Bureau of Animal Protection (BAP)
Quarterly Newsletter: Spring 2022
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Introduction to BAP, our quarterly newsletter, and the new BAP team
The BAP was first created in 1990 when the Colorado legislature reenacted the Animal Protection Act.
The Bureau’s mission is to conduct outreach and education and administer and enforce the provisions of the Animal Protection Act to prevent the neglect, mistreatment, or abandonment of domestic and companion animals in Colorado.
The BAP oversees and trains approximately 100 commissioned volunteer animal protection agents, administers a stakeholder task force to obtain feedback from diverse perspectives on animal protection issues, conducts outreach and education, and works with local animal protection and law enforcement officials to advance cooperation in the investigation of potential animal mistreatment, neglect or abandonment. You can read more about the BAP at our website here.
In Spring 2022, BAP underwent a change of leadership and received enhanced resources from the legislature. For the first time, the BAP program will have three full time employees: a program manager, a lead investigator/complaint coordinator, and a veterinarian dedicated to the BAP program.
This enhanced capacity will enable the BAP to be more responsive to complaints that come into the agency and provide more support for local law enforcement and agents in the field to address cases of potential animal mistreatment. It will also allow us to enhance the outreach, education, and stakeholder engagement we do related to the BAP program and preventing animal mistreatment and neglect.
One of our first outreach initiatives is to start a quarterly newsletter for BAP agents, stakeholders, and members of the public to share the work that we are doing. This is the first installment of our newsletter.
Each quarter, the newsletter will include key updates and announcements related to the BAP program, statistics on regulatory actions and investigations led by BAP agents and CDA BAP program staff, examples of key cases, and an article summarizing policy or scientific topics of relevance to the BAP program.
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Introduction to the new BAP team |
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Dr. Rebecca Niemiec
BAP Program Manager
She started this role in March, 2022. Before coming to the BAP, she was an Assistant Professor at Colorado State University in the Human Dimensions of Natural Resources Department, where she taught, researched, and managed a lab and center focused on human-animal and human-environment relations. Dr. Niemiec has a BA in Ecology and Environmental Studies from Dartmouth College and a PhD in Environment and Resources from Stanford University. She is excited to bring her expertise in management, outreach, education, and stakeholder engagement to the BAP program.
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Taylor Peterson
BAP lead investigator/complaint coordinator
She started this role in April, 2022. Before coming to the BAP, she was an Animal Control Supervisor with the Park County Sheriff's Office. Taylor has been serving as a commissioned BAP agent for four and a half years. She has completed 358 hours of animal welfare and animal cruelty/neglect investigations on livestock as well as companion animal cases. She is excited to provide support and education on accepted animal husbandry to the entire state of Colorado.
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Becky Hoffman
Programs Coordinator,
Animal Health Division
Becky joined CDA in 2016 and assists with many facets of the division including BAP administrative tasks. Becky has helped create the database that holds BAP agent information, incidents, and dangerous dog registrations.
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Dr. Maggie Baldwin
Colorado State Veterinarian
Dr. Baldwin oversees the Animal Health Division within the Colorado Department of Agriculture. Dr. Baldwin joined the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s Animal Health Division in January 2017, focusing on emergency response, incident management, and public outreach. She provides oversight and guidance to the BAP program and deploys resources from the Animal Health Division to assist the BAP in addressing cases.
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Hollis Glenn
Deputy Commissioner of Operations for the Colorado Department of Agriculture.
Over the past 6 years, Hollis has overseen a number of regulatory programs that provide economic protection to agricultural producers. He provides the department support and advises on the direction of the program, including the development of the BAP’s strategic plan.
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BAP Updates and Announcements |
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In March 2022, CDA BAP program staff began a strategic planning process for the BAP program. The development of the three-year strategic plan was a collaborative process that involved getting feedback from law enforcement, veterinarians, BAP agents, and diverse stakeholders on what has worked well in the BAP and how we can improve.
To aid in our strategic planning and overall decision-making, we have developed 7 guiding principles for the BAP moving forward (see panel to the right).
These guiding principles are the values that we will strive to uphold in all the work that we do. The final three-year strategic plan is available on the BAP website.
To begin implementing the strategic plan, Dr. Niemiec is leading subcommittees of stakeholders and BAP agents who will develop initiatives related to four components of the strategic plan:
- statistics reporting on animal mistreatment and neglect cases;
- developing training for law enforcement, district attorneys, and prosecutors;
- streamlining and updating BAP agent applications, training, communication, and re-certification processes;
- conducting public outreach on recognizing animal neglect and what constitutes accepted animal husbandry practices.
