Colorado Domestic Violence Criminal Defense Issues
What Follows Are Several KEY Colorado Domestic Violence Laws with Analysis*
As a Colorado Domestic Violence Criminal Defense Lawyer – I believe each individual charged with these crimes should study the charges carefully and have a plenary understanding of the impact of a domestic case in their lives – this is a beginning.
*One of the finest wesbsites on the internet is WWWDVMEN.ORG…. this article contains several summaries of information taken from that site – attribution is made herein/
Key Colorado Domestic Violence Laws and Issues
Domestic Violence — C.R.S. 18-1-1001
Domestic violence — Current law
18-1-1001 – Protection order against defendant.
18-6-800.3 – Definitions.
18-6-801 – Domestic violence – sentencing.
18-6-801.5 – Domestic violence – evidence of similar transactions.
18-6-801.6 – Domestic violence – summons and complaint.
18-6-802.5 – Domestic violence – local board – treatment programs – liability immunity.
18-6-803.5 – Crime of violation of a restraining order – penalty – peace officers’ duties.
18-6-803.6 – Duties of peace officers and prosecuting agencies – preservation of evidence.
18-6-803.7 – Central registry of restraining orders – creation.
18-6-803.9 – Assaults and deaths related to domestic violence – report.
Domestic violence is not a separate crime.
HMS – In Colorado a charge of domestic violence is NOT a separate, distinct crime in and of itself. Instead it is an add-on charge to any other crime or disobedience of a civil restraining order. The addition of a domestic violence charge may be made either by the police or the district attorney, or may be heard as a contempt of court proceeding independent of either.
Once a charge of domestic violence is leveled it cannot be plea bargained to a lesser crime that does not include the domestic violence “tage” or “rider.”
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation tracks domestic violence when it is involved in the following crimes:
• Homicide
• Forcible sex
• Robbery
• Aggravated assault
• Simple assault
• Intimidation
• Kidnapping
• Non-force sex
However, a domestic violence charge may be tacked on to any other crime with harassment probably the most common example.
Orders and proceedings against defendant — Current law (April, 2009)
18-1-1001 – Protection order against defendant.
(1) There is hereby created a mandatory protection order against any person charged with a violation of any of the provisions of this title, which order shall remain in effect from the time that the person is advised of his or her rights at arraignment or the person’s first appearance before the court and informed of such order until final disposition of the action. Such order shall restrain the person charged from harassing, molesting, intimidating, retaliating against, or tampering with any witness to or victim of the acts charged. The protection order issued pursuant to this section shall be on a standardized form prescribed by the judicial department and a copy shall be provided to the protected parties.
(2) At the time of arraignment or the person’s first appearance before the court, the court shall inform the defendant of the protection order effective pursuant to this section and shall inform the defendant that a violation of such order is punishable by contempt.
(3) Nothing in this section shall preclude the defendant from applying to the court at any time for modification or dismissal of the protection order issued pursuant to this section or the district attorney from applying to the court at any time for further orders, additional provisions under the protection order, or modification or dismissal of the same. The trial court shall retain jurisdiction to enforce, modify, or dismiss the protection order until final disposition of the action. Upon motion of the district attorney, or on the court’s motion to protect the alleged victim, the court may, in cases involving domestic violence as defined in section 18-6-800.3 (1), enter any of the following further orders against the defendant:
(a) An order to vacate or stay away from the home of the victim and to stay away from any other location where the victim is likely to be found;
(b) An order to refrain from contact or direct or indirect communication with the victim;
(c) An order prohibiting possession or control of firearms or other weapons;
(d) An order prohibiting possession or consumption of alcohol or controlled substances; and
(e) Any other order the court deems appropriate to protect the safety of the alleged victim.
(4) Any person failing to comply with a protection order issued pursuant to this section commits the crime of violation of a protection order and may be punished as provided in section 18-6-803.5.
(5) Before a defendant is released on bail pursuant to article 4 of title 16, C.R.S., the court shall, in cases involving domestic violence as defined in section 18-6-800.3 (1), state the terms of the protection order issued pursuant to this section, including any additional provisions added pursuant to subsection (3) of this section, to the defendant on the record and the court shall further require the defendant to acknowledge the protection order as a condition of any bond for the release of the defendant. The prosecuting attorney shall, in such domestic violence cases, notify the alleged victim, the complainant, and the protected person of the order if such persons are not present at the time the protection order is issued.
