Support Cole's Act

The State of Montana requires a public inquest in all incidents of police and corrections officer-involved deaths. The inquest into Cole's death occurred in January 2022, and involved multiple failures to conduct a thorough and unbiased inquiry into the circumstances of Cole's killing. These failures include exclusion of Native witnesses that provided statements attesting to the undue violence perpetrated by the officers on the scene, and repeated efforts by the county attorney to criminalize Cole with a victim-blaming narrative, as well as correct officer testimony with leading questions. The process was incredibly painful for Cole's family and they received no substantive victims' services or support before, during, or after the inquest. 

These failures were able to occur due to the State of Montana's brief and vague requirements of such inquests. In honor of Cole and his family, we have drafted a bill to change this, so that no other family experiences the miscarriages of justice and harm that Cole's family did. Cole's Act clarifies the requirements of the inquest process to ensure that all evidence is examined, all witnesses are heard, and victims' families are supported through the process.

The draft bill, titled Cole's Act, has not yet been introduced by a Montana policymaker, so the draft available here is a template rather than a finalized document. We have included here downloadable copies of the draft bill, a template for sending a letter to your elected official asking them to support the bill, and a public petition asking Montana policymakers to support the bill. Please share these materials widely!

DRAFT COPY OF THE BILL - VIEW + DOWNLOAD HERE

TEMPLATE LETTER OF SUPPORT FOR ELECTED OFFICIALS

PETITION TO SUPPORT COLE'S ACT