Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/04pdf/04-278.pdf
Page Number: 13

10 

CASTLE ROCK v. GONZALES 

Opinion of the Court 

warrant for the arrest of a restrained person when the 
peace  officer  has  information  amounting  to  probable
cause that: 

“(I) The restrained person has violated or attempted

to violate any provision of a restraining order; and 

“(II) The restrained person has been properly served 
with a copy of the restraining order or the restrained 
person has received actual notice of the existence and 
substance of such order. 

“(c) In making the probable cause determination de-
scribed in paragraph (b) of this subsection (3), a peace 
officer  shall  assume  that  the  information  received 
from the registry is accurate.  A peace officer shall en-
force a valid restraining order whether or not there is a 
record  of  the  restraining  order  in  the  registry.”  Colo. 
Rev.  Stat.  §18–6–803.5(3)  (Lexis  1999)  (emphases 
added). 

The Court of Appeals concluded that this statutory provi-
sion—especially  taken  in  conjunction  with  a  statement 
from  its  legislative  history,6  and  with  another  statute 
restricting  criminal  and  civil  liability  for  officers  making 
arrests7—established  the  Colorado  Legislature’s  clear 

—————— 

6 The Court of Appeals quoted one lawmaker’s description of how the 

bill “ ‘would really attack the domestic violence problems’ ”: 
 “ ‘[T]he entire criminal justice system must act in a consistent manner, 
which  does  not  now  occur.  The  police  must  make  probable  cause 
arrests.    The  prosecutors  must  prosecute  every  case.    Judges  must 
apply appropriate sentences, and probation officers must monitor their 
probationers  closely.    And  the  offender  needs  to  be  sentenced  to  of-
fender-specific therapy.
  “  ‘[T]he entire system must send the same message . . . [that] violence 
is criminal.  And so we hope that House Bill 1253 starts us down this 
road.’ ”    366  F. 3d,  at  1107  (quoting  Tr.  of  Colorado  House  Judiciary 
Hearings on House Bill 1253, Feb. 15, 1994) (emphases omitted). 

7 Under Colo. Rev. Stat. §18–6–803.5(5) (Lexis 1999), “[a] peace officer 
arresting a person for violating a restraining order or otherwise enforc-
ing  a  restraining  order”  was  not  to  be  held  civilly  or  criminally  liable