(6) The defendant or, in cases involving domestic violence as defined in section 18-6-800.3 (1), the prosecuting attorney may request a hearing before the court to modify the terms of a protection order issued pursuant to the section. Upon such a request, the court shall set a hearing and the prosecuting attorney shall send notice of the hearing to the defendant and the alleged victim. At the hearing the court shall review the terms of the protection order and any further orders entered and shall consider the modifications, if any, requested by the defendant or the prosecuting attorney.
(7) The duties of peace officers enforcing orders issued pursuant to this section shall be in accordance with section 18-6-803.5 and any rules adopted by the Colorado supreme court pursuant to said section.
(8) For purposes of this section:
(a) “Court” means the trial court or a designee of the trial court.
(a.5) “Protection order” shall include a restraining order entered pursuant to this section prior to July 1, 2003.
(b) “Until final disposition of the action” means until the case is dismissed, until the defendant is acquitted, or until the defendant completes his or her sentence. Any defendant sentenced to probation or incarceration shall be deemed to have completed his or her sentence upon discharge from probation or incarceration, as the case may be.
HMS – Classifying a violation of a criminal restraining order as a crime more serious than the offense of violating a domestic abuse restraining order does not violate equal protection of the laws.
Domestic violence
18-6-800.3 – Domestic Violence Definitions.
As used in this part 8, unless the context otherwise requires:
(1) “Domestic violence” means an act or threatened act of violence upon a person with whom the actor is or has been involved in an intimate relationship. “Domestic violence” also includes any other crime against a person, or against property, including an animal, or any municipal ordinance violation against a person, or against property, including an animal, when used as a method of coercion, control, punishment, intimidation, or revenge directed against a person with whom the actor is or has been involved in an intimate relationship.
(2) “Intimate relationship” means a relationship between spouses, former spouses, past or present unmarried couples, or persons who are both the parents of the same child regardless of whether the persons have been married or have lived together at any time.
18-6-801 – Domestic violence – sentencing.
(1) (a) In addition to any sentence that is imposed upon a person for violation of any criminal law under this title, any person who is convicted of any crime, the underlying factual basis of which has been found by the court on the record to include an act of domestic violence, as defined in section 18-6-800.3 (1), or any crime against property, whether or not such crime is a felony, when such crime is used as a method of coercion, control, punishment, intimidation, or revenge directed against a person with whom the actor is or has been involved in an intimate relationship, shall be ordered to complete a treatment program and a treatment evaluation that conform with the standards adopted by the domestic violence management treatment board as required by section 16-11.8-104, C.R.S. If an intake evaluation conducted by an approved treatment program provider discloses that sentencing to a treatment program would be inappropriate, the person shall be referred back to the court for alternative disposition.
(b) The court may order a treatment evaluation to be conducted prior to sentencing if a treatment evaluation would assist the court in determining an appropriate sentence. The person ordered to undergo such evaluation shall be required to pay the cost of the treatment evaluation. If such treatment evaluation recommends treatment, and if the court so finds, the person shall be ordered to complete a treatment program that conforms with the standards adopted by the domestic violence management board as required by section 16-11.8-104, C.R.S.
(c) Nothing in this subsection (1) shall preclude the court from ordering domestic violence treatment in any appropriate case.
(2) Subsection (1) of this section shall not apply to persons sentenced to the department of corrections.
HMS NOTE: The “No Drop” Provision
(3) A person charged with the commission of a crime, the underlying factual basis of which includes an act of domestic violence as defined in section 18-6-800.3 (1), shall not be entitled to plead guilty or plead nolo contendere to an offense which does not include the domestic violence designation required in section 16-21-103, C.R.S., unless the prosecuting attorney makes a good faith representation on the record that such attorney would not be able to establish a prima facie case that the person and the alleged victim were currently or formerly involved in an intimate relationship if the defendant were brought to trial on the original domestic violence offense and upon such a finding by the court.
