Beyond Animal Control: Daily Community Education Officer Todd Stosuy Field Services Manager Santa Cruz County, California 1 My Background Emergency Medical Technician 10 years Two Bachelors Degrees- Administration of Justice and Sociology Minor in Criminology New Brunswick and South Brunswick Police Department Intern My Background First Grade Teacher 1 year Cruelty Investigator PETA 2 years Animal Control Officer/Field Services Manager 11 years NACA President for the past 4 years On NACA Board since 2008 1
Open Door: Open Heart Serving Santa Cruz Counties Neediest Animals Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter Open door admission shelter Intake approx 6,500 animals a year 5 Field Services Division Respond to approx 11,000 calls for service a year 24 hour emergency response Provide proactive community services 2
Some Common Officer Thoughts I have so many calls to do, I can t spend time helping people. I just need to issue a citation or notice to comply and run to the next call If an animal has food water and shelter there isn t anything else I can do to help Some Common Officer Thoughts I hate people, it s the animals I like People who cannot afford a pet shouldn t have a pet 8 Things to Keep in Mind We have a unique opportunity to make culture shifts by positively influencing communities we work in This can affect entire communities and the way they think, treat and interact with their animals 3
Things to Keep in Mind Citations and impounds are not a measure of success Things to Keep in Mind Notices to comply are not a measure of success, especially if the animal ends up being surrendered to the shelter Things to Keep in Mind Animal Control Officers are on the FRONT lines daily in their communities 4
Things to Keep in Mind We can help people and their animals live happier lives without enforcement Things to Keep in Mind The MAJORITY of people love their animals and want to do what is right for them Real Measures of Success Less shelter intake - if animals are in happy and non neglectful homes Lower euthanasia numbers if due to animals being kept in happy homes Helping YOUR community! 5
Animal Control It has taken a long time to shake our dogcatcher past Animal Control It has taken a long time to be seen as legitimate law enforcement officers Animal Control 6
Animal Control It is difficult to have come so far, and then think about stepping back But, is acting less enforcement really stepping back? Or are we as a profession continuing to expand and grow? Animal Control We speak for those without a voice As such, wouldn t they want us to help them out, and not just cite or issue a notice to comply to an owner and walk away? Wouldn t they rather stay in the homes that love them, instead of being brought to the shelter? Citations Make our life easier Don t always fix the problem Create mistrust of shelter and therefore less utilization of our services Some people ignore citations and are not worried about warrants or collection agencies 7
Impounding Animals Now the shelter has to either adopt or euthanize Owner will likely get a new pet and treat it the same way Mistrust of shelter and therefore less likely to utilize services Doesn t solve the root of the problem Notices to Comply Depending on the length of time given to comply, the animals immediate needs are not being met Create unnecessary follow-up Creates an additional workload Don t solve root of the problem, only complying because you made them Common Situations The following situations are not illegal The following situations are common cases we see daily We can make a HUGE impact on the life of the animal and their human family by taking time to relate as a human and provide information and resources 24 8
REMEMBER There is more to life than just food, water and shelter 25 9
Three Things We Do In Santa Cruz Preventative Patrols Door to Door Outreach Animal Control Officer Culture and Mind Shift 30 10
Larger Cities Animal Control Agencies in larger cities have adopted these ideals: Washington DC Denver, CO Oklahoma City, OK Cleveland, OH Portland, OR Preventative Patrols Pick targeted areas Drive through locations slowly, windows down 32 Preventative Patrols Stop and speak to people in a friendly manner 11
Preventative Patrols Officers act less law enforcement, and more educational Officers provide bilingual educational material BEFORE there are issues Door to Door Campaign Targeted areas in City of Watsonville Maps generated by 911 Center Foot patrol of areas 35 Door to Door Campaign Officers dress in polo shirts without badges No enforcement action unless egregious animal neglect/cruelty found 12
Door to Door Campaign Knock on EVERY door in targeted areas Meet apartment managers beforehand and set up community meeting 37 Door to Door Campaign Focus on intact animals, dogs running loose and animal neglect and cruelty Provide free items (toys, dog houses, etc) Door to Door Campaign Work with the community to resolve what is truly important for the ANIMALS 13
Children Specific Items Junior Law Enforcement Badge Stickers Tattoos Toys to play with their animals 40 Door to Door Campaign 41 Door to Door Campaign 42 14
Door to Door Campaign People have begun to view Animal Shelter as community resource Officers have begun providing community oriented services daily Day to Day Work 1 compartment in each ACO truck filled with free items Flea medications, bowls, leashes, collars, tags, food, enrichment toys, runners, etc Less punitive Day to Day Work Fewer citations and notices to comply Work closer with the community we serve Far better compliance rates and improved lives for animals and their owners Less animals being surrendered to the shelter 15
Day to Day Work Varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction Sometimes, enforcement is still required Day to Day Work Day to Day Work 16
Questions? Officer Todd Stosuy Field Services Manager Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter Asa235@co.santacruz.ca.us www.scanimalshelter.org 49 17