Disorderly Conduct Charges – a New Way of Life for Police
Disorderly Conduct, C.R.S. 18-9-106, charges in Douglas County or in Colorado Springs can be very disruptive to your life. This is what 21 high school students from Sierra High School are about to find out. They may not know it now, but I’m certain each student will experience repercussions at some time during their life for their actions. When charged by police, they can have a record for a lifetime. I grew up in a time when it wasn’t a matter of if someone would get in trouble for fighting, but when. Parents supported gym teachers, principals, faculty members, and even neighbors to take care of the minor scrapes kids got into. It was practically unheard of to call the police when kids got into fights. Now, that’s the norm. Why do we use the government to solve our problems?
Disorderly Conduct Criminal Charges are a Big Deal
So what’s the big deal? Disorderly Conduct is charged as either a Petty Offense or as a class 2 or 3 Misdemeanor in Jefferson County. How the crime is charged depends on the circumstances. It can be charged as a class 1 Petty Offense by flipping someone off in a public, or as a class 2 Misdemeanor if someone tells another that she has a handgun in her purse in order to cause alarm. The big deal is that when people do stupid things a permanent record is kept. Anyone looking for a job is required to provide authorization for a criminal background check. Even a dishwashers or a trash collectors in from Bent to Boulder County must answer the question, have you ever been convicted of a crime or have you ever been arrested.
Petty Crimes Matter Too
When an employer is faced with a decision to hire one person and he has five applications, he will almost certainly hire the person who does not have a criminal record. We live in an age when nobody wants to take a chance on someone. Even the military does not want to take a young man that has been arrested for getting into a fight. How crazy is that? Judges used to give hot tempered teens the option of joining the military or going to jail! I know I’m repeating myself – but those days are over.
Although in some cases records can be sealed, see C.R.S. 24-72-308, people in Denver should know that sealed records can still be viewed by government agencies. This fact can be prejudicial against your son or daughter if they are ever accused of a crime in the future.
Prosecutors – Not a Defendant’s Friend
If your son or daughter is arrested or cited for Disorderly Conduct in Adams County, you should not react the way your father or mother did. You should first understand how far reaching the consequences can be before letting an excessively punitive system deliver a permanent blow to your child’s future. Call us instead and let us provide a free consultation before making the decision to trust the people who are paid to punish you. Be smart and exercise your right to remain silent, and call us at 303-731-0719. Together we can protect your future.