Update on City Council Recommendations and Animal Control Report

This is a x-post of an entry in the VBSPCA E-tails google group from Teresa lamarche outreach@vbspca.com for those of you who might not have known about the battle between the VA BEACH S.P.C.A. and the city of VA BEACH

Dear Friends:
Most of you are probably aware that the Virginia Beach SPCA has urged the City, Police Department, City Manager and City Council, to make what we believe are crucial improvements both to the animal shelter operations and to the law enforcement of animal welfare statutes. We are not sure what happens next, but we encourage you to contact the City Manager or your Council representative (http://www.vbgov.com/vgn.aspx?vgnextchannel=f046b4d03baed010VgnVCM10000 06310640aRCRD&vgnextparchannel=77b356e5b465d010VgnVCM1000006310640aRCRD) to inquire as to the status of these proposals as well as when a proposal will be adopted for this initiative.
The Virginia Beach SPCA provided a report of our recommendations to City Council on May 27th. If you would like to review the report it is available at http://vbspca.com/uploads/VABeachCityCouncilReportFinal.pdf.
After this report was presented, we met with James Spore, the City Manager, and with Police Chief Jacocks to discuss our recommendations as well as our offer to assist (in any capacity) in their implementation. City officials subsequently drafted recommendations, which can be found at http://edocs.vbgov.com/weblink/index.asp?DocumentID=49656629&FolderID=49 652730&SearchHandle=0&DocViewType=ShowImage&LeftPaneType=Hidden&dbid=0&p age=1 starting on page 12. You must scroll through by hitting the down arrow at the top. If you would like a copy of the full report, please contact the City Manager's office by emailing CMOff...@vbgov.com or calling 385-4242.
Below is the response that we filed to the City's Policy Report presented by the Chief of Police on July 1st. You can watch the presentation of those recommendations at http://www.vbgov.com/video.aspx?type=Council&media=5fbb295288571110VgnVC M100000190c640a____ and then under the screen, click on View specific segments and then click on Adoption Friendly Animal Control Proposal.

Response To Policy Report On Virginia Beach Animal Control

The Virginia Beach SPCA wants to commend the time and attention that the City Council, the City Manager, the Police Department and other City staff have directed toward the issue of transforming the animal control facility into an adoption friendly facility. While we know the process has been contentious at times, it has also been enriching and enlightening to all who have been involved. Previous efforts to improve operations over the past few years were not successful in our view because they did not trigger such a widespread public commitment to a solution.

The concerns of the Virginia Beach SPCA regarding the operations of the City's animal shelter have received attention but our concerns regarding the law enforcement responsibilities have received less attention. We believe these operations must go hand in hand and we remain concerned about this issue and will continue to press for improvements in this area as well.

The Police Department's presentation included information on a number of organizations outside of Virginia Beach, some with more applicability than others. There were some consistencies which do appear in the report and we support those directed at improving the health management of animals in shelter, expanding adoption opportunities, better and more effective utilization of volunteers, etc. Most Virginia shelters and bureaus engage in some or all of these activities, as we have for decades. We urge the City to move swiftly to implement these important improvements. Since the Virginia Beach SPCA has vaccinated animals for years, we don't agree that there is a state limitation on this activity and we would happily assist both in the protocol and in discussing ways in which this vital disease prevention program could be financed.

We further urge the Police Department to ask for the necessary authorization to fully staff the Animal Control Bureau relative to its present staffing requirements. It is impossible for two caretakers, out of six approved positions, to successfully maintain the sanitation much less herd health of hundreds of animals. This is not a request for the additional positions we believe are needed, rather, simply the filling of the vacant existing positions.

As to the options presented to City Council, we have reviewed these purely from the perspective of where should the animal shelter and law enforcement function be placed? There is not enough information to evaluate the likelihood of success, the operational elements of each nor the relative costs and benefits. Given the large number of recommendations from the Public Forum urging that either the shelter or both shelter and law enforcement functions be moved away from the Police Department, we would pose the following questions:

1. What would be the learning curve required of moving the shelter and/or the law enforcement function to entirely different departments or organizations and would that impede or improve the speed of improvements?

2. Would relocating the law enforcement function to another department diminish the seriousness and performance that we believe is currently missing from this activity?

3. We are delighted with the commitment to hire an animal welfare professional with a proven track record. How much authority will this person have to move swiftly to make changes and alter the culture of the shelter? To whom will this person answer?

4. How will a comprehensive and city-wide approach to animal welfare be achieved?

5. What happens if the licensing compliance does not reach the levels anticipated? Will the facility and new staffing expansion be abandoned?

6. Will training for current staff be aggressively pursued? When, where and how will this be accomplished?

7. How were the adoption goals established? What were the parameters and what are the safeguards pertaining to insuring responsible adoptions?

8. Will the transfer of animals to other organizations, etc. occur only AFTER spaying/ neutering? Will these organizations meet the criteria established by other animal control bureaus and the state code?

9. How will Option 1 be evaluated? Is there an opportunity for an Advisory Board to provide an objective analysis of progress?

10. What is the fall back position if Option 1 does not achieve the goals anticipated?

11. What is the level of enthusiasm in the Police Department for taking on this significant challenge?

We believe this report is a beginning point for further discussion among all the stakeholders and look forward to participating in those future conversations. Our goal remains the same, a humane community with animal welfare operations that are reflective of the highest values of our citizens. As the City transitions in the near term, we are committed to fulfilling our role as an advocate for animals and those who are concerned about their welfare to insure a positive outcome.