Peace officer Obstruction is an easily charged crime in Fort Collins and Larimer County. This is because it leaves the discretion to the actual officer as to what conduct constitutes obstructing, impairing, or hindering. A reporter covering a protest was recently arrested and charged with Obstruction of a Peace Officer after the officer claimed she never identified herself as a reporter and recorded the officer. Apparently, the officer didn’t like being recorded – which begs the question, what was he doing that he didn’t want to be recorded? But, that’s an issue for another day. It was later proven, through video, that the reporter very clearly identified herself correctly and was wearing proper credentials easily seen around her neck. The police department claimed that if she was close enough to the officer to be grabbed, then she was too close. So, there you have it. Apparently being near a police officer now constitutes officer Obstruction.
Fort Collins Officer Obstruction Attorney: Definition of Obstructing a Peace Officer in Larimer County, Colorado
The Larimer County, Colorado law definition of Obstructing a Peace Officer – C.R.S. 18-8-104 – is:
Again, the terms used to describe the acts are vague. It’s likely the officer would claim that her being so close to him ‘hindered’ his ability to do his job. It’s amazing to me that some officers feel they have the authority to violently throw people to the ground and detain them for hours because they got near to them.
Sentence for Obstruction of a Police Officer in Loveland and Estes Park
In Fort Collins, Loveland and Estes Park, Police Officer Obstruction is a class 2 misdemeanor. This level misdemeanor is punishable by 3 months to 364 days in the Larimer County Jail and up to $1,000 in fines. So, the lesson here – don’t go anywhere near an officer, because you might just end up spending almost a year in jail.