Media

Support for Journalists

Recognizing the important role news media plays in keeping our community informed, the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office is committed to providing information that assists in accurate and comprehensive reporting on cases and criminal justice issues.

Media Contact

Brionna Boatright
Director of Public Affairs
[email protected]

Criminal Justice Records

Unlike records from other government entities that are mandated to be public under the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA), all records that are made, maintained or kept by a criminal justice agency are subject to the Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act (CCJRA).

Records of Official Action

Under CCJRA, the only criminal justice records that are mandated to be released by the District Attorney’s Office or any other criminal justice agency are records of official actions as defined by the Colorado General Assembly in Colorado Revised Statutes (CRS) § 24-72-302(7). The information that is mandated for release is limited to:

Official action taken
Identity of the criminal justice agency taking the official action
Date and location of the official action
Name, date-of-birth, last-known address and sex of the accused
Alleged offenses or nature of the charges

Discretionary Criminal Justice Records

Any information or records that are not explicitly defined as an official action is a discretionary criminal justice record that requires the custodian to perform a balancing test before determining whether or not it can be made public. As affirmed in Freedom Colorado Information, Inc., v. El Paso County Sheriff’s Department (2008), the custodian must perform a balancing test that considers:

Privacy interests of individuals who may be impacted by release
Interest in maintaining confidential records
Interest in pursuing on-going investigations
Public purpose to be served
Any other pertinent, relevant consideration

Records Requests

To submit a request, please visit our Contact Us page and use the “Media Inquiry” form.

Ethical Obligations

Although the CCJRA balancing test is all that needs to be considered by most criminal justice entities, the District Attorney’s Office has additional obligations to ensure every defendant’s Sixth Amendment right to a fair trial “by an impartial jury” and avoiding “heightened public condemnation of the accused” without due process.

Under Rules 3.6 and 3.8(f) of the Colorado Rules of Professional Conduct – a set of attorney regulations adopted by the Colorado Supreme Court – the District Attorney’s Office is prohibited from making any comments or providing any information outside of the limited exceptions listed under Rule 3.6(b-c).

For more information, please see the Colorado Rules of Professional Conduct.

Expanded Media Requests

Courts in Colorado are open to the public but any photography or audio recording of proceedings requires permission from the presiding judge. Applications are handled the Colorado Judicial Branch and can be submitted through the online Request for Expanded Media Coverage form.

When submitting your request, please make sure to include under “Certificates of Service” the email address for Director of Public Affairs, Brionna Boatright – [email protected].

Press Releases

Any media outlet or member of the general public can subscribe to receive press releases from the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office through the “Media Inquiry” form on the Contact Us page.

Press releases can also be found on the News & Updates page.

Victim Interview Requests

We understand the desire to hear from the people directly impacted by a crime but ask that you please respect the privacy of all victims in your reporting as nobody chooses to be a victim of crime.

If you would like to interview a victim, we ask that you please submit your request to our office. The victim witness specialist who works with the victim throughout the case will communicate your request and – if the victim wants to do an interview – pass along your contact information.