HMS Note: The DV “Tag” Law
The prosecuting attorney’s record and the court’s findings shall specify the relationship in the alleged domestic violence case which the prosecuting attorney is not able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt and the reasons therefor. No court shall accept a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to an offense which does not include the domestic violence designation required in section 16-21-103, C.R.S., when the facts of the case indicate that the underlying factual basis includes an act of domestic violence as defined in section 18-6-800.3 (1) unless there is a good faith representation by the prosecuting attorney that he or she would be unable to establish a prima facie case if the defendant were brought to trial on the original offense.
(4) No person accused or convicted of a crime, the underlying factual basis of which has been found by the court on the record to include an act of domestic violence, as defined in section 18-6-800.3 (1), shall be eligible for home detention in the home of the victim pursuant to section 18-1.3-105 or 18-1.3-106 or for deferred prosecution pursuant to section 18-1.3-101. Nothing in this subsection (4) is intended to prohibit a court from ordering a deferred sentence for a person accused or convicted of a crime, the underlying factual basis of which has been found by the court on the record to include an act of domestic violence, as defined in section 18-6-800.3 (1).
(5) Before granting probation, the court shall consider the safety of the victim and the victim’s children if probation is granted.
(6) Nothing in this section shall preclude the ability of a municipality to enact concurrent ordinances.
HMS Note – The Colorado Domestic Violence Multiple Offender Law – A Felony
(7) In the event a person is convicted in this state on or after July 1, 2000, of any offense which would otherwise be a misdemeanor, the underlying factual basis of which has been found by the court on the record to include an act of domestic violence as defined in section 18-6-800.3 (1),.. and
that person has been three times previously convicted, upon charges separately brought and tried and arising out of separate and distinct criminal episodes, of a felony or misdemeanor or municipal ordinance violation, the underlying factual basis of which was found by the court on the record to include an act of domestic violence, the prosecuting attorney may petition the court to adjudge the person an habitual domestic violence offender, and such person shall be convicted of a class 5 felony. If the person is adjudged an habitual domestic violence offender, the court shall sentence the person pursuant to the presumptive range set forth in section 18-1.3-401 for a class 5 felony. The former convictions and judgments shall be set forth in apt words in the indictment or information.
18-6-801.5 – Domestic violence – evidence of similar transactions.
HMS Note: This law allows for the admission of other alleged acts of Domestic Violence to help PROVE the newest one charged.
(1) The general assembly hereby finds that domestic violence is frequently cyclical in nature, involves patterns of abuse, and can consist of harm with escalating levels of seriousness. The general assembly therefore declares that evidence of similar transactions can be helpful and is necessary in some situations in prosecuting crimes involving domestic violence.
(2) In criminal prosecutions involving domestic violence in which the defendant and the victim named in the information have engaged in an intimate relationship as of the time alleged in the information, evidence of any other acts of domestic violence between the defendant and the victim named in the information, and between the defendant and other persons, constitute other acts or transactions for the purposes of this section, and the court may authorize the admission of evidence as provided in subsection (3) of this section.
(3) The proponent of evidence of other acts or transactions under this section shall advise the trial court by offer of proof of such evidence and shall specify whether the evidence is offered to show a common plan, scheme, design, identity, modus operandi, motive, or guilty knowledge or for some other purpose.
(4) Upon the offer of proof under subsection (3) of this section, the trial court shall determine whether the probative value of the evidence of similar acts or transactions is substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice to the defendant, confusion of the issues, or misleading of the jury if the evidence is allowed or by considerations of undue delay, waste of time, or needless presentation of cumulative evidence.
(5) Upon admitting evidence of other acts or transactions into evidence pursuant to this section and again in the general charge to the jury, the trial court shall direct the jury as to the limited purpose for which the evidence is admitted and for which the jury may consider it.
18-6-801.6. Domestic violence – summons and complaint.
Any person completing or preparing a summons, complaint, summons and complaint, indictment, information, or application for an arrest warrant shall indicate on the face of such document whether the facts forming the basis of the alleged criminal act, if proven, could constitute domestic violence as defined in section 18-6-800.3 (1).
18-6-802.5. Domestic violence – local board – treatment programs – liability immunity.
