About the Department of Public Safety ARCHIVE 2024

The Colorado Department of Public Safety (CDPS) consists of five operational divisions that cover a breadth of safety programs and services, and a sixth division that provides support for the operational divisions. 

Note: Colorado's local law enforcement, emergency management, fire, and criminal justice agencies operate with home-rule authority. While local jurisdictions often partner with CDPS agencies, they are not overseen by the Department of Public Safety. If you have a question or concern about municipal or county safety services, you may need to contact your local jurisdiction.

Colorado Bureau of Investigation

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) provides law enforcement services to local, state, and federal law enforcement and government agencies, including managing statewide criminal justice information, assisting with criminal investigations on request, conducting criminal and civil background checks, and operating an internationally-accredited forensic laboratory system.

CBI Primary Units

• Forensic Services  provides forensic investigative assistance to law enforcement agencies, including DNA casework, latent print analysis, firearm and toolmark analysis, drug chemistry analysis, crime scene evidence processing, serology analysis, trace evidence analysis, digital analysis, DNA database management, and toxicology analysis.
• Investigative Services provides critical investigative assistance to law enforcement agencies on request for major crimes, gaming, complex fraud, fugitive sex offenders, cold case homicides, and missing persons investigations.
• Instant Criminal Background Check Unit serves as the state point of contact for background checks on firearms purchases and conducts concealed handgun permit background checks for sheriff's offices.
• Crime Information Management Unit provides support services and ensures security regulations are met by users of Colorado criminal justice information to uphold and enforce the FBI standards, and operates an information system at an over 99 percent availability rate for local, state, and federal criminal justice agencies enabling them to exchange timely, accurate, and complete information.
• Identification Unit serves as the state repository for criminal history information, including fingerprint data.
• Office of Professional Standards develops national accreditation standards for the CBI, standardizes policies and training, conducts review and investigates complaints and allegations of misconduct, and reports on CBI statistics and inspections.

Colorado State Patrol

The Colorado State Patrol promotes safety, protects lives, and preserves state highways using the following programs:

• Traffic Safety enforces motor vehicle and all other Colorado laws on 8,400 miles of highway and 57,000 miles of county roads, including selective enforcement actions, saturation patrols, crash investigations, and educational safety programs.
• Communications provides a professional communications system for members of the Patrol, other state, local, and federal agencies, and Colorado residents.
• Criminal Interdiction and Automobile Theft proactively investigates motor vehicle theft and related offenses, inspects Vehicle Identification Numbers, interdicts illegal drugs, and gathers intelligence to support state and national homeland security efforts.
• Hazardous Materials Enforcement enforces permitting and routing rules, develops safe transportation rules and regulations, and provides timely response and mitigation for hazardous materials events on-roadways.
• Executive and Capitol Security provides 24-hour security at the State Capitol and Capitol Complex, and security for the Governor, First Family, visiting dignitaries, and public demonstrations.
• Smuggling and Trafficking Interdiction Section enforces the state's human smuggling and human trafficking laws on Colorado roadways.  
• Port of Entry and Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program collaborates with industry to support safe transport of materials on commercial motor carriers in Colorado.
• Aircraft Program supports traffic enforcement activities and transports state officials and employees.
• Victims Assistance provides direct services to victims of highway traffic crimes in accordance with the Victim Rights Act.

Division of Fire Prevention & Control

The Division of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC) safeguards the lives of those who live, work, learn and play in Colorado by reducing fire threats to people, property and the environment. Each of the programs described below supports the division's mission in various ways, including through code enforcement, wildfire preparedness and suppression, training and certification programs, public information and education, or technical assistance to local governments.

DFPC Programs

• Wildfire Management provides technical assistance to local governments and manages wildfires that exceed the capacity of local agencies.
• Health Facility Construction and Inspection ensures that licensed health facilities comply with fire and life safety codes, issues building permits, and performs inspections.
• Public School and Junior College Construction and Inspection ensures that public schools and junior colleges comply with building and fire codes by conducting plan reviews and inspections or certifying local plan reviewers and inspectors.
• Certification administers certification programs for firefighters, hazardous material emergency responders, medical first responders, fire sprinkler fitters, and others.
• Colorado All-Risk Incident Reporting System administers a statewide reporting system for fires and related incidents.
• Emergency Services Responder Education and Training provides training for emergency service responders.
• Center of Excellence researches, tests, and evaluates new technologies related to aerial firefighting.
• Fire Suppression ensures that fire sprinkler systems are properly installed and maintained.
• Colorado Fireworks Act establishes minimum standards for the sale and use of fireworks.
• Fire Safety in Limited Gaming Establishments establishes minimum building and fire safety standards for limited gaming establishments.
• Regulation of Reduced Ignition Propensity Cigarettes enforces flammability standards on cigarettes.
• Regulation of Fire Safety in Waste Tire Facilities creates rules for fire safety in waste tire facilities.

