Opinion ID: 2640649
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Term Law Enforcement Agency

Text: We now begin our analysis of this issue, which requires us to construe the definition of the term law enforcement agency as it is used in section 16-10-103(1)(k). Words and phrases are to be construed according to their common usage unless they have acquired a technical or particular meaning, whether by legislative definition or otherwise. § 2-4-101, C.R.S. (2004); Binkley v. People, 716 P.2d 1111, 1113 (Colo.1986). The term law enforcement agency is not defined by section 16-10-103 or by any of the other statutes that govern jury selection and composition. See §§ 16-10-101 to 110, C.R.S. (2005). Therefore, we construe the term's meaning according to its common usage. The word agency is defined as a division of government. American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language 32, (4th ed.2000). The phrase law enforcement is defined as the detection and punishment of violations of the law. Black's Law Dictionary 891 (7th ed.1999). Detecting and punishing violations of law is commonly understood to be the job of the police or other police-like agencies. See American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, supra at 1358 (defining the word police as the governmental department ... established to maintain order, enforce the law, and prevent and detect crime). Police officers are responsible for enforcing criminal laws. They do this by investigating crimes, and arresting, detaining, and assisting in the prosecution of suspected criminals. See, e.g., Denver Police Dep't, Denver Police Dep't Operations Manual (2004). Therefore, the common understanding of the phrase law enforcement conjures up images of police officers carrying out typical police functions in order to enforce criminal laws. In the broadest sense, the phrase law enforcement means not only the enforcement of criminal laws but also the enforcement of civil regulations. Black's Law Dictionary, supra at 891. However, when a word can be defined in either a broad or a narrow sense, the definition that will best effectuate the General Assembly's intent should be applied. Fifteenth St. Inv. Co. v. People, 102 Colo. 571, 581, 81 P.2d 764, 769 (1938). The broad meaning of the phrase law enforcement includes the enforcement of both criminal laws and civil regulations. But, to apply this meaning would enlarge the pool of dismissible jurors to a size that was not contemplated by the General Assembly. See People v. Simon, 100 P.3d 487, 491 (Colo.App.2004) (observing that the General Assembly did not intend for all employees of the EPA to be disqualified under the statute). The narrow meaning of the phrase law enforcement is limited to the enforcement of criminal laws. To apply this meaning would keep the pool of dismissible jurors to an appropriate size and would also achieve the General Assembly's goal of maintaining actual and apparent jury impartiality. See People in Interest of R.A.D., 196 Colo. at 432, 586 P.2d at 47. When we construe a statute, our goal is to ascertain and to give effect to the General Assembly's intent. People v. Guenther, 740 P.2d 971, 975 (Colo.1987). Thus, we construe the phrase law enforcement to mean the enforcement of criminal laws by the police or other police-like agencies. In addition to reflecting the phrase's common definition and the General Assembly's intent, our construction of the phrase law enforcement finds support throughout Colorado statutory and case law. The statutes that define the term law enforcement agency also identify several types of law enforcement agencies, including: any police department, sheriff's department, or district attorney's office; the office of the state attorney general; the Colorado bureau of investigations; and the Colorado state patrol. §§ 8-47-203.3(2), 8-72-111(2), 24-50-127(2)(b), 26-1-114(3)(a)(III)(B), C.R.S. (2005) (statutes about state employee benefits and protections); § 42-5-201(6), C.R.S. (2005) (a statute about traffic regulations). Notably, each of these agencies enforces criminal laws, thus reinforcing the notion that the phrase law enforcement does not imply the enforcement of civil regulations. In a number of cases, the court of appeals has held that agencies responsible for enforcing civil regulations are not law enforcement agencies for the purpose of section 16-10-103(1)(k). See, e.g., People v. Zurenko, 833 P.2d 794, 796 (Colo.App.1991) (Department of Social Services and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission); People v. Topping, 764 P.2d 369, 370 (Colo.App.1988) (State Department of Administration), aff'd on other grounds, 793 P.2d 1168 (Colo.1990); People v. Urrutia, 893 P.2d 1338, 1346 (Colo.App.1994) (Department of Defense); Simon, 100 P.3d at 491 (Environmental Protection Agency); cf. People v. Scott, 41 Colo.App. 66, 583 P.2d 939, 941 (1978) (holding that the Department of Corrections is a law enforcement agency because some of the agency's personnel have the power to arrest); People v. Maes, 43 Colo.App. 365, 609 P.2d 1105, 1107 (1979) (holding that a challenge for cause to a mechanic in the Denver Police Department's garage should have been granted). Through these cases, the court of appeals has implicitly construed the phrase law enforcement, contained in section 16-10-103(1)(k), to connote only the enforcement of criminal laws. Combining the common meanings of the phrase law enforcement and the word agency, we reason that the term law enforcement agency means a division of government that detects and punishes criminal violations of the law by performing police-like duties such as investigating crimes and arresting, prosecuting, or detaining suspected criminals. Put in a less cumbersome way, a law enforcement agency is a police-like division of government that has the authority to investigate crimes and to arrest, to prosecute, or to detain suspected criminals.