GOLDEN, Colo. — Nearly two years after a Jefferson County K-9 was shot and killed in the line of duty, law enforcement and K-9 advocates still want stronger protections for dogs on the job — even after a law was passed ratcheting up penalties.
House Bill 23-1286, titled “Increase Penalty Cruelty Police And Service Animals,” was signed into law on June 2, 2023.
It modified the penalties for cruelty and aggravated cruelty against both animals and service animals on a second and subsequent offense. Offenders must pay a minimum fine of $2,000 if they’re convicted of committing cruelty and aggravated cruelty against service animals like Graffit, and complete an anger management treatment program or other appropriate program.
If a person is convicted of cruelty to a service animal, the courts must order restitution to the animal’s owner.
The Follow Up
Colorado bill signed into law in June increases penalties for cruelty to K-9s
“We have been working since Graffit’s death with the laws here in Colorado to make it a little stricter,” Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Maureen Mavelle said. “They risk their lives in this line of duty and there should be higher consequences if they are harmed while doing their job.”
After Graffit’s death, their efforts raised the killing of a K-9 to a class four felony, but deputies want that even higher. They hope someday K-9’s will get the same recognition and protections as the people who work alongside them.
Graffit was shot and killed while chasing down a suspect on Feb. 13, 2023, becoming the first K-9 killed in the line of duty for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
Some say, the suspect Eduardo Romero only got a slap on the wrist. He was charged with aggravated animal cruelty, a Class 6 felony. It’s just slightly higher than a misdemeanor, according to Mavelle.
Questions arose after the shooting about why Romero didn’t face tougher penalties for his accused killing of Graffit. Colorado law did not have a specific statute protecting police K-9s at the time. The state did beef up its legislation in 2016 with one statute that included protections for police dogs and police horses in its animal cruelty laws. House Bill 16-1348 also made a person convicted of harming a police K-9 responsible for “all training and certification costs” associated with the injured animal.
While Mavelle said the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office hasn’t lost another K-9 in the line of duty since Graffit, the possibility of it happening again is always on Mavelle’s mind as she trains with her K-9 partner Ultimo.
Ultimo now wears a vest while on the job.
“They’re bullet proof and stab proof,” Mavelle said. “So this happened after K-9 Graffit was killed in the line of duty. A lot of people came together in the community and donated some money and were able to raise enough for each of our dogs.”
The deputies control what they can and are fighting to put more protections in place for what they can’t.
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