November 2018 The ACO Voice A Monthly Magazine from Animal Control Training Services The Only National Monthly Magazine Dedicated to Animal Control A Duty to Train The ACO Voice - Page 1
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Jeff s Corner Injured on the Job? Within the ACO profession, there is an inherent risk of being hurt or injured by the very nature of the job. Most people would think that being bitten or attacked by an aggressive or dangerous animal would be the primary cause of most injuries. The next thought might be from being involved in a vehicle accident since much of the ACO's time is spent driving from one location to another. The real culprit however, is from loading and unloading animals into and out of the animal control vehicle. Even with all of the proper training relating to lifting, one area is hard to address and that is the movement and energy that is created by the very object being lifted, the animal. The weight and movement of the animal is not static in nature. Special attention should be paid while capturing, handling and transporting animals. The dislocation of bones and joints, muscle and ligament tears are all too common that can temporally and permanently injure the ACO. https://www.asp-usa.com/ Kennel Card Deception One of the greatest joys in providing teaching and instruction is to see the dedication of ACO's and many others who work in the animal control and shelter fields. For the most part they are professional, motivated and want to do the right thing when it comes to protecting public safety and promoting animal welfare. However, there is one area that is disheartening and that is the deception that "lies" behind the average kennel card that is used to represent shelter dogs. Most kennel cards do not contain any information that is accurate as to the breed of the dog, let alone the animals behavior. Dogs that are clearly from the Staffordshire Terrier, a.k.a. "Pitbull" breed are purposefully misidentified as lab-x or boxer- X. Additionally, any language that is used to describe the dog's behavior is done from an anthropomorphic perspective. That is, terms and definitions that only apply to human beings are used to describe the behavior and temperament of the animal. This is not only an inaccurate measure of trying to identify animal behavior but also misleading to anyone who is attempting to adopt a shelter animal. The kennel cards are written in such a way that play on the emotions of the prospective adopter rather than properly educate the public in regards to the truth of canine behavior. The next question is: Who is responsible Continued on Page 8 The ACO Voice - Page 3 ACTS Recommends
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A Duty to Train By Mark Kumpf As Animal Control Officers, we often find ourselves provided minimal training in our chosen profession. When agencies find themselves faced with errors, mistakes and related issues many can be attributed to a failure to adequately train. Many ACO s joined their departments only to be handed a citation book, a set of keys, a rope and a control pole with the admonition Go forth and do your job! only to find themselves seated in said truck wondering, What IS my job? Countless avoidable accidents, injuries and mishaps resulted from the lack of clear training and direction. Given these circumstances, it is important to educate management, directors, chiefs and administrators on the benefits and cost savings (YES Savings!) by providing adequate training for staff. Why should anyone send ACO s to training? That question is one that has a very solid and basic answer: To save money! Budget gurus scoff at training expenses as being unnecessary and lavish. They seldom chat with the Risk Management staff that must budget and expend funds for those lost-time incidents where an injured employee is out of work. Some simple (and that term is used very guardedly) dog-bite lost time injuries can run into the thousands of dollars in medical bills and lost work time. Balanced against an animal handling course with animal behavior and bite prevention at under $1000 for a week, the budget staff begin to appreciate why the risk managers are advocating for more training funds. With ACTS custom constructed courses and compressed curriculum, even greater savings can be realized. Public perception no longer finds the net wielding cartoon persona ACO acceptable. Poorly trained staff who irritate citizens, fail to follow safe operating procedures and in some cases, violate someone s civil rights Continued on Page 7 The ACO Voice - Page 5
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can result in litigation costing tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees and settlements. Ask the nearest public official in the civil division and they will likely admit they settle many cases because that is cheaper than actually winning in court. Back to the budget analyst and the cost comparison spending $500 for a good course on search & seizure, civil due process and property laws can be a great investment and prevent untold payouts in the future. Euthanasia is arguably the hardest part of many ACO s jobs and the most heartbreaking. Even more tragic is when the lack of training and oversight results in a mistaken euthanasia, failed euthanasia or the death of an officer. Proper training in this practice can prevent these tragic accidents and even save lives. Schedule II narcotics used for euthanasia and the chemicals used for sedation should never be used by untrained, unprepared staff. It is a recipe for disaster. More states now have additional requirements that dictate who, when and how often training must occur. Even if your state is on the one & done list, having officers attend periodic refreshers and training is crucial to maintaining a best practices program. With those three examples, you have an idea why training is so important. It saves money but more importantly it can save lives - both human and