2023 Colorado Revised Statutes › Title 16 - CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS (§§ 16-1-101 — 16-23-105) › WIRETAPPING AND EAVESDROPPING (§§ 16-15-101 — 16-15-104) › Article 15 - WIRETAPPING AND EAVESDROPPING (§§ 16-15-101 — 16-15-104) › Section 16-15-102 - Ex parte order authorizing the interception of wire, oral, or electronic communications

(1)
(a)
An ex parte order authorizing or approving the interception of any wire, oral, or electronic communication may be issued by any judge of competent jurisdiction of the state of Colorado upon application of the attorney general or a district attorney, or his or her designee if the attorney general or district attorney is absent from his or her jurisdiction, showing by affidavit that there is probable cause to believe that evidence will be obtained of the commission of any one of the crimes enumerated in this subsection (1) or that one of said enumerated crimes will be committed:
(I)
Murder in the first or second degree as defined in sections
18-3-102
and
18-3-103
, C.R.S.;
(II)
Kidnapping in the first or second degree as defined in sections
18-3-301
and
18-3-302
, C.R.S.;
(III)
Gambling, meaning professional gambling, as defined in section
18-10-102 (8)
, C.R.S., and subject to prosecution under section
18-10-103 (2)
, C.R.S.;
(IV)
Robbery as defined in section
18-4-301
, C.R.S., aggravated robbery as defined in section
18-4-302
, C.R.S., or burglary in the first or second degree as defined in sections
18-4-202
and
18-4-203
, C.R.S.;
(V)
Bribery as defined in section
18-8-302
, C.R.S., compensation for past official behavior as defined in section
18-8-303
, C.R.S., attempt to influence a public servant as defined in section
18-8-306
, C.R.S., designation of supplier as defined in section
18-8-307
, C.R.S., or misuse of official information as defined in section
18-8-402
, C.R.S.;
(VI)
Dealing in controlled substances as covered by part 1 of article
280
of title
12
or part 2 of article
80
of title
27
, as such offenses are subject to prosecution as felonies;
(VII)
Crimes dangerous to life, limb, or property, meaning extortion, as defined as menacing by use of a deadly weapon in section
18-3-206
, C.R.S., theft by means other than the use of force, threat, or intimidation as defined in section
18-4-401 (5)
, C.R.S., arson as defined in sections
18-4-102
to
18-4-105
, C.R.S., as these offenses are subject to prosecution as felonies, assault in the first or second degree as defined in sections
18-3-202
and
18-3-203
, C.R.S.;
(VII.5)
Escape, as defined in section
18-8-208
, C.R.S., or introducing contraband in the first or second degree, as defined in sections
18-8-203
and
18-8-204
, C.R.S.;
(VIII)
A criminal conspiracy as defined in section
18-2-201
, C.R.S., to commit any of the aforementioned enumerated crimes;
(IX)
Limited gaming as defined in article
30
of title
44
or in violation of article
20
of title
18
; or
(X)
Human trafficking as described in section
18-3-503
or
18-3-504
.
(b)
Anything to the contrary notwithstanding, an ex parte order for wiretapping or eavesdropping may be issued only for a crime specified in this subsection (1) for which a felony penalty is authorized upon conviction.
(c)
For the purposes of paragraph (a) of this subsection (1):
(I)
The district attorney shall designate the assistant district attorney or the chief deputy district attorney; and
(II)
The attorney general shall designate either the chief deputy attorney general or the deputy attorney general of the criminal section of the office of the attorney general.
(d)
A court shall not issue an ex parte order for wiretapping or eavesdropping to obtain any wire, oral, or electronic communication that relates to an investigation into a legally protected health-care activity, as defined in section
12-30-121 (1)(d)
.
