Jamestown community service officer enforces pet licensing, rabies vaccinations
Oct. 16—JAMESTOWN — One of the biggest adjustments for Rachel Hastings in her new role as the Jamestown Police Department's community service officer was becoming an enforcer of laws versus being more of an educator in the past.
"But it has been rewarding," Hastings said. "I hear it all the time that people are noticing a change as far as the animal enforcement in town."
Hastings is from Bird Island, Minnesota. After she graduated from South Dakota State University, she worked at a couple veterinary clinics in Jamestown before joining the Jamestown Police Department as the community service officer on July 1.
As a community service officer, Hastings said she picks up wandering dogs or cats if their owner isn't around and makes sure pet owners are following the laws. She also makes sure Jamestown residents are following the city's junk ordinances.
Scott Edinger, Jamestown chief of police, said the job description for the community service officer position was revamped and the duties were expanded to include junk ordinance enforcement.
"It gave us an opportunity to have somebody focusing on more of some of the things we have done in the past especially now that we are literally fully staffed," he said.
Edinger said the Jamestown Police Department has seen an increase in the number of animal bites to humans.
"When we do have an animal bite, we want to be able to identify the owner and the animal to know the animal has been vaccinated because that saves a lot of time and excruciating pain from the series of injections that somebody has to get if we don't an animal has been immunized for rabies," he said.
He also said the Police Department wants to identify habitual offenders whose animals are constantly getting out.
"We are able to focus on those things better now and so we are addressing those things more closely," he said.
Edinger said having pets licensed with the city helps the Police Department identify who they belong to.
"We want to make sure that we can reunite the owners and then make sure that the owners who aren't being responsible and taking care of the pets properly are being held accountable for that," he said.
Over the past few years, Edinger said the Police Department hasn't had much opportunity to enforce pet licensing.
"If you live in a well-established city that has these services, they do have ordinances where you have to get an animal licensed and prove they have been vaccinated," he said.
Hastings said pet owners need to be accountable for their animals' care.
"There is no limit about the number of animals you can have in town, but you do have to be able to afford all the animals you have in town," she said.
Hastings said it is a common misconception for pet owners to think their pets are licensed with the city if they have rabies certificates for them. She said a pet owner can bring a pet's rabies certificate to the Jamestown Police Department to get it licensed with the city for a fee. She said if a pet owner has three or more pets there is an additional kennel fee as well as the licensing fee.
"A lot of people don't realize that you should have your pet licensed with the city," she said.
Hastings said she's "surprised" how many pets don't have a current rabies vaccine.
"That's a huge public health concern," she said.
Hastings said pets can get rabies from wildlife or domestic animals. She said it's a public health concern when an animal with rabies bites a person.
She said she might require a dog not vaccinated for rabies to be held professionally either at the city pound or at a veterinary clinic. She said a quarantine would last for about 10 days.
"That does get expensive," she said. "It's just way cheaper and a good owner responsibility to keep up with your animals' rabies vaccine."
Rabies is a fatal disease to humans, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"We have such a low prevalence of it in this area and I want to keep it that way," she said.
Hastings said she picks up wandering dogs or cats in Jamestown and takes them to the pound.
"Pretty much, it's just the strays out and wandering and we don't know who it goes to," she said.
Once the holding period passes, Hastings has to figure out what to do with the dogs or cats. If the animals have tags, she makes sure they are licensed with the city and vaccinated for rabies and reunites them with their owners.
"She's definitely keeping a very close eye on all the unregistered pets that are running around, using social media in a way that we haven't used before to try and reunite those pet owners," Edinger said.
If they are strays, she tries to get them into rescues such as the James River Humane Society or Prairie Paws Rescue, but there is only so much room in rescue shelters. If there isn't a place for the animals, then they are euthanized.
"I hate doing it. I hate it but it is just the harsh reality of it," she said. "Until people really start cracking down on being responsible for their own pets, my hands are tied. There are only so many resources. People need to be responsible for their own pets."
The other side of being a community service officer includes looking for residents who are violating junk ordinances.
"Everybody needs to do their part," she said. "If you have a whole pile of garbage, it's going to attract rodents. Nobody wants to live next to the dumpy house. ... Be nice to the neighbor too by keeping your place picked up and they do the same."
She said junk violations can consist of rundown vehicles parked in backyards for years, piles of garbage, even collecting an excessive amount of tires and not doing anything with them or even large piles of sticks and branches.
"I'm still learning it because some people like what I might consider junk, they consider it yard art," she said.
Edinger said some properties take weeks, months or even years to clean up. He said the Police Department is working with the Jamestown City Council to strengthen junk ordinances.
He also said as the position evolves, the Police Department will have her work on downtown parking enforcement.
