In Colorado, Child Abuse involves a host of conduct which lawmakers say is Child Abuse. Even before someone’s been charged or convicted, Colorado law states that you must police, and report even a suspicion of Child Abuse by your neighbor or customer if you are on the list of Mandatory Reporters – a list which keeps growing.
Who are the Mandatory Reporters of Child Abuse in Greeley, Colorado? Statutory Tattlers Under C.R.S. 19-3-304
Here is a partial list of persons required to police and report their neighbors, family and customers:
- Police Officers and Firefighters
- Pharmacist, Medical Examiners
- Emergency Medical Providers
- Doctors, Surgeons, Nurses and Physical Therapists
- Dentist and Dental Hygienist
- Veterinarian
- Optometrist
- Teachers
- Church Leaders (sometimes)
- Human Services Employees
- Mental Health Workers (including Counselors, Therapists and Psychologists)
- Child Care Workers
- Social Workers
- Commercial Film and Photo Processors
- A few others.
When Must a Mandatory Reporter Report Child Abuse in Weld County?
A Mandatory Reporter must IMMEDIATELY report Child Abuse if they have “reasonable cause to know or suspect that a child has been subjected to abuse or neglect or who has observed the child being subjected to circumstances or conditions that would reasonably result in abuse or neglect.” All of the people listed above must tattle on their neighbors, family and customers, even if they just “suspect” abuse or neglect. This leaves the door wide open for the government to force you to speculate about what abuse is and what neglect is. For example, is it abuse or neglect to not let a child watch certain TV programs, to make them do their homework before playing, to yell at the child (emotional abuse), to make them go to church, to not get a COVID shot, to skip school to go on a family vacation, to not let them participate in government sex ed programming, to not want their kids to be indoctrinated into liberal sexual belief systems? There are limitless examples possible of government workers imposing their values on professionals across Colorado. It would be easy to define physical injury as “Child Abuse,” but the government wants to cast a wide net controlling what happens as parents parent their children. This sounds a lot like communism, when we get beyond the reporting of physical injuries to children. This way, our state government gets to decide who is raising their children correctly.
What is the Penalty or Crime Level if Someone Fails to “Mandatory Report” on Their Neighbor?
If you are on the Mandatory Reporter list of C.R.S. 19-3-304, you commit a class 2 misdemeanor if you fail to immediately make a report to police or DHS. If convicted, you could be put in the Weld County Jail for up to one hundred and twenty days, and a fine of $750.00. Many state licensing agencies will not license someone with a conviction for Failure to Report.
What Happens After a Mandatory Report of Child Abuse in Greeley?
Following a mandatory report of suspected neglect or abuse against you, it is typical for DHS to come to your home with police backup, to interview you and your child. They arrive and pressure you that you must let them speak to you and your child, and ignore your constitutional right to remain silent. DHS workers act without much oversight and impose their values on you and your family. We’ve even seen case-workers threaten to take a woman’s children if she does not permit her children to be interviewed without their parents’ presence. This is out-of-control government at its finest.
Charged with Child Abuse Following a Mandatory Reporter Calling Police, Social Services or DHS? C.R.S. 18-6-401
DHS, Social Services and Police operate as close allies with any report of Child Abuse under C.R.S. 18-6-401. They exchange all reports with one another, trying to punish the “offender.” Child Abuse can result in jail or prison time, with the amount depending on the type of abuse discovered.
What is Colorado’s Definition of Child Abuse?
Here is Colorado’s definition of Child Abuse: