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Denver officials defend behavior-based dog laws as public defenders urge changes to strict-liability penalties
Summary
Denver animal-control and city prosecutors outlined a behavior-focused enforcement system tied to a 1–6 bite scale and said prosecutions are handled case-by-case. The municipal public defender urged changing Chapter 8’s strict-liability penalties, and council members requested multi-year sentencing and charging data.
Denver (Consolidated County and City) — Denver Animal Protection and city prosecutors told the Health & Safety Committee that the city’s enforcement approach centers on an animal’s behavior, not breed, while the municipal public defender urged revisions to the city code that she said expose owners to harsh criminal penalties.
"The ordinance in Denver that governs that, is DRMC 8-61," said Lieutenant Joshua Rolfe of Denver Animal Protection, explaining the department’s use of the Dr. Ian Dunbar 1–6 bite-severity scale and a tiered enforcement protocol tied to those levels. Roland described level 3 as a mixed education/enforcement case and said the department focuses enforcement on level 4–6 incidents, with level 5–6 incidents sometimes recommending euthanasia.
Why it matters: The council discussion highlighted a tension between a public-safety approach that prioritizes evidence of dangerous behavior and concerns from defense attorneys that the city’s code can criminalize owners even where culpability is unclear. That tension affects potential jail exposure, community trust and how the city allocates enforcement and social services.
Rolfe and…
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