Any defendant who is sentenced to a treatment program pursuant to section 18-6-801 or who is ordered to complete an evaluation pursuant to section 18-6-801 (1) shall pay for the evaluation and treatment programs on a sliding fee basis, as provided in the standardized procedures for the treatment evaluation of domestic violence offenders and the guidelines and standards for a system of programs for the treatment of domestic violence offenders adopted by the domestic violence offender management board pursuant to section 16-11.8-103, C.R.S.
18-6-803.5 – Crime of violation of a protection order – penalty – peace officers’ duties.
HMS: Violation of a Colorado Protection Order – Colorado’s Mandatory Arrest Laws
(1) A person commits the crime of violation of a protection order if, after the person has been personally served with a protection order that identifies the person as a restrained person or otherwise has acquired from the court or law enforcement personnel actual knowledge of the contents of a protection order that identifies the person as a restrained person, the person:
(a) Contacts, harasses, injures, intimidates, molests, threatens, or touches the protected person or protected property, including an animal, identified in the protection order or enters or remains on premises or comes within a specified distance of the protected person, protected property, including an animal, or premises or violates any other provision of the protection order to protect the protected person from imminent danger to life or health, and such conduct is prohibited by the protection order; or
(b) Except as permitted pursuant to section 18-13-126 (1) (b), hires, employs, or otherwise contracts with another person to locate or assist in the location of the protected person.
(1.5) As used in this section:
(a) “Protected person” means the person or persons identified in the protection order as the person or persons for whose benefit the protection order was issued.
(a.5) (I) “Protection order” means any order that prohibits the restrained person from contacting, harassing, injuring, intimidating, molesting, threatening, or touching any protected person or protected animal, or from entering or remaining on premises, or from coming within a specified distance of a protected person or protected animal or premises or any other provision to protect the protected person or protected animal from imminent danger to life or health, that is issued by a court of this state or a municipal court, and that is issued pursuant to:
(A) Article 14 of title 13, C.R.S., section 18-1-1001, section 19-2-707, C.R.S., section 19-4-111, C.R.S., or rule 365 of the Colorado rules of county court civil procedure;
(B) Sections 14-4-101 to 14-4-105, C.R.S., section 14-10-107, C.R.S., section 14-10-108, C.R.S., or section 19-3-316, C.R.S., as those sections existed prior to July 1, 2004;
(C) An order issued as part of the proceedings concerning a criminal municipal ordinance violation; or
(D) Any other order of a court that prohibits a person from contacting, harassing, injuring, intimidating, molesting, threatening, or touching any person, or from entering or remaining on premises, or from coming within a specified distance of a protected person or premises.
(II) For purposes of this section only, “protection order” includes any order that amends, modifies, supplements, or supersedes the initial protection order. “Protection order” also includes any restraining order entered prior to July 1, 2003, and any foreign protection order as defined in section 13-14-104, C.R.S.
(b) “Registry” means the computerized information system created in section 18-6-803.7 or the national crime information center created pursuant to 28 U.S.C. sec. 534.
(c) “Restrained person” means the person identified in the order as the person prohibited from doing the specified act or acts.
(2) (a) Violation of a protection order is a class 2 misdemeanor; except that, if the restrained person has previously been convicted of violating this section or a former version of this section or an analogous municipal ordinance, or if the protection order is issued pursuant to section 18-1-1001, the violation is a class 1 misdemeanor.
(a.5) A second or subsequent violation of a protection order is an extraordinary risk crime that is subject to the modified sentencing range specified in section 18-1.3-501 (3).
(c) Nothing in this section shall preclude the ability of a municipality to enact concurrent ordinances. Any sentence imposed for a violation of this section shall run consecutively and not concurrently with any sentence imposed for any crime which gave rise to the issuing of the protection order.
(3) (a) Whenever a protection order is issued, the protected person shall be provided with a copy of such order. A peace officer shall use every reasonable means to enforce a protection order.
(b) A peace officer shall arrest, or, if an arrest would be impractical under the circumstances, seek a warrant for the arrest of a restrained person when the peace officer has information amounting to probable cause that:
(I) The restrained person has violated or attempted to violate any provision of a protection order; and
(II) The restrained person has been properly served with a copy of the protection order or the restrained person has received actual notice of the existence and substance of such order.
