Electronic Warrant Bill Passes

A bill that allows members of law enforcement to receive and apply for warrants electronically was passed unanimously in the House today, and read for the first time in the Senate.

The vote was almost unanimous, with Rep. Mike Cerbo (D-Denver) casting the only dissenting vote. The measure was introduced by freshman legislator Don Marostica (R-Loveland), who hinted at the bill in December when talking with Colorado Confidential. Senator John Morse (D-Colorado Springs), a former police chief , has also attached his name to the measure, and it appears that the bill will likely become law.

From the earlier interview with Rep. Marostica before session, with his own words on the bill:

“I’m thinking about introducing a bill to bring technology up to date for seizures and warrants for police departments. Right now, policemen out of their cars…if they’re looking at getting a seizure, they can get a faxed signature from the judge in order to get a warrant. I just want to update that because a lot of the patrol cars don’t have faxes in them, and they’re very expensive and you gotta have paper….

“So, that’s one thing I’ve been asked to do by the police department. To carry a bill just to update the statues that we already have to include electronic signatures.”

Erin Rosa was born in Spain and raised in Colorado Springs. She is a freelance writer currently living in Denver. Rosa's work has been featured in a variety of news outlets including the Huffington Post, Democracy Now!, and the Rocky Mountain Chronicle, an alternative-weekly in Northern Colorado where she worked as a columnist covering the state legislature. Rosa has received awards from the Society of Professional Journalists for her reporting on lobbying and woman's health issues. She was also tapped with a rare honorable mention award by the Newspaper Guild-CWA's David S. Barr Award in 2008--only the second such honor conferred in its nine-year history--for her investigative series covering the federal government's Supermax prison in the state. Rosa covers the labor community, corrections, immigration and government transparency matters. She can be reached at erosa@www.coloradoindependent.com.