SPRINGFIELD — Springfield has decided to field all of its calls for animal control through police dispatch. Mayor Ralph Hammond announced the plan at a commission meeting Monday.
The police department will now take on a larger role responding to animal-related noise complaints and any other call that does not involve actually removing an animal from the scene. The police will be in charge of any supplementary work surrounding animal control cases.
“For dangerous dogs, we will investigate, do the paperwork and charges,” Chief Philip Thorne said as an example.
The main reason for this decision is to lower Bay County animal control charges, more than $25,000 in the fourth quarter of 2014, by handling many of the residential disputes where no action is required. Thorne said he would train officers this week on the city’s codes.
The city also wants the public to call the police first, which Thorne said most residents already do, with the police department relaying calls to animal control. The number for residents to call is (850) 872-7545.