§ 16-20.5-101.5 — Legislative declaration

Colorado § 16-20.5-101.5

• Jurisdiction: Colorado
• Title 16: Criminal
• Art.: Integrated Criminal Justice

Text

(1) The general assembly hereby
finds and determines that, since 1974, there have been proposals for an automated
criminal justice information system that shares and tracks data concerning
offenders among the various criminal justice agencies. Because each of the
criminal justice agencies in the state has developed independent information
systems to address each agency's own management and planning needs, the status
of criminal justice information in the state has been fragmented.

(2) The general assembly hereby declares that this article is enacted for the
purpose of developing, operating, supporting, maintaining, and enhancing, in a cost-effective manner, a seamless, integrated criminal justice information system that
maximizes standardization of data and communications technology among law
enforcement agencies, district attorneys, the courts, and state-funded corrections
for adult and youth offenders and other agencies as approved by the general
assembly or by the executive board pursuant to this article. Such a system will
improve:

(a) Public safety by making more timely, accurate, and complete information
concerning offenders available statewide to all criminal justice agencies and to
individual decision-makers in the criminal justice system, including but not limited
to police officers, prosecutors, judges, probation officers, and corrections officers;

(b) Decision-making by increasing the availability of statistical measures for
evaluating public policy;

(c) Productivity of existing staff by continually working toward eliminating
redundant data collection and input efforts among the agencies and by reducing or
eliminating paper-based processing;

(d) Access to timely, accurate, and complete information by both staff from
all criminal justice agencies and the public when permitted by article 72 of title 24,
C.R.S.

(3) Because information about offenders collected by local law enforcement
agencies may be the most current, the general assembly directs criminal justice
agencies, where practical, to cooperate with and to encourage local law
enforcement agencies to participate in the Colorado integrated criminal justice
information system program developed under this article.

(4) The general assembly hereby finds that the Colorado integrated criminal
justice information system program has been successfully implemented and that
the sharing of criminal justice information is being enhanced as a result. The
general assembly further finds that there is a need to provide ongoing
maintenance, support, and leadership for the continued operation and enhancement
of the Colorado integrated criminal justice information system program.

(5) The general assembly hereby finds and declares that the operation of the
integrated criminal justice information system established by this article is critical
to the accurate, complete, and timely performance of criminal background checks
and to the effective communications between and among law enforcement, the
state judicial department, and executive agencies and political subdivisions of the
state. The general assembly further finds and declares that it is in the best
interests of the citizens of the state and for the enhancement of public safety that
the collaborative effort surrounding the integrated criminal justice information
system be maintained, supported, and enhanced.

Legislative History

Source: L. 96: Entire section added, p. 1030, � 1, effective May 23. L. 98: Entire section amended, p. 941, � 1, effective May 27. L. 2001: (5) added, p. 613, � 2, effective May 30. L. 2005: IP(2), (2)(a), (2)(c), (4), and (5) amended, p. 84, � 1, effective March 25.