Stunning, lurid and devastating allegations against a former Arapahoe County child protective-services worker — brought to light by The Gazette’s dogged reporting — have implications statewide.

Most notably, if the ex-employee’s alleged, outrageous abuses could occur at one such county agency that handles cases of child abuse and neglect, a re-examination of procedures and safeguards is warranted for counterpart agencies in other counties across Colorado. The power to take custody of a household’s children following credible allegations of abuse or neglect poses an awesome responsibility that must be handled with utmost caution. If that power is misused as alleged in the case in Arapahoe County, it can destroy innocent lives.

At the same time, it would be deeply troubling if the allegations against one former protective-services employee were to foster broader public skepticism about child abuse and neglect. Tragically, of course, they are real, and communities need a watchdog with the power to rescue the victims — so long as precautions are taken and safeguards are built into the process.

Unfortunately, the public credibility of that process could turn out to be yet another casualty of the scandal involving Robin Niceta.

The ex-romantic partner of former Aurora Police Chief Vanessa Wilson, Niceta was criminally charged in June with falsely reporting that one of Wilson’s critics on the Aurora City Council had sexually abused her own son. Since then, new allegations have swirled around Niceta.

As reported this week by The Gazette, she is now under investigation by the FBI on new allegations of manipulating the child protective system where she worked to gain the upper hand in her own child custody battle. She is even alleged to have faked an attack by another former romantic partner in order to influence her custody case.

Meanwhile, as also reported by The Gazette, a lawsuit filed Wednesday alleges Niceta, acting in her official capacity at the time as a protective-services worker, made sexual advances toward parents and caretakers while investigating them for spurious child abuse allegations. The lawsuit names Niceta and the Arapahoe County Department of Human Services, among others, as defendants.

The lawsuit states that Niceta sought to “engage in sexual relations with parents and caretakers she was actively investigating.” The lawsuit accuses Niceta of “knowingly and intentionally introducing false evidence, including fabricated investigative reports, conclusions and altered statements of parents, caretakers and other witnesses into investigatory and judicial proceedings.”

If the allegations prove true, the justice system — we hope — will effectively deal with the perpetrator. But the question then becomes whether the saga reflects only the pathological behavior of one rogue employee, or if there is broader potential for systemic abuse.

The Colorado state Department of Human Services is reviewing Niceta’s child-protective casework for the county in search of other questionable cases. But it shouldn’t end there.

The state department also should be reviewing the system itself — to check for weaknesses that could allow future misconduct. The legislature, as well, might want to look into whether security upgrades are needed in the child abuse-reporting system statewide.

Being falsely accused of abusing one’s own kids has to be among the worst nightmares of any parent. When such allegations are conjured up by an employee of the very agency charged with investigating them, it represents an unconscionable breach of the public trust and a diabolical and terrifying abuse of power.

Let’s ensure it can’t happen again.

Denver Gazette Editorial Board