(2)
Each application for an order authorizing or approving the interception of any wire, oral, or electronic communication shall be made in writing upon oath or affirmation to a judge of competent jurisdiction and shall state the applicant's authority to make such application. Each application shall include the following information:
(a)
The identity of the investigative or law enforcement officer making the application, and the officer authorizing the application;
(b)
A complete statement of the facts and circumstances relied upon by the applicant, to justify his belief that an order should be issued, including: Details as to the particular offense that has been, is being, or is about to be committed, except as provided in subsection (17) of this section, a particular description of the nature and location of the facilities from which, or the place where, the communication is to be intercepted; a particular description of the type of communication sought to be intercepted; and the identity of the person, if known, committing the offense and whose communications are to be intercepted;
(c)
A complete statement as to whether or not other investigative procedures have been tried and failed, or why they reasonably appear to be unlikely to succeed if tried, or to be too dangerous;
(d)
A statement of the period of time for which the interception is required to be maintained. If the nature of the investigation is such that the authorization for interception should not automatically terminate when the described type of communication has been first obtained, there shall be required a particular description of the facts establishing probable cause to believe that additional communications of the same type will occur thereafter.
(e)
A complete statement of the facts concerning all previous applications known to the individual authorizing and making the application, made to any judge for authorization to intercept, or for approval of interceptions of, wire, oral, or electronic communications involving any of the same persons, facilities, or places specified in the application, and the action taken by the judge on each such application; and
(f)
Where the application is for the extension of an order, a statement setting forth the results thus far obtained from the interception, or a reasonable explanation of the failure to obtain those results.
(3)
The judge may require the applicant to furnish additional testimony or documentary evidence in support of the application.
(4)
Upon an application, the judge may enter an ex parte order, as requested or as modified, authorizing or approving the interception of any wire, oral, or electronic communication within the territorial jurisdiction of the court in which the judge is sitting and outside that jurisdiction but within the United States in the case of a mobile interception device, if the judge determines on the basis of the facts submitted by the applicant that:
(a)
There is probable cause for belief that a person is committing, has committed, or is about to commit a particular offense enumerated in this section;
(b)
There is probable cause for belief that particular communications concerning that offense will be obtained through the interception;
(c)
Normal investigative procedures have been tried and have failed, or reasonably appear to be unlikely to succeed if tried, or to be too dangerous;
(d)
Except as provided in subsection (17) of this section, there is probable cause for belief that the facilities from which or the place where the wire, oral, or electronic communications are to be intercepted are being used, or are about to be used, in connection with the commission of an offense or are leased to, listed in the name of, or commonly used by the person alleged to be involved in the commission of the offense.
(5)
Each order authorizing or approving wiretapping or eavesdropping shall specify:
(a)
The identity of the person, if known, whose communications are to be intercepted;
(b)
Except as otherwise provided in subsection (17) of this section, the nature and location of the communications facilities as to which, or the place where, authority to intercept is granted;
(c)
A particular description of the type of communication sought to be intercepted, and a statement of the particular offense to which it relates;
(d)
The identity of the agency authorized to intercept the communications, and of the person authorizing the application; and
(e)
The period of time during which an interception is authorized, including a statement as to whether or not the interception automatically terminates when the described communication is first obtained.
(6)
An order entered under this section may not authorize or approve the interception of any wire, oral, or electronic communication for any period longer than is necessary to achieve the objective of the authorization nor in any event longer than thirty days. Such thirty-day period begins the first day on which the investigative or law enforcement officer begins to conduct an interception under the order or ten days after the order is entered, whichever occurs earlier. An extension of an order may be granted but only upon application for an extension made in accordance with subsection (2) of this section and the court making the findings required by subsection (4) of this section. The period of an extension shall be no longer than the authorizing judge deems necessary to achieve the purposes for which it was granted and in no event for longer than thirty days. Every order and each extension thereof shall contain a provision that the authorization to intercept shall be executed as soon as practicable, shall be conducted in such a way as to minimize the interception under this section, and must terminate upon attainment of the authorized objective, or in any event in thirty days. No more than three extensions may be granted for any order entered under this section. In the event that the intercepted communication is in a code or foreign language and an expert in that foreign language or code is not reasonably available during the interception period, minimization may be accomplished as soon as practicable after such interception. An interception made pursuant to this section may be conducted in whole or in part by government personnel or by an individual operating pursuant to a contract with the government and acting under the supervision of an investigative or law enforcement officer authorized to conduct the interception.