animal. When considering an agency and interviewing, ask about their training program. Does it incorporate nationally recognized companies or organizations with competent, professional subject-matter experts offering an updated and credentialed curriculum? Does it require and provide for more than just checking off the boxes on a test? If not, going through the motions serves little purpose. Law enforcement agencies, many of who include animal control, that fail to train their staff may face civil rights claims which the courts (including the Supreme Court) have found to have merit even in the face of assertions that no funds were available. In City of Canton v. Harris, 489 U.S. 378(1989), the court said, inadequate police training may form the basis for a civil rights claim against the city where the failure to train amounts to de- Continued on Page 8 Spanish Fort, Alabama Class The ACO Voice - Page 7
liberate indifference to the rights of persons the police are liked to encounter. For many ACO s, as part of a law enforcement department, failure to train your officers can have the same results. Leading an agency is challenging and courses on leadership skills seldom incorporate the animal welfare aspect of our profession. Being a manager is one thing; however, being an animal services manager has many aspects that other generic training classes miss. ACTS new Comprehensive Animal Management course for supervisors fills that gap providing animal services specific information for new or transitional supervisors, managers and directors. How do you interview, hire, train and evaluate animal services staff? Answers to all of these questions and more are covered in the course. While not providing any training is bad, providing bad training can be even worse! Insure that the agency, organization or individual providing your training is certified as a trainer with credentials and references. Some technical certifications may be offered by in-house staff but to insure proper coverage, copies of technical certifications, proof of adequate liability insurance, and related paperwork should be available for review. Things like OC (pepper spray), ASP baton, or TASER CEW certification are critical areas and improper training can lead to serious consequences. The duty to train rests with every agency and department that has employees. As ACO s we have to advocate on our own behalf to point out the benefits and cost savings that proper training can yield. By seeking out current, competent and professional training, we enhance our ability to do our jobs at a level of accomplishment that not only meets but exceeds the standards the public now expects and allows us to provide the excellent service they have come to expect. Continued from Page 3 for this deception? Answer: It is usually associated with the influence of the department's volunteer organization, certain animal welfare groups and often within the shelter or department administration. Why the internal deception, simple, it is to placate to the special interest or stakeholder groups all in the name of raising the live release rate at whatever the cost! The cost being adopting out known aggressive and dangerous dogs, compromising public safety and ignoring the value, education and experience of the actual employees. The consequences of this management practice ultimately results in creating a different type of working environment within shelters, thus subjecting employees to unnecessary risk of injury The ACO Voice - Page 8 or harm and at the same time going against the intended mission and purpose of the department to begin with. I Thought That I had Heard it All I thought I had heard it all, but, I guess not. Another concerning trend is the topic of medicating shelter dogs to modify their behavior as it relates to aggressive, dangerous and other undesirable behaviors. Medications such as Prozac and trazodone are now being administered in an attempt to stabilize their behaviors. Even behaviors that are described as stress, fear, anxiety and hyperactivity. As with all practices there are always questions relating to the ethics and practicality within these endeavors. Is stabilizing the animals behavior via medication alone effective? What about applying behavioral modification training? Are there any related health concerns that may arise as a result of the medication? In my opinion, this is another example of investing time, money, energy and resources into an area that takes away from the healthy, well-behaved and potentially adoptable dogs found in every shelter. If medication has to be given to a dog to quell its undesirable behaviors, this in itself should be an admission that the dog is not suitable for adoption. Time for a Change Last year at around this time, ACTS featured an article regarding the inventory of equipment used in the ACO profession. This year, we would like to suggest that for the new year coming that ACO's review their department policy and procedures manual and make appropriate changes, if needed. Updating a manual is easier said than done. Department policies and procedures may be so antiquated that revising a manual becomes a challenge. And by the time the ink dries on the newest revision, a new law or regulation may have been passed that requires changing the manual again. When policies and procedures are not updated, it results in manuals that are incomplete, out of date, badly written, poorly understood, and inadequately enforced. There s no question that a high-quality policies and procedures manual can provide underlying documentation that helps an organization run effectively and efficiently. The best example that I can use is knowing of one agency that passed a leash law that only applied from sundown to sunup. This was thought to prevent dogs from running atlarge and attacking livestock during the nighttime hours. However, they could run at-large during the day. Thankfully, the law was updated into a 24-hour leash law requirement.
