Joe Stafford
Feels like we jumped past spring and straight into summer. Nonetheless summer is in full swing and I am sure you all are as busy as we are. Remember to stay safe by practicing good officer safety and know that all of the calls for you to protect public safety, health, and the welfare of animals are Job Security.
Thanks to the hard work and dedication of numerous Board Members, Sponsors, Speakers, Staff of the Lakewood Holiday Inn, and most of all Participants the Spring Conference was a success. An extra special Thank You goes out to our Vice President Janee Teauge and Education Coordinator Staci McBrayer. These two individuals spent countless hours making this event happen and for their extraordinary effort we are grateful.
The Board would like to recognize the accomplishments of the ACOs that passed the CAACO Certification Examination: Vincent Carlon-Centennial, Natalie Clarke - Thornton, Bryan Harmon - Westminster, Cessna Herrera - Brighton, Jim Marsh - Adams County, Amanda Schrock - Centennial, and Bret Smith – Pueblo. Great job and welcome to the ranks of CAACO Certified Officers.
Did you know that there are approximately 350 Animal Control Officers in Colorado and only 135 of those are CAACO Certified? This is truly an elite group of individuals that are dedicated to the never ending search for knowledge and improvement.
We encourage all CAACO members to take the certification examination and will offer at least two additional opportunities in 2010. The first opportunity will be scheduled for the middle of September in Colorado Springs and the second examination will be in conjunction with the 2010 Animal Welfare Conference scheduled for October 14-15, 2010 in Black Hawk, CO. We would also like to work toward offering the examination on the Western Slope. Anyone interested in participating in a Western Slope Examination should contact ReRe Baker, CAACO Western Region Director or another Board member to discuss this possibility. With the legislative attacks waged against ACOs in 2010 the CAACO Certification becomes even more critical to protecting both you and your organization not to mention the contribution you would be making towards further professionalizing our career field!
Where are we at with establishing Training and Certification Standards for Animal Control Officers. As you may be aware we put together a survey on this topic and asked for your input during April. Approximately 75 individuals responded. Thank you for taking the time and effort to help us to better understand this issue.
We then held a meeting with a wide variety of stakeholders on April 26, 2010. Out of this meeting and survey a decision was made to complete an application for ACOs to be granted Peace Officer Status by the Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Board. This application is being processed and will be submitted for consideration not later than July 1, 2010. We continue to welcome your input and will keep everyone informed as this issue progresses.
The Board is excited to announce our first joint venture with the Colorado Federation of Animal Welfare Agencies (CFAWA). Members of CAACO and CFAWA have been working very hard on a combined conference that will meet the needs of both organizations’ members and provide a truly unique networking opportunity. The 2010 Animal Welfare Conference is the results of this effort.
The Conference will be held October 14-15 in Black Hawk at the Ameristar Hotel and Casino. The Ameristar is a perfect location for this event with state of the art facilities, reasonable room rates, spa, great restaurants, and a casino; it is a premier entertainment destination in the Denver area.
By expanding the conference and partnering with CFAWA, we are able to increase our class offerings and networking activities. This year the conference will provide three learning tracks Management, Sheltering and Field Services.
The Field Services track will feature Forensic Crime Scene Processing with Dr. Melida Merc ASPCA Forensic Veterinarian, Working with Your Prosecutor Diane Balkin Denver District Attorney, The Colorado LINK Project Denver University Institute for Human-Animal Connection, Success in Calgary City of Calgary Animal Control and By-Law Services, and Introduction to Veterinarian Medicine for Law Enforcement Dr. John Kuck Aspen Animal Hospital.
The Management and Sheltering Tracks will offer a wide variety of topics such as: Effective Grant Writing, Top 4 Management Challenges, Effective Coaching Techniques, Animal Advocacy and Lobbying, Canine Influenza, Microchipping, and Canine/Feline Behavior.
When all of you register for the low rate of around $100 for 13 hours of training you can elect to attend any of the classes being offered during that particular time slot. So if your organization would benefit from an increased knowledge of Grant Writing select this topic, if you want to learn about the latest advances in Microchipping attend the Shelter Track, or if you missed Melina Merc and the fascinating world of Veterinarian Forensics (Animal CSI) last time you might elect to register for this course.
More information will be provided via caaco.org and by email in the next month or so but mark your calendars now for October 14 and 15th.
Sincerely,
—JOE