Division of Criminal Justice

The Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ) provides services to crime victims, conducts criminal justice research and analysis, and supports the management of offenders. The DCJ's range of statutory charges includes technical assistance, grants management, data collection and reporting, victim assistance, the creation of standards for community corrections, sex offender management, and domestic violence offender management.

DCJ Offices

• Community Corrections allocates state funding for community corrections facilities to local boards, audits providers to ensure compliance with standards, and provides technical assistance on the implementation of evidence-based practices in community corrections.
• Adult and Juvenile Justice Assistance administers several major federal funding programs, including Justice Assistance Grants, the Juvenile Justice Formula Grant, and the John R. Justice Program, and operates the State Juvenile Diversion Program in conjunction with local prosecutors.
• Research and Statistics serves as Colorado's Statistical Analysis Center (SAC) and, as such, collects and disseminates crime-related data for planning and enhancing the quality of Colorado's criminal and juvenile justice systems, and provides staff support to the Colorado Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice.
• Victims Programs administers four separate federal grant programs and the State Victim Assistance and Law Enforcement grant program, develops and implements public policy and standards, reviews and resolves victim complaints about non-compliance with the Victim Rights Act, and provides staff support to the state Human Trafficking Council.
• Domestic Violence and Sex Offender Management administers the Sex Offender Management Board and the Domestic Violence Offender Management Board, which develop and implement standards for the treatment of offenders and provide training for service providers.

Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management

The Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM) consists of four offices, the Colorado State Emergency Operations Center and multiple programs that support the division in providing leadership to Colorado communities to prevent, protect, mitigate, respond, and recover from all-hazard events including natural disasters and human acts. The DHSEM was created in statute in 2012 to consolidate homeland security and emergency management functions that were previously located in multiple state agencies.

DHSEM Offices

• Office of Grants Management (OGM) promotes and provides assistance for projects and programs to build, sustain and deliver the capabilities necessary to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to and recover from all-hazards events. The support provided includes all phases of the grant life cycle from application, awarding of the grant agreements, to close-out of the grant agreements and the grant program.

• Office of Emergency Management (OEM) is responsible for the state’s comprehensive emergency management program which supports local and state agencies, through activities and services over the core areas of the DHSEM mission. During emergency or disaster situations and for special events, the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) coordinates with state, federal as well as non-governmental agencies in support of local jurisdictions.
• Colorado Information Analysis Center (CIAC) The Colorado Information Analysis Center (CIAC) focuses on preventing acts of terrorism, taking an all-crimes, all-hazard approach. We are a centralized resource that gathers, analyzes and disseminates all-hazards information to private sector, local, state, tribal and federal stakeholders throughout Colorado and the United States.
• Office of Public Safety Communications (OPSC)  The Office of Public Safety Communications includes the Digital Trunked Radio System. This system is a near-seamless statewide wireless system that enables direct communications to the more than 1,000 state, local, federal and tribal public safety agencies and emergency responses across the state. The system allows them to communicate both daily and for emergency incidents.  OPSC provides operability and interoperability between public safety agencies and emergency responders to 261 sites across the state and serves more than 1,000 state, local, federal, and tribal agencies using over 132,000 subscriber units. OPSC is the primary method for mission-critical public safety communications across the state.

Executive Director's Office

The Executive Director's Office (EDO) is the backbone of the Colorado Department of Public Safety, providing effective administrative and management services to the Department's operating divisions. The EDO includes the following:

• The Executive Director and Deputy Executive Director – Oversee strategic direction and operations for the department.
• Administrative Services - Provides division and department-level administrative and support functions encompassing accounting, procurement, budget, and logistics services (fleet, facilities, warehousing, material management and fabrication) to support the operations and programs of CDPS divisions.
• Human Resources - Supports recruitment, hiring, evaluation, benefits management, personnel actions, payroll and all other human resources functions.
• Compliance Office – Develops policies, assesses and manages risk, administers rulemaking, administers the Workers' Compensation program, administers the State of Colorado 1033 LESO and 1122 programs, coordinates the Department's Civil Rights programs and reporting, and ensures compliance with state and federal requirements and professional standards.
• Strategic Communications – Oversees public information, open records, internal communications, and media relations for the Department.
• Colorado Integrated Criminal Justice Information Systems – develops cost-effective information sharing services to provide access for criminal justice agencies while maintaining information security.  CICJIS is a collaborative program designed to facilitate information sharing at key decision points in the criminal justice process. There are five participating CICJIS agencies: The Department of Corrections, Judicial, the Colorado District Attorney’s Council, the Division of Youth Corrections, and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
• Colorado School Safety Resource Center – assists local schools and communities to create safe and positive school climates for pre-k through higher education schools in Colorado.