ACTS Training Schedule For a registration form, visit www.aco-acts.com or call 913-515-0080 Training Course for Animal Control Professionals Hosted by Westminster Animal Management November 29, 2018 - Westminster, Colorado Schedule of Training: Understanding the Link in Animal Abuse Basic Animal Control Officer Certification Hosted by the Yuma Police Department December 3-7, 2018 - Yuma, Arizona Schedule of Training: State Laws, County Ordinances and City Codes; Tactical/Interpersonal Communication; Officer Safety and Self-Defense; Basic Animal Control Officer Investigations; Evidence Law and Collection; Courtroom Testimony and Report Writing; Safe Handling of Aggressive and Dangerous Dogs; Safe Animal Handling/Capture and Restraint Equipment Comprehensive Animal Management Certification Hosted by Cullman County Animal Control January 14-16, 2019 - Cullman, Alabama Schedule of Training: Advanced Case Supervision; Basic Budget Planning; Disciplinary Investigations; Equipment, Vehicles and Operational Needs; Evaluating Staff; Interviewing and Selection; Managing Generational Employees; Meetings: Individual, Specific Groups, Entire Staff; Policy and Procedures: Review and Development; Pushing Paperwork: Reports, Memos and Correspondence; Supervising Daily Operations; Training and Staff Development; Transition from Staff to Supervisor; Workplace Harassment and Violence Basic Animal Control Officer Certification Hosted by the Mountainair Police Department January 14-18, 2019 - Mountainair, New Mexico Schedule of Training: State Laws, County Ordinances and City Codes; Tactical/Interpersonal Communication; Officer Safety and Self-Defense; Basic Animal Control Officer Investigations; Evidence Law and Collection; Courtroom Testimony and Report Writing; Safe Handling of Aggressive and Dangerous Dogs; Safe Animal Handling/Capture and Restraint Equipment Animal Control Officer Protective Equipment Training January 17-18, 2019 Hosted by the Cities of Grain Valley & Oak Grove - Oak Grove, Missouri Schedule of Training: Chemical Immobilization Certification; Baton/Bitestick Certification Basic Animal Control Officer Certification Hosted by the Newnan Police Department and Coweta County Animal Services February 4-8, 2019 - Newnan, Georgia Schedule of Training: State Laws, County Ordinances and City Codes; Tactical/Interpersonal Communication; Officer Safety and Self-Defense; Basic Animal Control Officer Investigations; Evidence Law and Collection; Courtroom Testimony and Report Writing; Safe Handling of Aggressive and Dangerous Dogs; Safe Animal Handling/Capture and Restraint Equipment The ACO Voice - Page 9
ACTS Training Schedule For a registration form, visit www.aco-acts.com or call 913-515-0080 Training Course for Animal Control Professionals Hosted by the Montgomery County Animal Resource Center February 4-8, 2019 - Dayton, Ohio Schedule of Training: Comprehensive Animal Management Certification; Illegal Animal Fighting; Investigative Techniques for Cruelty and Neglect Complaints Shelter Technician Certification Hosted by the Alabama Animal Control Association February 11-13, 2019 - Mobile, Alabama Schedule of Training: Animal Care in a Sheltering Environment; Animal Disposition Options; Animal Identification: Breed and Description; Animal Shelter Maintenance; Animal Shelter Record-Keeping; Canine and Feline Behaviors and Assessments; Disease Exposures in a Sheltering Environment; Emergency Animal Sheltering; Proactive Animal Sheltering Shelter Technician Certification Hosted by Jessamine County Animal Care and Control February 25-27, 2019 - Nicholasville, Kentucky Schedule of Training: Animal Care in a Sheltering Environment; Animal Disposition Options; Animal Identification: Breed and Description; Animal Shelter Maintenance; Animal Shelter Record-Keeping; Canine and Feline Behaviors and Assessments; Disease Exposures in a Sheltering Environment; Emergency Animal Sheltering; Proactive Animal Sheltering Shelter Technician Certification Hosted by the Montgomery County Animal Resource Center March 4-6, 2019 - Dayton, Ohio Schedule of Training: Animal Care in a Sheltering Environment; Animal Disposition Options; Animal Identification: Breed and Description; Animal Shelter Maintenance; Animal Shelter Record-Keeping; Canine and Feline Behaviors and Assessments; Disease Exposures in a Sheltering Environment; Emergency Animal Sheltering; Proactive Animal Sheltering Basic Animal Control Officer Certification Hosted by the Southwestern Community College - Public Safety Training Division March 4-8, 2019 - Franklin, North Carolina Schedule of Training: State Laws, County Ordinances and City Codes; Tactical/Interpersonal Communication; Officer Safety and Self-Defense; Basic Animal Control Officer Investigations; Evidence Law and Collection; Courtroom Testimony and Report Writing; Safe Handling of Aggressive and Dangerous Dogs; Safe Animal Handling/Capture and Restraint Equipment Shelter Technician Certification Hosted by the Montgomery County Animal Resource Center March 6-8, 2019 - Dayton, Ohio Schedule of Training: Animal Care in a Sheltering Environment; Animal Disposition Options; Animal Identification: Breed and Description; Animal Shelter Maintenance; Animal Shelter Record-Keeping; Canine and Feline Behaviors and Assessments; Disease Exposures in a Sheltering Environment; Emergency Animal Sheltering; Proactive Animal Sheltering The ACO Voice - Page 10