Opinion ID: 2521248
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Role of Peace Officer

Text: Finally, Pautler contends that this court has never addressed whether district attorneys, while functioning as peace officers, may employ deception to apprehend suspects. He suggests that because peace officers may employ lethal force when pursuing a fleeing, dangerous felon, it would be absurd to sanction an officer who instead uses artifice, simply because that officer is also a licensed attorney. We disagree. The Rules of Professional Conduct apply to anyone licensed to practice law in Colorado. See In re C de Baca, 11 P.3d 426, 429-30 (Colo.2000) (ruling that lawyers must adhere to the Rules of Professional Conduct even when suspended from the practice of law). The Rules speak to the role of attorneys in society; however, we do not understand such language as permitting attorneys to move in and out of ethical obligations according to their daily activities. Pautler cites Higgs v. District Court, 713 P.2d 840 (Colo.1985), for the proposition that this court has provided a test for distinguishing when prosecutors act as advocates and when they act as investigators, for purposes of governmental immunity. Id. at 853. Such test exists, but we hold here that in either role, the Rules of Professional Conduct apply. The obligations concomitant with a license to practice law trump obligations concomitant with a lawyer's other duties, even apprehending criminals. Moreover, this case does not confront us with the propriety of an attorney using deceit instead of lethal force to halt a fleeing felon. We limit our holding to the facts before us. Until a sufficiently compelling scenario presents itself and convinces us our interpretation of Colo. RPC 8.4(c) is too rigid, we stand resolute against any suggestion that licensed attorneys in our state may deceive or lie or misrepresent, regardless of their reasons for doing so.