The names of child victims and witnesses would be removed from criminal justice records before the records are released to the public if legislation introduced by two state senators becomes law.

The Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act already requires the deletion of children’s names and other identifying information from records if the child is a victim of a sexual offense. CCJRA also lets criminal justice agencies redact the names of children who witness crimes upon a finding that disclosure would be “contrary to the public interest.”

But under Senate Bill 23-075, the names of all child victims and witnesses would be redacted and records of official action mentioning them stamped with the notation “CHILD VICTIM” or “CHILD WITNESS.”

“This is really about school safety,” Sen. Rhonda Fields, D-Aurora, recently told the Aurora City Council, which passed a resolution supporting the bill.

Fields said the names of juveniles who witnessed a Nov. 19, 2021, shooting in the parking lot of Hinkley High School were included in arrest affidavits released to news organizations and the public, “and it caused some students to drop out.”

“Some students just could not handle the pressure,” she said. “They were bullied because they had cooperated with the police. It just caused a very chilling impact at that school.”