Committee Approves Gonzales, Buckner Bill to Bar the Use of “Excited Delirium”

“Excited delirium” would be prohibited from being used in law enforcement training or incident reports, or listed as a cause of death on a death certificate

DENVER, CO – Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced Senators Julie Gonzales, D-Denver, and Janet Buckner’s, D-Aurora, bill to bar use of the term “excited delirium.”

HB24-1103 would prohibit the term “excited delirium” from being used in law enforcement and other first responder training or incident reports, or listed as a cause of death on a death certificate. The bill would also bar the terms “excited delirium syndrome,” “hyperactive delirium,” “agitated delirium,” and “exhaustive mania.”

“Coloradans in crisis need a measured response focused on de-escalation, not an outdated and discredited ‘excited delirium’ diagnosis that ratchets up tension and increases the risk of dangerous repercussions,” said Gonzales. “I was glad to see the Colorado’s Peace Officers Standards and Training Board unanimously ban excited delirium training last fall. With this bill, we’re building on that progress by banning this dangerous term from all use by law enforcement, whether in training processes or on death certificates.”

“The term ‘excited delirium’ has historically been misused to justify excessive force from law enforcement and first responders, too often against Black Coloradans and people of color,” Buckner said. “Banning the use of this controversial term is a small step that will have a much larger ripple effect of helping change the culture around dangerous first response practices.”

Last year, a 9NEWS investigation tied more than 225 deaths across the U.S. to the use of the term, including the death of Elijah McClain in Colorado. His death in 2019 gained national attention when paramedics injected him with a lethal amount of ketamine after believing he exhibited “excited delirium.” The paramedics and a police officer involved in the incident have since been convicted of criminally negligent homicide.

HB24-1103 will now move to the Senate floor for further consideration. Track the bill’s progress HERE.