(c) In making the probable cause determination described in paragraph (b) of this subsection (3), a peace officer shall assume that the information received from the registry is accurate. A peace officer shall enforce a valid protection order whether or not there is a record of the protection order in the registry.
(d) The arrest and detention of a restrained person is governed by applicable constitutional and applicable state rules of criminal procedure. The arrested person shall be removed from the scene of the arrest and shall be taken to the peace officer’s station for booking, whereupon the arrested person may be held or released in accordance with the adopted bonding schedules for the jurisdiction in which the arrest is made, or the arrested person may be taken to the jail in the county where the protection order was issued. The law enforcement agency or any other locally designated agency shall make all reasonable efforts to contact the protected party upon the arrest of the restrained person. The prosecuting attorney shall present any available arrest affidavits and the criminal history of the restrained person to the court at the time of the first appearance of the restrained person before the court.
(e) The arresting agency arresting the restrained person shall forward to the issuing court a copy of such agency’s report, a list of witnesses to the violation, and, if applicable, a list of any charges filed or requested against the restrained person. The agency shall give a copy of the agency’s report, witness list, and charging list to the protected party.
The agency shall delete the address and telephone number of a witness from the list sent to the court upon request of such witness, and such address and telephone number shall not thereafter be made available to any person, except law enforcement officials and the prosecuting agency, without order of the court.
(4) If a restrained person is on bond in connection with a violation or attempted violation of a protection order in this or any other state and is subsequently arrested for violating or attempting to violate a protection order, the arresting agency shall notify the prosecuting attorney who shall file a motion with the court which issued the prior bond for the revocation of the bond and for the issuance of a warrant for the arrest of the restrained person if such court is satisfied that probable cause exists to believe that a violation of the protection order issued by the court has occurred.
(5) A peace officer arresting a person for violating a protection order or otherwise enforcing a protection order shall not be held criminally or civilly liable for such arrest or enforcement unless the peace officer acts in bad faith and with malice or does not act in compliance with rules adopted by the Colorado supreme court.
HMS Note: Allows The Police To Bring The Alleged Victim To A Battered Women’s Shelter
(6) (a) A peace officer is authorized to use every reasonable means to protect the alleged victim or the alleged victim’s children to prevent further violence. Such peace officer may transport, or obtain transportation for, the alleged victim to shelter. Upon the request of the protected person, the peace officer may also transport the minor child of the protected person, who is not an emancipated minor, to the same shelter if such shelter is willing to accept the child, whether or not there is a custody order or an order allocating parental responsibilities with respect to such child or an order for the care and control of the child and whether or not the other parent objects. A peace officer who transports a minor child over the objection of the other parent shall not be held liable for any damages that may result from interference with the custody, parental responsibilities, care, and control of or access to a minor child in complying with this subsection (6).
(b) For purposes of this subsection (6), “shelter” means a battered women’s shelter, a friend’s or family member’s home, or such other safe haven as may be designated by the protected person and which is within a reasonable distance from the location at which the peace officer found the victim.
(7) The protection order shall contain in capital letters and bold print a notice informing the protected person that such protected person may either initiate contempt proceedings against the restrained person if the order is issued in a civil action or request the prosecuting attorney to initiate contempt proceedings if the order is issued in a criminal action.
(8) A protection order issued in the state of Colorado shall contain a statement that:
(a) The order or injunction shall be accorded full faith and credit and be enforced in every civil or criminal court of the United States, another state, an Indian tribe, or a United States territory pursuant to 18 U.S.C. sec. 2265;
(b) The issuing court had jurisdiction over the parties and subject matter; and
(c) The defendant was given reasonable notice and opportunity to be heard.
(9) A criminal action charged pursuant to this section may be tried either in the county where the offense is committed or in the county in which the court that issued the protection order is located, if such court is within this state.
18-6-803.6 – Duties of peace officers and prosecuting agencies – preservation of evidence.
HMS Note: The Colorado Mandatory Arrest Law for Domestic Violence Offense
(1) When a peace officer determines that there is probable cause to believe that a crime or offense involving domestic violence, as defined in section 18-6-800.3 (1), has been committed, the officer shall, without undue delay, arrest the person suspected of its commission pursuant to the provisions in subsection (2) of this section, if applicable, and charge the person with the appropriate crime or offense. Nothing in this subsection (1) shall be construed to require a peace officer to arrest both parties involved in an alleged act of domestic violence when both claim to have been victims of such domestic violence.
