Expert: Chris Wagoner - 3/10/2008

Question
i too want to became an animal cop. i live Colorado springs Colorado and i want any advise on where or how i can get a degree to became an animal cop. is it the same as just being a cop mixed with a little veterinary skills? please let me know by e-mailing me. it would be very much appreciated. thanks.

Answer
Hi Misty,

Being a "animal cop" as you say is just like you say, being a regular cop with some anuimal or vetinary skills on the side. If you are thinking of wanting to be a Animal Abuse Investigator (thats the correct term) then you have to become a cop first and apply when a position comes open.

Since you say your in Colorado, your state has a POST (Police Officer Standards Training) system.

With at said, here is the website for all of Colorado Police Training: http://www.ago.state.co.us/post_board.cfm?MenuPage=True

From the POST site:
A career in law enforcement can be exciting and rewarding.  However, becoming a Colorado peace officer requires high ethical standards, personal discipline, and extensive training.  To be eligible for appointment as a peace officer, an applicant must first be certified by the Peace Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.) Board.  Please note that students in training to be law enforcement officers and those whose certification is no longer current are ineligible to serve as police officers in the state of Colorado.

By law, a person must pass a certification examination administered by the P.O.S.T. Board, a physical and psychological examination, and a background check before he or she may serve as a peace officer in Colorado.

Background Checks

Under Rule 14, every applicant must be fingerprinted and cleared through the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The fingerprints can be rolled by an out of state law enforcement agency as long as it is done on the Colorado P.O.S.T. fingerprint card.  Either the agency or the individual may send the fingerprint card to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, 690 Kipling, Suite 3000, Denver, CO 80215 along with the $39.50 processing fee (certified check or money orders only - made out to CBI).

State law forbids P.O.S.T. certification of any person who has been convicted of a felony or certain misdemeanors.  Upon passing the examination and background check, an applicant for Basic certification under Board Rule 10 will receive a certificate allowing him or her to seek employment as a Colorado peace officer.

Additionally, individuals with domestic violence convictions may not be eligible to serve as peace officers, due to federal laws.

Basic P.O.S.T. Certification

In order to sit for the examination, the Board requires every applicant to have:

A high school diploma or an equivalency certificate;
Current first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation certificates or equivalents; and
Have successfully completed, within the two years prior to application, an approved Colorado basic training course.

Here is a link to all the training academies in Colorado:
http://www.ago.state.co.us/post_board.cfm?cpyID=132

And here is the link to the Denver Academy: http://www.denvergov.org/Default.aspx?alias=www.denvergov.org/CivilService

So become a cop first, put a few years on the road in patrol then apply when a position becomes available.

I worked as the uniformed officer for our animal abuse unit when they served search warrants in Broward County Fl, it was a great unit. Good luck!