By August 30, 2024, law enforcement already knew the truth. The individual connected to this case was innocent. He was never charged, never suspected, and never connected to any criminal wrongdoing. Under any reasonable system, that should have ended the matter and protected his privacy.
Instead, his personal life was exposed.
In September 2024, police records were released containing his unredacted personal information. Then, on January 1, 2025, a General Offense Ledger was released that included sensitive details. This information was not accidentally overlooked. It was copied and pasted directly into a public record, months after police already knew he was innocent.
The information that was released was deeply personal. It included a Comcast account number, home address, personal phone numbers, employment information, full name, full date of birth, and a vehicle license plate number and other information that has no interest to the public . Some of this information was already marked as confidential inside law-enforcement systems, yet it was still released without redaction.
Once information like this is released, it cannot be taken back. It creates real risks, including identity theft, harassment, and threats to personal safety. The harm does not disappear just because someone was later confirmed to be innocent.
Colorado law is clear about how this information must be handled. As of late 2024 into 2025, the Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act requires police departments to remove sensitive personal identifying information before releasing records to anyone outside the criminal justice system. This includes account numbers, driver’s license information, home addresses, phone numbers, and full dates of birth, especially when the individual has not been charged with a crime.
These protections still apply even when records are released to a victim. Victims have important rights, including access to an initial incident report, but those rights are limited. A victim is entitled to a summary of what happened, not an unredacted copy of an innocent person’s private life. The law requires records custodians to consider whether releasing certain information would cause harm or serve no public purpose. If it would, that information must be redacted or withheld.
That did not happen here.
No evidence shows that a required privacy balancing review was performed. Instead, confidential information was copied directly into a public ledger. Even after the first improper release in September 2024, no corrective action was taken to prevent the same information from being released again in January 2025.
At a minimum, this reflects gross negligence. Mandatory redactions were ignored, confidential information was mishandled, and basic review procedures failed. At worst, it suggests intentional or willful misconduct. Police knew the individual was innocent as of August 30, 2024, yet still released his unredacted personal information months later. Under Colorado law, intentional violations of personal information protections can carry serious civil penalties and personal liability.
There is another troubling detail. The Aurora records Department acknowledges charging fees for record redaction and certification. Charging for redaction while failing to actually redact sensitive information raises further concerns about accountability and oversight in the records process.
This issue goes beyond one person. If law enforcement can confirm someone is innocent and still expose their account information and personal information, then anyone’s privacy can be compromised. Once private identifiers are released, the damage is permanent.
Privacy laws exist to protect people from exactly this kind of harm. Innocence should mean protection, not exposure. This petition calls for accountability, enforcement of existing privacy laws, and meaningful oversight to ensure that innocent people are not put at risk in the future.
Being cleared should mean being safe. This petition asks for action so that what happened here does not happen again.