History
The first professional probation
organization in Colorado was originally known as the Colorado
Adult Probation Association (CAPA), which, was founded by Frank
Dillon in 1964. Due to changes in the structure of the state
government, specifically State Judicial joining the Executive
and Legislative system in the 1970's, CAPA became the Colorado
Association of Probation Officers (CAPO). The $5.00 annual dues
were paid through the Judicial Budget for all who desired
membership.
During this era, CAPO concentrated its efforts
on developing and running an annual three day conference.
Additionally, the CAPO Board negotiated with the State Court
Administrator's Office (SCAO) to equalize probation officer's
salaries with those of State Parole. This ultimately resulted in
a salary increase of about 20%, which was phased in over a two
year period.
As probation departments grew to encompass
alcohol units (10-1-79), CAPO saw a need for expanding
membership. As a result, the Association became known as the
Colorado Association of Probation Offices (CAPO), and the
membership grew to include clerical staff and alcohol
evaluators. Efforts of the association were directed toward
regional training, as well as the annual conference. The State
no longer subsidized membership fees and dues became a
controversy.
By the late 1980's, CAPO acknowledged
volunteers and other professionals affiliated with probation,
which subsequently lead to CAPO actively recruiting those
individuals for membership by the early 1990's. Simultaneously,
CAPO was struggling for autonomy and experienced differences in
opinion about its purpose and direction. The Board did agree
that validation and recognition by SCAO was a priority, from the
standpoint of legitimizing CAPO. Over time, SCAO solicited CAPO
representation on state committees, which further enhanced the
organization's role. Meanwhile, CAPO continued with the annual
conference, as well as regional training sessions, and they
began what is now a tradition of sponsoring the attendance of
the Colorado Probation Officer of the Year recipient to the
National APPA Conference each summer.
The State Legislature developed a major
interest in the criminal justice system during the early 1990's.
Motivated by an interest in consistency, professionalism, and
fiscal conservatism, legislation was introduced which was
designed to consolidate Probation and Parole. While the
collective opinion was not unanimous, the consensus of CAPO was
to endorse consolidation within the Judicial Branch. CAPO took
an active part in lobbying around the state, by contacting
legislators and attending legislative committee meetings at the
State Capitol. CAPO, CCPOA (Colorado Chief Probation Officer's
Organization), and SCAO maintained open communication and
combined their resources in an effort to influence the
consolidation process. The legislation was eventually tabled,
with Probation and Parole remaining independent agencies.
Despite their adversarial positions during the
consolidation efforts, probation and parole officers joined
forces within CAPO during the early 1990's. The annual
conference, traditionally sponsored by CAPO, was abandoned in
favor of the annual Interagency Training Alliance, geared toward
accommodating all criminal justice agencies in Colorado. CAPO
took on the role of sponsoring several social functions at the
annual event, assisting in the recruitment of trainers and
presenters for the conference, and hosted the annual awards
luncheon.
Thus far, CAPO has nominated three officers
who have been recognized nationally by the APPA as Line Officer
of the Year. Specifically, those officers are Leah Wicks (1990),
Jan Hopkins (1993), and Dave Zobeck (1996). Additionally, two
CAPO members are currently serving on the national APPA Board as
co-directors of Region 13, namely Vern Fogg of the SCAO and
Charlie Hankins of the 4th Judicial District.
Recently unveiled history given to us by
Shiela Lee of the 10th Judicial district:
Homer Kidder was born November 29, 1896, on a
farm near the confluence of the Poudre and South Platte Rivers,
son of a pioneer family. Both parents were descendants of
Revolutionary stock, so his roots are deep in the soil of the
United States and being a descendant of Zebulan Pike, his roots
go deep into the soil of Colorado also.
