”
Then a Union Pacific Cargo train arrived and hit the police vehicle, per the complaint, which stated that the struck vehicle rolled twice and traveled about a half-mile northeast.
He also shared a press release issued by Chief William Carnes of the Fort Lupton Police Department that read: "The City of Fort Lupton, the Town of Platteville, and Yareni Rios-Gonzalez have reached a voluntary settlement. This voluntary settlement is to the mutual satisfaction of the parties, recognizes the gravity of this matter, and allows all parties to move forward. The City of Fort Lupton will have no additional comment on the foregoing."
“This was an excellent result for our client considering the very small municipalities involved and limited insurance available," Paul Wilkinson, Rios-Gonzalez’ attorney, said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. "Our client continues to heal but is happy to move on to a new chapter in her life.”
Police department policies can be found by clicking on the black camera icons. The wording of each department’s policy regarding public access is shown in the description section. Please note — some police departments that have deployed body cameras may not have a written policy.
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“As a direct, foreseeable, and proximate result of the September 16, 2022 collision, Plaintiff suffered serious injuries, damages, harms, and losses,” read the complaint.
"Platteville’s share of the settlement will be paid by its insurance carrier. This decision was in the best interests of the Town and its citizens given the cost, risk, and expenses of further litigating the case," Dwyer added. "The Town apologizes...for what occurred to her in September 2022 and the Department remains committed to providing the best service possible for all who reside, visit and travel through our community.”
Police Officers Jordan Steinke and Ryan Thomeczek of the Fort Lupton Police Department shortly arrived to assist Vazquez in the traffic stop, per the complaint.
The court document stated that after being ordered out of her car, Rios-Gonzalez was left "handcuffed" inside the vehicle parked on the tracks while the officers performed a search of her car.
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The complaint added that at the time of the traffic stop, there were red stop signs and railroad white crossing signs along with a blue emergency notification sign that “had the phone number Defendants could have called to notify Union Pacific Railroad that there was police activity on the railroad tracks.”
In a statement to PEOPLE, Eric Ziporin, an attorney whose office represents Steinke and Thomeczek, confirmed that the case has been settled for $8.5 million, adding that the dollar figure will be split between the cities of Fort Lupton and Platteville.
Platteville Police Chief Carl Dwyer told PEOPLE in a statement that "in consultation with its insurer, the Town of Platteville has decided to settle its claims with Ms. Rios-Gonzalez."
Because only a few states have passed state-wide rules regarding public access to BWC footage, most police departments are left to determine their own rules. As more states pass regulations, individual policies may change to comply with the state’s uniform policies.
Yareni Rios-Gonzalez was awarded $8.5 million following her lawsuit against the cities of Platteville and Fort Lupton, per The Washington Post, CBS affiliate KCNC, Fox affiliate KDVR and Colorado Public Radio.