Additionally, nothing in this subsection (1) shall be construed to require a peace officer to arrest either party involved in an alleged act of domestic violence when a peace officer determines there is no probable cause to believe that a crime or offense of domestic violence has been committed. The arrested person shall be removed from the scene of the arrest and shall be taken to the peace officer’s station for booking, whereupon the arrested person may be held or released in accordance with the adopted bonding schedules for the jurisdiction in which the arrest is made.
HMS NOTE: Colorado’s “Primary Aggressor” law
(2) If a peace officer receives complaints of domestic violence from two or more opposing persons, the officer shall evaluate each complaint separately to determine if a crime has been committed by one or more persons. In determining whether a crime has been committed by one or more persons, the officer shall consider the following:
(a) Any prior complaints of domestic violence;
(b) The relative severity of the injuries inflicted on each person;
(c) The likelihood of future injury to each person; and
(d) The possibility that one of the persons acted in self-defense.
(3) (a) A peace officer is authorized to use every reasonable means to protect the alleged victim or the alleged victim’s children to prevent further violence. Such peace officer may transport, or obtain transportation for, the alleged victim to shelter. Upon the request of the protected person, the peace officer may also transport the minor child of the protected person, who is not an emancipated minor, to the same shelter if such shelter is willing to accept the child, whether or not there is a custody order or an order for the care and control of the child or an order allocating parental responsibilities with respect to the child and whether or not the other parent objects. A peace officer who transports a minor child over the objection of the other parent shall not be held liable for any damages that may result from interference with the custody, parental responsibilities, care, and control of or access to a minor child in complying with this subsection (3).
(b) For purposes of this subsection (3), “shelter” means a battered women’s shelter, a friend’s or family member’s home, or such other safe haven as may be designated by the protected person and which is within a reasonable distance from the location at which the peace officer found the victim.
(4) (a) The arresting agency shall make reasonable efforts to collect and preserve any pertinent evidence until the time of final disposition of the matter, including, but not limited to, the following:
(I) Any dispatch tape recording relating to the event;
(II) Any on-scene video or audio tape recordings;
(III) Any medical records of treatment of the alleged victim or the defendant; and
(IV) Any other relevant physical evidence or witness statements.
(b) However, in the absence of bad faith, any failure to collect or preserve any evidence listed in paragraph (a) of this subsection (4) shall not be grounds to dismiss the matter.
(4.5) When a peace officer responds to a call or is otherwise responding to a report about an alleged offense involving domestic violence, as defined in section 18-6-800.3 (1), or other domestic dispute, the officer shall include in his or her written or oral report concerning such incident whether children may have seen or heard the alleged offense; except that, in the absence of bad faith, the failure of a peace officer to note that a child may have seen or heard the alleged offense shall not be grounds to dismiss the matter.
(5) A peace officer shall not be held civilly or criminally liable for acting pursuant to this section if the peace officer acts in good faith and without malice.
18-6-803.7 – Central registry of protection orders – creation.
(1) As used in this section:
(a) “Bureau” means the Colorado bureau of investigation.
(b) “Protected person” means the person or persons identified in the protection order as the person or persons for whose benefit the protection order was issued.
(b.5) (I) “Protection order” means any order that prohibits the restrained person from contacting, harassing, injuring, intimidating, molesting, threatening, or touching any protected person, or from entering or remaining on premises, or from coming within a specified distance of a protected person or premises, that is issued by a court of this state or an authorized municipal court, and that is issued pursuant to:
(A) Article 14 of title 13, C.R.S., section 18-1-1001, section 19-2-707, C.R.S., section 19-4-111, C.R.S., or rule 365 of the Colorado rules of county court civil procedure;
(B) Sections 14-4-101 to 14-4-105, C.R.S., section 14-10-107, C.R.S., section 14-10-108, C.R.S., or section 19-3-316, C.R.S., as those sections existed prior to July 1, 2004; or
(C) An order issued as part of the proceedings concerning a criminal municipal ordinance violation.
