Disorderly Conduct

What Is Disorderly Conduct In Colorado Springs?

You get charged with disorderly conduct when you do something to disturb others. It could be something relatively minor including being drunk and belligerent in public or disturbing the peace in other ways.

Disorderly Conduct = Breaching The Peace

A lot of times, this activity is referred to as “breaching the peace.” This is because it’s usually a very disruptive activity that one does in public that causes the charge. There are Colorado laws for what constitutes disorderly conduct. Thus, it could incorporate various actions.

The penalty for the charge is typically dependent on the severity involved. When there is domestic violence of any type, disorderly conduct could constitute being excessively loud or some other publicly disruptive behavior.

Because of the very broad nature of a disorderly conduct charge, you could be arrested and charged with disorderly conduct without even knowing you did something wrong. In the state of Colorado, you could get charged with committing this offense if you happen to do any of the following:

Make an offensive gesture or display in an otherwise public place that is meant to disrupt the peace.
Make an unreasonable amount of excessive noise in a public place or by private property that you don’t have a specific reason to occupy.
Get into a physical altercation with someone in a public place.
Fire a firearm in a public place (assuming you aren’t engaging in lawful activity).
Display a firearm or another similar item in a way that could lead someone to reasonably believe it’s a firearm in a public place in a way that is meant to pose a threat to someone else.

Penalties For Disorderly Conduct

The level of penalty for disorderly conduct can range depending on the severity of the actual conduct. In general, it’s considered a petty offense that requires a max of $500 to be paid via a fine and the guilty to spend 6 months in jail.

If you end up committing disorderly conduct by using a firearm unlawfully or you use any sort of deadly weapon in an attempt to cause alarm, you could get it increased to a Class 2 Misdemeanor offense. This would increase the punishability of the offense and you would be subjected to 3 months to one year of jail along with having to pay fines ranging from $250 to $1,000.

When you are dealing with being charged with domestic violence disorderly conduct, you could be faced with:

Jail time
Probation
Significant fines
Restitution
A legal restraining order
Domestic violence classes

Inciting a Riot

The charge of inciting a riot is defined as a person who:

Incites a large group featuring (five or more) persons to get involved with an existing or future riot; or
Gives instructions, commands, or even signals to a group (five or more) persons to contribute to a riot.

This is deemed as a class 1 misdemeanor. For this charge, you could be expected to serve anywhere from 6 to 18 months in prison and to pay a fine of up to $5,000.

If the property gets damaged or there is someone injured because you incited a riot, you could have that charge bumped up to a class 5 felony. The penalties then increase drastically including facing anywhere from one to three years in prison and fines up to $100,000.

Likewise, a conviction includes a mandatory parole period of two full years.

Avoid A Charge Of Disorderly Conduct

Whenever you are in a public space, you would want to try to keep your emotions in check. This is especially true if you are planning on drinking. If you end up at a party where police get involved, it’s best to stay calm, and polite, or to remove yourself from the situation entirely. Avoid trying to be the hero. Don’t get involved with a situation that puts you at risk.

Otherwise, you could find yourself catching a disorderly conduct charge and spending a very inconvenient night in jail because of it.