(7)
If an order authorizing interception is entered pursuant to this section, the order may require reports to be made to the judge who issued the order, showing what progress has been made toward achievement of the authorized objective and the need for continued interception. Such report shall be made at such times as the judge may require.
(8)
(a)
The contents of any wire, oral, or electronic communication intercepted by any means authorized by this section shall, if possible, be recorded on tape, wire, or other comparable device. The recording of the contents of any wire, oral, or electronic communication under this subsection (8) shall be done in such a way as will protect the recording from editing or other alterations. Immediately upon expiration of the period of the order, or extension thereof, the recording shall be made available to the judge issuing the order and sealed under his directions. Custody of the recording shall be wherever the judge orders. A recording shall not be destroyed except upon an order of the judge and in any event shall be kept for ten years. Duplicate recordings may be made for use or disclosure pursuant to the provisions of this section. The presence of the seal provided for by this subsection (8), or a satisfactory explanation for the absence thereof, is a prerequisite for the use or disclosure of the contents of any wire, oral, or electronic communication or evidence derived under this section.
(b)
Applications made and orders granted under this section shall be sealed by the judge. Custody of the applications and orders shall be wherever the judge directs. The applications and orders shall be disclosed only upon a showing of good cause before a judge of competent jurisdiction, and shall not be destroyed except on order of the judge to whom presented, and in any event shall be kept for ten years. Information obtained pursuant to a court order authorizing interception of wire, oral, or electronic communications shall not be used, published, or divulged except in accordance with the provisions of this article.
(c)
Any violation of the provisions of this subsection (8) may be punished as contempt of court.
(d)
Within a reasonable time, but not later than ninety days after the filing of an application for an order of approval under this section, which application is denied, or after the termination of the period of an order or extensions thereof, the judge to whom the application was presented shall cause to be served, on the persons named in the order or the application, and such other parties to intercepted communications as the judge may determine in his discretion is in the interest of justice, notice of the following:
(I)
The fact of the entry of the order or application;
(II)
The date of the entry and the period of authorized, approved, or disapproved interception, or the denial of the application; and
(III)
The fact that during the period wire, oral, or electronic communications were or were not intercepted. The judge, upon the filing of a motion, may, in his discretion, make available to any such person or his counsel for inspection such portions of the intercepted communications, applications, and orders as the judge determines to be in the interest of justice. On an ex parte showing of good cause to a judge of competent jurisdiction, the serving of the matter required by this paragraph (d) may be postponed.
(9)
The contents of any intercepted wire, oral, or electronic communication or the evidence derived therefrom shall not be received in evidence or otherwise disclosed in any trial, hearing, or other proceeding in a state court, unless each party, not less than ten days before the trial, hearing, or proceeding, has been furnished with a copy of the court order, and accompanying application, under which the interception was authorized or approved. This ten-day period may be waived by the court if it finds that it was not possible to furnish the party with the information ten days before the trial, hearing, or proceeding and that the party will not be prejudiced by the delay in receiving this information.
(10)
Any aggrieved person in any trial, hearing, or proceeding in or before any court, department, officer, agency, regulatory body, or other authority of the state of Colorado, or a political subdivision thereof, may move to suppress the contents of any intercepted wire, oral, or electronic communication or the evidence derived therefrom on the grounds that: The communication was unlawfully intercepted; the order of authorization or approval under which it was intercepted is insufficient on its face; or the interception was not made in conformity with the order of authorization or approval. This motion shall be made before the trial, hearing, or proceeding unless there was no opportunity to make such motion or the person was not aware of the grounds of the motion. If the motion is granted, the contents of the intercepted wire, oral, or electronic communication or the evidence derived therefrom shall not be received as evidence. The remedies and sanctions provided for in this section with respect to the interception of electronic communications are the only judicial remedies and sanctions for nonconstitutional violations of this section involving such communications.
