Animal Protection Officer - Denver Animal Protection

Responsibilities

• We foster an inclusive culture by respecting the values, customs, and authenticity of everyone and by implementing equitable public health strategies so Denver communities can thrive.
• Specifically, the Animal Protection Officer:
• Independently triages and prioritizes a dynamic workload of complaints by responding to scenes, conducting interviews, collecting evidence, and evaluating probable cause to make critical enforcement decisions.
• Enforces Denver Revised Municipal Code and Colorado Revised Statutes while exercising professional discretion through a range of options, from warnings and citations to court summonses and executing search and seizure warrants.
• Compiles thorough, court-ready narratives and evidence to present a strong case for prosecution, maintaining a collaborative working relationship with the City and District Attorney's Offices.
• Functions as a specialized first responder in physically demanding and psychologically complex environments, managing high-stress scenes involving aggressive animals, injury, or death.
• Navigates complex social dynamics using de-escalation and trauma-informed communication to address the link between animal welfare and human crisis, including recognizing indicators of interpersonal violence.
• Captures, handles, and impounds unpredictable domestic pets and wild rabies-vectors, including close-quarters handling for shelter intake, vaccinations, and humane euthanasia.
• Performs humane euthanasia by injection for domestic and wild animals, executing determinations made by veterinary or behavioral specialists through a formalized evaluation process.
• Maintains detailed daily logs and case files in Chameleon and SharePoint, exercising critical decision-making in an unpredictable environment where you are frequently diverted to high-priority calls.
• Promotes a One Health mindset by educating community groups and the public on responsible pet ownership, safe human-animal interactions, and public health ordinances.
• Testifies as a professional witness to the entire investigative process, making sentencing and case resolution recommendations based on field findings.
• Ensures accountability for an agency-provided vehicle and a comprehensive set of safety gear, keeping all issued equipment clean, operational, and ready for field use.
• Participates in the department's emergency preparedness operations, which includes supporting the City's Emergency Operations Plan and responding to "on-call" emergencies as needed.
• This position requires availability to work a variety of shifts, including mornings, evenings, overnights, mandatory on-ca

Benefits

Additional Information

About Our Job With competitive pay, great benefits, and endless opportunities, working for the City and County of Denver means seeing yourself working with purpose - for you, and those who benefit from your passion, skills and expertise. Join our diverse, inclusive and talented workforce of more than 11,000 team members who are at the heart of what makes Denver, Denver.

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