Summary
Organization name
Colorado Ethics Watch
other names
Colorado Citizens for Ethics in Government
2006
Tax id (EIN)
03-0445391
Category
Crime & Legal-Related
Address
1630 Welton Street Suite 415Denver, CO 80202
Denver County, CO, US
Ethics Watch is a state-based project of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a non-partisan 501(c)(3) organization that targets government officials who sacrifice the common good to special interests. Ethics Watch files lawsuits, ethics complaints, requests for investigation and open records requests both to enforce accountability directly and to increase public awareness of ethics and transparency issues through media coverage.
Testimonials
As the first state-level project of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), Colorado Ethics Watch uses high impact legal actions to hold public officials and organizations accountable for unethical activities that undermine the integrity of state and local government in Colorado.
Ethics Watch accomplishes this by marrying in-depth research and investigation with hard-charging legal action and an aggressive communications strategy meant to deter further misbehavior. We augment these efforts by building coalitions to push for policies favoring transparency and accountability, and educating the public about their role in keeping Colorado government honest and transparent.
Mission
Colorado Ethics Watch uses high impact legal actions to hold public officials and organizations accountable for unethical activities that undermine the integrity of state and local government.
Background Statement
Ethics Watch was launched on August 1, 2006 as the first state-level project of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). Our intention has always been to adapt CREW's strategies of hard-hitting legal action and public education to Colorado's legal framework and media landscape.
Our campaign finance complaints have used the state's private-party enforcement process to compel organizations to follow Colorado law and have generated tens of thousands of dollars of fines payable to the State of Colorado. We have also established key legal precedents, including decisions that established that the Independent Ethics Commission is subject to open records laws and that groups supporting or opposing judges in retention elections are subject to contribution limits.
Ethics Watch has been heavily engaged with the state's Independent Ethics Commission. Our Eye on the IEC website has monitored IEC activites since the Commission's inception. We have filed successful complaints against a bipartisan organization of public trustees for violations of the state gift ban and against the Colorado Secretary of State for misusing public funds for personal and political purposes.
This year, we are spearheading the Courts Matter Colorado campaign, which is designed to raise awareness and activism around federal courts. Our expertise in using the legal system to promote ethics and transparency has positioned us well to help educate the public about the importance of a fair, diverse and fully-staffed federal judiciary.
Media gallery
Organization Data
Denver, CO 80202