(11)
In addition to any other right to appeal, the state of Colorado has the right to appeal from an order granting a motion to suppress made under subsection (10) of this section, or the denial of an application for an order of approval, if the person making or authorizing the application certifies to the judge granting the motion or denying an application that the appeal is not taken for purposes of delay. Such appeal shall be taken within thirty days after the date the order was entered and shall be diligently prosecuted.
(12)
Any investigative or law enforcement officer who, by any means authorized by this section, has obtained knowledge of the contents of any wire, oral, or electronic communication or the evidence derived therefrom may disclose such contents to another investigative or law enforcement officer to the extent that this disclosure is appropriate in the proper performance of the official duties of the officer making or receiving the disclosure.
(13)
Any investigative or law enforcement officer who, by any means authorized by this section, has obtained knowledge of the contents of any wire, oral, or electronic communication or the evidence derived therefrom may use those contents to the extent the use is appropriate in the official performance of his official duties.
(14)
Any person who has received, by any means authorized by this section, any information concerning a wire, oral, or electronic communication or any evidence derived therefrom, intercepted in accordance with the provisions of this section, may disclose the contents of that communication or derivative evidence while giving testimony in any criminal proceeding in any court of this state or in a grand jury proceeding.
(15)
No otherwise privileged wire, oral, or electronic communication intercepted in accordance with, or in violation of, the provisions of this section shall lose its privileged character.
(16)
When an investigative or law enforcement officer, while engaged in intercepting wire, oral, or electronic communications in the manner authorized in this section, intercepts wire, oral, or electronic communications relating to an offense other than one specified in the order of authorization or approval, the contents thereof and the evidence derived therefrom may be disclosed or used as provided in subsections (12) and (13) of this section only if an offense other than one specified in the order is an offense which constitutes a felony under Colorado statutes. The contents thereof and the evidence derived therefrom, as authorized by this section, may be used under subsection (14) of this section only when authorized or approved by a judge of competent jurisdiction when the judge finds on subsequent application that the contents were otherwise intercepted in accordance with the provisions of this section. This application shall be made as soon as practicable.
(17)
(a)
The requirements of paragraph (b) of subsection (2), paragraph (d) of subsection (4), and paragraph (b) of subsection (5) of this section relating to the specification of the facilities from which, or the place where, the communications are to be intercepted do not apply if:
(I)
In the case of an application with respect to the interception of an oral communication:
(A)
The application is made by an investigative or law enforcement officer and is approved by the attorney general or the district attorney of the district in which the application is sought;
(B)
The application contains a full and complete statement as to why such specification is not practical and identifies the person committing the offense and whose communications are to be intercepted; and
(C)
The judge finds that such specification is not practical; and
(II)
In the case of an application with respect to the interception of a wire or electronic communication:
(A)
The application is made by an investigative or law enforcement officer and is approved by the attorney general or the district attorney of the district in which the application is sought;
(B)
The application identifies the person believed to be committing the offense and whose communications are to be intercepted and the applicant makes a showing of a purpose, on the part of that person, to thwart interception by changing facilities; and
(C)
The judge finds that such purpose has been adequately shown.
(b)
An interception of a communication under an order with respect to which the requirements of paragraph (b) of subsection (2), paragraph (d) of subsection (4), and paragraph (b) of subsection (5) of this section do not apply pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (a) of this subsection (17) shall not begin until the facilities from which, or the place where, the communication is to be intercepted is ascertained by the person implementing the interception order. A provider of wire or electronic communications service that has received an order pursuant to subparagraph (II) of paragraph (a) of this subsection (17) may move the court to modify or quash the order on the ground that its assistance with respect to the interception cannot be performed in a timely or reasonable fashion. The court, upon notice to the government, shall decide such a motion expeditiously.
