Colorado Criminal Records

Colorado Criminal Records, commonly known as rap sheets, include official information regarding an individual's arrests, convictions, and criminal history in the state. These records are one of many that the police collect when they look into crimes.

In Colorado, any arrest and conviction information must be made available to the public under the Colorado Open Records Act. It means a person does not need to justify seeing their or another person's criminal history.

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI), part of the Colorado Department of Public Safety, is the central agency that keeps track of these records.

While each individual's record will be unique, most will include the following information:

• Name and aliases of the subject
• Date of birth and other personal details
• Contact details such as address and phone number
• Photograph
• Physical characteristics including weight, height, nationality, etc
• Charges
• Court decisions
• Known companions

Offenses of criminal law in Colorado often fall into different types, and you can find one of the following violations in a person's Colorado Criminal Records:

Felonies

Colorado's worst crimes are felonies. State misdemeanors and other minor offenses get less punishment than felony crimes.

Other than drug felonies, there are six main types of felony crimes in Colorado. They are as follows:

Class 1 Felony

Class 1 felonies are the most severe kind of Colorado offense, punished by life in prison without the possibility of release. First-degree murder, first-degree abduction, violence while fleeing jail, and treason are examples of class 1 felonies.

Class 2 Felony

Class 2 felonies in Colorado include sentences of 8 to 24 years in prison or penalties of $5,000 to $1 million, making it the second most severe category of felony offenses in the state. Under this class are second-degree murder, sexual assault, and human trafficking offenses.

You can't remove this violation from your criminal record.

Class 3 Felony

Class 3 felonies in Colorado are punishable by 4 to 12 years in jail and penalties ranging from $3,000 to $750,000.

These convictions are permanent, and you cannot delete them from the offender's record.

Class 4 Felony

A class 4 felony is a criminal violation in Colorado that can get you 2 to 6 years in jail or penalties ranging from $2,000.00 to $500,000.

Identity theft, vehicular assault, and third-degree burglary are everyday occurrences of class 4 felonies. You can usually seal these convictions three years after the completion of the criminal case.

Class 5 Felony

Class 5 felonies are a type of felony crime in Colorado that can get you 1 to 3 years of state imprisonment or a fine of $1,000 to $100,000. You can get out of jail after two years on parole. Some examples are homicide by criminal negligence, having tools to break in, and first-degree trespass.

A person can seal most class 5 felony convictions in Colorado three years after the case's conclusion. And if the court dismisses the complaint, the defendant may demand a record seal immediately.

Class 6 Felony

In Colorado, the least severe category of felonies is Class 6. Offenders can expect to spend anywhere from one to 18 months in jail and pay a fine of $1,000 to $100,000. Criminal impersonation, third-degree assault, and indecent exposure are all examples of class 6 felonies.

In most cases, sealing a conviction under this requires waiting three years following the case's final resolution.

On the other hand, there are four different levels of drug felonies, and these are:

Level 1 Drug Felony

Level 1 drug offenses are Colorado's most severe. Level 1 drug offenses are punishable more rigorously than levels 2–4. Examples include selling marijuana to a minor and selling controlled substances.

Level 2 Drug Felony

A level 2 drug offense in Colorado is punishable by 4 to 8 years in jail or penalties starting from $3,000 to $750,000. Unlawful sale or distribution of controlled drugs and possession of meth and amphetamine materials are some of the most typical violations under this level.

Level 3 Drug Felony

A level 3 drug offense is punishable by 2 to 4 years in jail or penalties of $2,000 to $500,000. Some examples include an attempt to commit a level 2 drug offense and selling no more than 14g of schedule I or II drugs.

Level 4 Drug Felony

In Colorado, committing a level 4 drug offense carries a possible sentence of one year in jail or a fine of $1,000 to $100,000. Some instances include attempting to commit a level 3 drug crime and selling controlled substances, such as Schedule III or IV drugs, less than 4 grams.

You can never remove convictions at level 1 from the defendant's criminal record. In comparison, persons with convictions under level 2 drug felony can seal it for five years and three years for levels 3 and 4 after the conclusion of the criminal case.

There are also several unclassified felonies in the state where punishments vary by offense.

Misdemeanors

Misdemeanors are the middle level of crimes in Colorado, and they are below felonies and above petty offenses. There are two groups of them. The most serious is Class 1, and the least serious is Class 2. Some misdemeanors, like DUI, don't fit into the other categories.

In Colorado, three of the most common class 1 misdemeanors are:

• Theft of property
• Criminal mischief
• Indecent exposure

While under the Colorado class 2 misdemeanors, these are the most frequent ones:

• Criminal attempt
• Theft of property
• Criminal tampering

You can seal records of misdemeanor convictions in Colorado two years after the case ends. The file may be closed immediately if the court drops the charge.

Criminal Driving Violations

Criminal driving violations in Colorado are misdemeanors. These driving crimes include class 1 and class 2 misdemeanor traffic offenses. Class 1 and 2 traffic misdemeanors carry harsher penalties than traffic infractions, which are civil offenses that do not have jail time.