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The BAP website has been updated! On the BAP website, people can now submit complaints of potential animal mistreatment through an online complaint form. Additionally, information on the BAP program and how to apply to become a BAP agent has been added.
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BAP Stakeholder Task Force |
The BAP task force is a diverse group of veterinarians, county commissioners, and representatives from livestock and animal welfare organizations, academic institutions, and law enforcement.
The purpose of the task force is to obtain feedback from diverse stakeholders on BAP initiatives and animal protection issues related to the mission of the BAP.
The ad hoc task force was first convened in Fall 2021 and typically meets quarterly. In Spring 2022, the BAP led two stakeholder task force meetings.
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New Voluntary Statistics Initiatives |
BAP is starting two new statistics data collection initiatives to better understand the scope and response to animal abuse and mistreatment across Colorado.
BAP agents, local law enforcement, and animal control officers will be able to participate by submitting additional information to the Department of Agriculture. These new initiatives were developed collaboratively with the BAP statistics subcommittee, which includes CDA staff, stakeholders, and BAP agents.
Initiative 1: Obtaining detailed information about BAP cases where agents use their BAP authority
We have developed a form for BAP agents to submit case files to the Colorado Department of Agriculture BAP staff when they have closed a case that involved using their BAP authority, as outlined in Title 35 Article 42.
This database will help BAP staff better understand the types of cases that BAP agents address and how BAP staff can support agents out in the field.
If you are a BAP agent and you'd like to contribute to this database, please complete this form whenever you have closed a case that involved using your BAP authority. |
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Initiative 2: Statewide animal cruelty (Title 18) case database
The purpose of this database is to gather information on statewide trends in animal abuse and mistreatment cases addressed under the Title 18 Criminal Code, Part 2 Cruelty to Animals. This will aid in identifying training and support needs for addressing animal mistreatment. This database will add additional information beyond the statistics collected on cases addressed by BAP agents under the Title 35 Agriculture Code.
To develop this database, we are asking law enforcement and animal control officers to submit monthly statistics to a statewide database on animal cruelty cases addressed under Title 18 using an online form. Participation in this initiative is voluntary and the agency representative submitting statistics does not have to be a BAP agent.
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Key Cases and Media Coverage |
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Each quarter, we will highlight a few significant cases where CDA BAP staff and/or BAP agents addressed cases of animal mistreatment. Below are some cases from Spring 2022 (prior to May 31st): |
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Montezuma County Animal Mistreatment Investigation |
The Colorado Department of Agriculture’s BAP staff and agents removed more than 150 companion and livestock animals from a private property in Montezuma County following a BAP investigation and a determination by the Montezuma County District Court that the animals’ health was in danger. BAP staff worked with the Colorado Humane Society (CHS) and the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office as well as the Denkai Animal Sanctuary and local community volunteers.
Please note that as of June 1st, 2022, this case is still open so is not included in the Spring 2022 statistics below.
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BAP Assistance to Local Law Enforcement on Animal Relinquishments in Logan and El Paso Counties |
In Spring 2022, CDA BAP and Animal Health Division staff and BAP agents from the Colorado Humane Society and the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region (HSPPR) assisted local law enforcement with cases of owner relinquishments of animals.
In Logan County, CDA staff helped local law enforcement round up and transport relinquished pigs and sheep, while BAP agents from the Colorado Humane Society removed horses and dogs.
In El Paso County, CDA BAP staff and HSPPR BAP agents helped local law enforcement remove and transport relinquished pigs, cattle, turkeys, and chickens.
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For each newsletter, we will provide a summary of two types of statistics from that quarter:
- the numbers and types of cases and actions taken by CDA BAP program staff in response to complaints and requests for assistance filed directly to the CDA BAP program;
- the numbers and types of cases and actions taken by commissioned BAP agents (submitted each month by a representative from each agency).
Because this is our first newsletter, we have also provided historical statistics for BAP agents and CDA BAP program staff.
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Outreach Topic of the Quarter:
The Link Between Animal Maltreatment and Violence Towards Humans
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For each quarterly newsletter, we will include a brief outreach article on a key topic related to the work that the BAP does.
This quarter’s article focuses on summarizing research on the link between animal maltreatment and violence towards humans. Conducting outreach on this link is essential to highlight the importance of addressing cases of animal maltreatment.
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305 Interlocken Parkway
Broomfield, CO 80021
303-869-9282
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