Search Colorado Public Records

How to Look Up Criminal Records in Colorado

Colorado arrest records are part of someone’s criminal history check, and in CO, the state and local government retains all arrest and criminal records. The database will include all records except warrants, sealed and juvenile records. The arrest records are based on fingerprint data. According to state law, the general public has the right to access arrest records upon request. When requesting records, the user will need to use fingerprint data to access the records and find a match. Arrests that are not linked to fingerprints will not show up.

Victims & Offenders by Gender and Race

What Information Does Colorado Criminal Record Report Include?

A Colorado arrest record will contain the name of the person, the date of the arrest, the charges they were accused of, fingerprint class and booking numbers. Often other information will be included like Colorado mugshots taken at the time of arrest, other details about the crime along with the arresting officer’s name and badge number and arresting agency. The report will also include general information like date of birth, address, phone, and physical description. It may also include bail if the person was put in jail until their hearing.

Colorado Police Report and Mugshots

Are Colorado Police Reports Public Record?

Police reports and most of the information contained within them is public record. Some police departments post this information on their website for easy access. For example, Colorado Springs calls it the Police Blotter and displays the following details regarding events that took place recently.

• The incident date and time.
• The division who handled the call.
• The type of call/crime such as robbery.
• The address/location of the event.
• A summary description of what happened.
• The names of any adults arrested.
• The detective in charge of the case and his or her phone number.

The disclaimer on their website says that the details are subject to change, and anyone arrested is presumed innocent until proven guilty. You can contact the detective in charge for updated information or more details. Copies of actual police reports may cost a small fee. You can call or visit the specific police department in person to inquire. In some cases, like with Colorado Springs, you can order copies online for $7.50 each. These records are processed according to the Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act (CCJRA), however, some information may be redacted (blacked out) to protect privacy.

Mugshots Colorado

Mugshots are pictures taken by law enforcement to identify criminals and suspects. Typically, two images are shot, one front-facing, and one profile angle. In the 1800s, after photography was invented, mugshots became a part of the regular booking process for police and other law enforcement agencies. The process was standardized by a French policeman named Alphonse Bertillon.

Colorado mugshots are public records and available to the general public. They can also be found online. For example, a local TV station KKTV in the Colorado area routinely requests mugshots to display with breaking news of crimes committed in the area.

Generally, mugshots are taken as part of the booking process after police or the Sheriff’s Department has arrested a suspect.

Colorado Arrest Booking Process

Arrests in Colorado happen in a few different ways. In cases of domestic violence, the offender will be arrested at the scene. The same goes for a DUI situation. Other times, arrests take place as a result of an arrest warrant, after police track down the suspect.

Once arrested, the person is transported to the local jail and booked. The booking process can take a few hours and may entail:

• Fingerprinting.
• A full background check.
• Mugshots.
• Questioning.
• Body search.
• A medical examination.

The suspect’s belongings will be confiscated, and they will be provided with jail clothes and assigned a jail cell. They will remain in jail until someone pays their bail, or they see a judge at their hearing.

Violent Crime Rates for the last 10 years

The crime rate has increased over the past decade in Colorado, going from 14,902 crimes in 2006 to 16,901 by 1% higher than it was back in 2006. The largest percentage of violent crimes falls into the Aggravated Assault category, with Revised Rape being the least popular crime in the state.

Arrest Law

Law enforcement officers need strong probable cause that someone committed a crime before they can arrest them. In most cases, they need an arrest warrant. If they only have suspicions of a crime, then they must fill out an affidavit and get a judge to issue a warrant. Sometimes when someone gets stopped in CO while driving and the officer sees something illegal, the person may also be arrested. There are other situations where an officer may have suspicions, but he will not arrest the person but simply detain them for questioning and then release them.

The Arrest Rate in Colorado

Twelve thousand seven hundred forty-two violent crimes were committed in 2017. Of those, the most significant number were committed by people between the ages of 25-34. 83.1% of them were male and the rest female. Six thousand five hundred four of them were committed by white adults, and 1,725 by African Americans. Additionally, another 42,881 arrests were made for drug and alcohol crimes. Most of them were 18-44 year old. More than 75% were due to possession charges of illegal narcotics.

State Offender and Victim Age Group Statistics

Most of the violent crime offenders in Colorado were 20-29 and the largest percentage of violent crime victims were 20-29.

Crime Victim Demographics

Residence Home is the place where the majority of crimes in Colorado were committed, in most of the crime cases the offender was a stranger.

Colorado Arrest Records by Type of Crime

The popular arrests for 2017 in Colorado was for All Other Offenses (except traffic) - 114,976, the same popularity of the arrest type was seen in Alabama, Alaska, and Arizona. The least popularity had Gambling arrests - with only 21 crimes a year.