(18)
(a)
Any other provision of this article notwithstanding, any investigative or law enforcement officer specifically designated by the attorney general or a district attorney may intercept wire, oral, or electronic communications for a period not to exceed twenty-four hours under the following circumstances:
(I)
When an emergency situation exists that involves the holding of hostages or kidnapping by the use of physical force, a deadly weapon, or an explosive device, and there is imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death to any person, or where one or more suspects in a felony crime have barricaded themselves in a building and there is a reasonable belief that one or more of the suspects is armed with a deadly weapon or explosive device; and
(II)
There are reasonable and sufficient grounds present upon which an order could be entered to authorize such interception.
(b)
Any emergency interception shall terminate upon attainment of the authorized objective as set forth in subparagraph (I) of paragraph (a) of this subsection (18) or at the end of the twenty-four-hour period, whichever comes first.
(c)
The investigative or law enforcement officer designated pursuant to paragraph (a) of this subsection (18) and the official making such designation shall submit an application for the interception of wire, oral, or electronic communications to a judge of competent jurisdiction within the twenty-four-hour period described in paragraph (a) of this subsection (18). Such application shall be submitted regardless of whether or not the interception was terminated within the twenty-four-hour period. Such application shall comply in all respects with the requirements of this section and sections
16-15-101
,
16-15-103
, and
16-15-104
.
(d)
If, after the application described in paragraph (c) of this subsection (18) is made, the application is denied, any interception shall immediately cease. In such case, all recordings shall be sealed by the court as soon as practicable, and any communication intercepted shall be treated as a communication which has been obtained in violation of section
18-9-305
, C.R.S., and an inventory shall be served in accordance with this article. Any such communication shall not be admissible in any legal action against any person whose communication was intercepted.
(e)
All provisions of this article shall be applicable with respect to the execution of any interception under emergency circumstances.
(f)
Repealed.
Amended by 2023 Ch. 68,§ 12, eff. 4/14/2023.
Amended by 2019 Ch. 136, § 87, eff. 10/1/2019.
Amended by 2018 Ch. 14, § 12, eff. 10/1/2018.
Amended by 2017 Ch. 69, § 1, eff. 9/1/2017.
L. 71: p. 486, § 2. C.R.S. 1963: § 39-24-2. L. 72: pp. 269, 270, §§ 1, 2. L. 75: (1)(a)(VII) amended, p. 631, § 3, effective July 1. L. 81: (1)(a)(VI) amended, p. 737, § 19, effective July 1. L. 85: (1)(a)(III) amended, p. 1360, § 11, effective June 28. L. 87: (1)(a)(VII) amended and (1)(a)(VII.5) added, p. 615, § 3, effective May 8. L. 88: (2)(b), (2)(e), IP(4), (4)(d), (5)(b), (6), (8)(a), (8)(b), (8)(d)(III), (9), (10), and (12) to (16) amended and (17) added, p. 686, § 2, effective May 29. L. 91: IP(1)(a), IP(2), and IP(4) amended and (18) added, p. 433, § 1, effective May 18; (1)(a)(IX) added, p. 1581, § 6, effective June 4. L. 92: (1)(a)(IX) amended, p. 2172, § 21, effective June 2. L. 95: (18)(f) repealed, p. 463, § 4, effective July 1. L. 2007: (18)(a)(I) amended, p. 327, § 1, effective April 2. L. 2008: IP(1)(a) and (6) amended and (1)(c) added, p. 47, § 1, effective August 5. L. 2012: (1)(a)(VI) amended, (HB 12-1311), ch. 281, p. 1617, § 35, effective July 1. L. 2017: (1)(a)(IX) amended and (1)(a)(X) added, (HB 17-1040), ch. 69, p. 217, § 1, effective September 1. L. 2018: (1)(a)(IX) amended, (SB 18-034), ch. 14, p. 239, § 12, effective October 1.