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Yesterday Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper signed a package of gun control bills, inspired in part by several tragic mass shootings in 2012. The state has now put several new restrictions on gun purchase and ownership in the state. Under the new laws, the state will now require background checks for all gun sales, including...

Last week we discussed a proposed bill in Colorado that would greatly expand the scope of DNA collection in the state. Currently, DNA is only collected from those convicted or arrested on felony charges and it goes into the state’s DNA database. But under a new proposed law, people convicted of misdemeanors would also...

Being convicted of a misdemeanor crime in Colorado can carry some stiff penalties, depending on the crime. Now, the consequences of being convicted of a misdemeanor may soon become harsher. A proposed bill in Colorado wants to allow the state to collect DNA samples from those convicted of misdemeanor crimes. This means that people...

Everyone makes mistakes. Whether it’s having one beer too many at happy hour or misjudging your ability to drive after a night out, you may find yourself pulled over on suspicion of DUI. And that small mistake may suddenly seem a lot bigger and a lot more serious. Some Colorado lawmakers are looking to...

2012 was a year of gun violence in the national media and particularly in Colorado. In response, Colorado lawmakers have been working on a package of gun control bills to try and prevent future gun violence in the state. They will have to balance two interests: the safety of Coloradoans and the right to...

Authorities have recently taken notice of an unusual “crime spree” taking place in Colorado. Apparently millions of dollars worth of Tide laundry detergent are being stolen from stores and sold on the black market. One man allegedly took $8,000 worth of the detergent in Colorado and police are still looking for him. Much of...

Colorado’s lawmakers are considering legislation that would make it illegal to kill or injure a woman’s unborn child. Such an offense would probably often be connected to charges of violence against the child’s mother, whose injury or death may lead to the child’s. House Democrats support the idea of such legislation but killed a...

The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution gives all Americans protections against unwarranted search and seizure of their person and their property. At the core of this Amendment is the belief that innocent people should not have to fear for their privacy in personal spaces like their homes. However, sometimes law enforcement officials...

Two high-profile cases of severe misconduct at state crime labs made headlines during 2012, raising concerns about a sector of the criminal justice system that is often ignored despite being frighteningly underregulated. One technician failed to identify and test significant DNA evidence in rape kits, leading to a review of over 800 cases in...

The Colorado Supreme Court recently made a significant change to rules regarding how confessions are treated in criminal proceedings. Prosecutors once needed to provide proof that a crime had occurred in addition to the confession. However, now that will not be necessary if the court finds the confession to be trustworthy.In future criminal cases,...

In November Colorado voters approved Amendment 64, which made it legal for adults over 21 to possess and use small quantities of marijuana for recreational use. In response to the new law, Colorado is considering new DUI standards for THC and prosecutors are dropping many drug offense charges. However, Colorado is not the only state affected...

A Colorado soldier has been arrested in Alabama for allegedly sexually assaulting a girl. According to police, he coaxed her into his vehicle after she got off the school bus, assaulted and then abandoned. Now he faces charges outside of his home state.This case illustrates how national sex offender registries and DNA databases are...