The three most common traffic misdemeanors under class 1 in Colorado include:

• Exceeding 25 mph in a construction, maintenance, or repair zone
• Knowingly competing in speed races with a motor vehicle
• Careless driving that might cause injury

While under the class 2 misdemeanor traffic offenses in Colorado, the most common are:

• Reckless driving
• Careless driving that doesn't cause serious injuries
• Putting on a speed contest on purpose

You can't seal misdemeanor traffic convictions in Colorado. They will remain on the defendant's record for a lifetime. However, dropped charges are eligible for sealing immediately.

Sexual Offenses

According to the Colorado Revised Statutes, there are two main types of sex crimes in the state: sexual assault and sexual contact. Sexual assault entails penetration or intrusion, while sexual contact refers to unwanted sexual touching.

Here are the specific sexual offenses under sexual assault in Colorado:

• Rape
• Anal rape
• Forced oral copulation
• Penetration with a foreign object
• While sexual contact records in Colorado include the following:
• Sexual battery
• Groping
• Fondling

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation will put the names of adults guilty of felony sex crimes in a list of felony sex offenders.

A person can petition the court to take his name off the registry under certain conditions. Usually, this can only happen after 20 years if someone hasn't committed another sex offense.

If you want to look for sex offenders in the state, you can use the Colorado Sex Offender Registry. However, this only covers four categories of convicted sex offenders. You can have more diverse information on registered sex offenders at a local law enforcement agency.

If a petitioner meets certain conditions, Colorado law permits to conceal of numerous criminal records from the public via expungement or sealing.

In Colorado, expungement is the legal procedure for removing juvenile records, UDD (underage drinking and driving records), and arrest records of those arrested due to mistaken identity. In comparison, sealing is the adult way of concealing criminal records in the state.

To clean your records, you must petition a court; it is not automatic, and not everyone is qualified. You can request the court to seal your criminal record if:

• Detained but not prosecuted, and the statute of limitations has expired
• Arrested but not convicted of a crime, and the offense is no longer under investigation
• The court dismisses the charges against you
• You finished a program of diversion
• Acquitted of the allegations made against you

Here's the standard procedure for obtaining a Colorado record seal:

• Obtain a copy of your criminal history from the appropriate law enforcement agency.
• You may then be required to get a current, verified copy of your criminal record from the CBI.
• Then, complete the necessary petition to seal the paperwork.
• After completing the paperwork, you must submit them to the proper court (usually the court where the case occurred). For instance, a criminal case heard in Denver District Court might be sealed by the same court.
• The court will then approve the petition or deny it. In rare instances, the court will hold a hearing before determining whether to seal a document.
• If the court grants an order to seal your criminal record, you must give copies to all entities that maintain your criminal history, such as the police department and the CBI.

Inmate records in Colorado contain official information regarding a person's present and, in some instances, former imprisonment status.

The Colorado Department of Corrections (DOC) oversees temporary and permanent inmate records and facilities. The DOC's files include all prisoners' forms, papers, documentation, audio, video, and electronic data.

In addition, the DOC website has a search feature that allows the public to look up convicts. The main requirement is to know the prisoner's DOC number or name.

The search results will provide a list of convicts organized by name, age, sex, location, and ethnicity. You can also narrow down the search to get additional information. With this, you can access information such as:

• A mug photo
• Weight
• Hair and eye color
• Parole date
• Expected release date
• Crimes and sentences record
• A case number

Additionally, you can use third-party websites such as InfoTracer to discover prisoners and check criminal and judicial information in one step.

An arrest record in Colorado provides a person's arrest information. It may also include details regarding the event that led to the arrest and general information about it.

The CBI keeps public arrest records. You can contact them by phone or get arrest records via the Internet Criminal History Check System.

What information comes with arrest records in Colorado? It will contain the following:

• Personal data of arrested individual
• Date, time, and place of the arrest
• The charges and the officer who brought them
• Mugshots
• Fingerprints

In Colorado, the criminal court process starts with an arrest and booking. The state police may arrest and detain someone with a judge, magistrate, or grand jury warrant. Warrants do not "expire" by themselves in this state.

The law officer can even arrest you in another state on a Colorado warrant from years ago. Also, the Colorado code of criminal procedure allows police to arrest without a warrant if they have reasonable cause and immediately observe a crime.

Colorado has no warrants database if you want to search for active warrants. You must contact their local police or the U.S. Marshals Warrant Information System to do so.

Criminal records in Colorado are a frequent component of the job application process. They use it for background checks to reveal a person's criminal history, credit history, and employment and education records.

Several counties have different recording rules, but most criminal records are online and accessible by police and courts. The CBI enables the public to search for criminal records through its internet system.

You must first register an account on the site to access an individual's official criminal record. Then, you must provide their first and last name, date of birth, and purpose for the search. You will spend $5 for the Internet Criminal History Check (ICHC) and $13 for the Criminal History Record Information (CHRI).