(II) “Protection order” also includes any restraining order entered prior to July 1, 2003, and any foreign protection order as described in section 13-14-104, C.R.S.
(c) “Registry” means a computerized information system.
(d) “Restrained person” means the person identified in the order as the person prohibited from doing the specified act or acts.
…
(f) “Subsequent order” means an order which amends, modifies, supplements, or supersedes a protection order.
(2) (a) There is hereby created in the bureau a computerized central registry of protection orders which shall be accessible to any state law enforcement agency or to any local law enforcement agency having a terminal which communicates with the bureau. The central registry computers shall communicate with computers operated by the state judicial department.
(b) Protection orders and subsequent orders shall be entered into the registry by the clerk of the court issuing the protection order; except that orders issued pursuant to sections 18-1-1001 and 19-2-707, C.R.S., shall be entered into the registry only at the discretion of the court or upon motion of the district attorney. The clerk of the court issuing the protection order shall be responsible for updating the registry electronically in a timely manner to ensure the notice is as complete and accurate as is reasonably possible with regard to the information specified in subsection (3) of this section.
(c) The restrained person’s attorney, if present at the time the protection order or subsequent order is issued, shall notify the restrained person of the contents of such order if the restrained person was absent when such order was issued.
(d) Protection orders and subsequent orders shall be placed in the registry not later than twenty-four hours after they have been issued; except that, if the court issuing the protection order or subsequent order specifies that it be placed in the registry immediately, such order shall be placed in the registry immediately.
(e) Upon reaching the expiration date of a protection order or subsequent order, if any, the bureau shall note the termination in the registry.
(f) In the event the protection order or subsequent order does not have a termination date, the clerk of the issuing court shall be responsible for noting the termination of the protection order or subsequent order in the registry.
(3) (a) In addition to any information, notice, or warning required by law, a protection order or subsequent order entered into the registry shall contain the following information, if such information is available:
(I) The name, date of birth, sex, and physical description of the restrained person to the extent known;
(II) The date the order was issued and the effective date of the order if such date is different from the date the order was issued;
(III) The names of the protected persons and their dates of birth;
(IV) If the protection order is one prohibiting the restrained person from entering in, remaining upon, or coming within a specified distance of certain premises, the address of the premises and the distance limitation;
(V) The expiration date of the protection order, if any;
(VI) Whether the restrained person has been served with the protection order and, if so, the date and time of service; and
(VII) The amount of bail and any conditions of bond which the court has set in the event the restrained person has violated a protection order.
(b) If available, the protection order or subsequent order shall contain the fingerprint-based state identification number issued by the bureau to the restrained person.
It is estimated that one-third of divorces in Colorado presently involve allegations of domestic abuse or violence. These accusations are often used as a weapon to gain advantage in the divorce.
More Information:
- A Close Look At The Colorado Crimes Of Assault – First Degree -18-3-202, Second Degree – 18-3-203, Third Degree -18-3-204, and Vehicular Assault – 18-3-205
- Colorado And False Allegations Of Domestic Violence – The Impact On Child Custody “Parenting Time” Issues
- The Denver Colorado Crime of Harassment (18-9-111) – Harassment Defense Lawyer – Attorney
- Colorado Common Domestic Violence Crimes – False Imprisonment (18-3-303)
- The Wrong Person Is Arrested – Understanding Victim Defendant Representation In Colorado Domesitic Violence Cases
- Colorado Law: Understanding Colorado Domestic Violence Cases – FAST TRACK and Other Laws That Impact Your DV Case
- Colorado Domestic Violence Sentencing – A Change In The Approach To Mandated Domestic Violence Treatment Requirements
- Colorado Habitual Domestic Violence Offender Law – CRS Section 18-6-801(7)
- Colorado Common Domestic Violence Crimes –
- Colorado Criminal Law of Stalking – A Closer Look at Understanding Stalking Law C.R.S. 18-3-602., C.R.S. 18-3-601. Formerly 18-9-111
- Colorado Law: Understanding Colorado Domestic Violence Cases – FAST TRACK and Other Laws That Impact Your Domestic Violence Case
- Harassment – Stalking Criminal Charges -In Colorado Domestic Violence Cases
- Harassment 18-9-111 (2)
- The Most Common Colorado Domestic Violence Crimes