Mr. Kidder's parents moved to Greeley when he
was age five, where he received most of his education, beginning
in a one-room school at the edge of Greeley. He attended Greeley
High School, but completed his high school and also his pharmacy
education in Nebraska. Upon the completion of pharmacy school,
he returned to Greeley and was employed as a pharmacist and
later became manager of a drug store located at the corner of
Ninth Street and Eighth Avenue, in the Fall of 1916. In June of
1917, he enlisted in the United States Army Medical Corps, Base
hospital Unit No. 29, made up in the city of Denver. His basic
training was taken at Camp Cody, New Mexico, then he took his
social and physical fitness training at Allentown, Pennsylvania,
before going overseas, debarking at Liverpool, England, then on
to London where the unit was established during the war. He
returned home in March of 1919 and after discharge, returned to
Greeley where he remained for a short period of time until 1920
when he accepted the management of a drug store at Boulder,
Colorado. He remained there until June 1924, during which time
he completed work through the University of Commerce, Accounts
and Finance, thereafter accepting a sales position with
Alexander Hamilton Institute, remaining with them until he was
called home to Greeley by the serious illness of his father. It
was at this time in 1924 that he was offered the school position
of Director of Student Personnel, in where he remained until his
retirement from the school system in Weld County in 1962.
While associated with the Greeley School
System, he was granted release time to do some research work in
the Juvenile Court, at the request of the County Judge in the
Fall of 1924, which release time was continued throughout his
tenure with the school district. Early in 1927, he organized the
first guidance and counseling group within the school system,
which became very successful, dealing with student problems and
helping in the solutions. Out of this experience, he helped in
the organization of the first Child Guidance Clinic in the State
of Colorado, remaining as an integral part of the clinic during
its sixteen years of existence in Greeley.
From the cross-reference records developed by
him while in the school system that dealt with the educational
progress, the health, welfare, and environmental problems of the
student, a number of dissertations were written for the Master's
Degree and the Doctoral Degree at the college, using this
material assembled by Mr. Kidder for their papers.
It was following a Colorado prison riot in
1929 that he worked diligently with our judges and legislators,
working toward legislation empowering Criminal Courts to grant
probation. Then in 1931, the first Act was passed by the
Legislature.
On November 1, 1941, Weld County records
reflect that Mr. Kidder was appointed Chief Probation Officer by
the late Honorable Claude C. Coffin, District Court Judge. He
thereafter, from a part-time position through full-time
participation, continued actively in the probation field. His
position was then later re-affirmed in more recent years by the
Judges of the 19th Judicial District in January 1965 after the
Colorado Court reorganization. At this time, he became Chief
Probation Officer of both Juvenile and Adult Divisions of the
Court's Probation Department.
Mr. Kidder, during his service to the Courts,
also participated in many ways, both toward the revising and
updating of legislature pertaining to probation and parole in
Colorado, and in the establishment of Colorado Correctional
Associations.
On March 13, 1947, Mr. Kidder, along with
Frank C. Dillon, Warden Roy Best, Warden James S. Thomas, The
Honorable Hatfield Chilson, Mr. W. W. Gaunt, Mr. Felix LePore,
Mr. Ernie Morse, Mr. Kenneth Johnson, Mr. James T. Burke, and
Mr. James S. Henderson, met in Denver at the Denver Athletic
Club and as a result, the first Colorado Probation and Parole
Association was formed. Mr. Kidder was elected the first
president of this organization and continued in the capacity of
president until 1952. It was during this time that, with the
help of Mr. Kidder and many other interested individuals, a
modern Parole Legislation Bill was brought about. During the
past twenty-three years, Homer has continued in his active work
with the Association and has held many other positions, such as
board member and committee chairmanships.
In 1963, the new Adult Probation Association
was also formed and Mr. Kidder, of course, played an active part
in this and became the organization's third president, holding
that office from September of 1966 to September of 1967. He,
with others, of course, co-authored the writing of the present
Probation Act and the use of probation has gradually increased
throughout the state to and through the present time.
There is no doubt he has lived throughout the
most exciting period of our history; a period beginning with the
diminishing use of the covered wagon and the stagecoach as the
mode of transportation, the frontier hired gunman, through the
expansion of electricity, the railroads, the development of the
telephone, the automobile, the radio, the airplane, television,
great technological and scientific advances up to the point of
putting a man on the moon and the expansion and quality of
probation.