Articles & Resources

The Denver Police Department is the local law enforcement authority for both the city and the county of Denver, Colorado. From their website at “Our mission is to operate a police agency with a focus on preventing crime in a respectful manner, demonstrating that everyone matters.”

There are times when you wish to be able to search through the current database of inmates of your state. Whether you have a friend or loved one currently incarcerated, have reason to suspect that a former friend may have been arrested, or you wish to keep tabs on someone who has a significant impact on your child’s life, being able to perform a search of inmates can be a useful tool. Luckily, most states have this information publicly available and Colorado is no exception.

In 1969, inspired by the FOIA, the Colorado legislature passed the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA). In 1972, they passed the Colorado Sunshine Law for open meetings which they further modified in 1996. CORA does much the same as the FOIA, records are presumed to be public unless deemed otherwise by specific exemptions.

In the state of Colorado, a warrant is legally defined as a writ from a local tribunal that authorizes law enforcement officials to legally detain a person who is being accused of a criminal transgression. These judicial orders are executed by the sheriff’s office and they are issued by magistrates of courts at any level in the judicial system, legislative officials and municipal judges. Although these directives are issued by county courts, warrants that are released in criminal matters can be executed nationwide.

The process of apprehending an offender, making him stand trial for his indiscretion and enforcing punitive measures for the crime that has occurred is known as the Colorado Criminal Procedure. Like in all other states, the process starts when a suspect is taken into custody. The detention may or may not have taken place under the provisions of a warrant.

In Colorado, The State Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is in charge of assimilating crime related information from all law enforcement agencies across the geographical bounds of Colorado, recording these details in a central repository, maintaining the database and granting access to the records held in it to applicants from the legal fraternity, non-justice agencies as well as the general public.

The Colorado Court System is a definition of the structure of the judicial network of the state. The Governor and the General assembly create courts that are included in this network and the law that they are expected to enforce, the courts play the all essential role of resolving disputes between individuals and the state.

A Colorado active warrant is only issued when the local court is approached by the sheriff department. Cops have to present all the evidence collected in the case before the tribunal, in the form of an affidavit. This is closely studied to ascertain that there is enough reason to suspect the person in question. To understand the process of warrant issue, it helps to look at Rule 4 of the Colorado Criminal Code.