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Pacific residents press board over dog bite; aldermen ask staff to draft animal-control procedure
Summary
Residents described repeated aggressive-dog incidents and urged stronger rules and better communication; the board directed staff to develop a clear checklist-style procedure for investigating dog bites and clarified limits on what the city can share about open cases.
Several Pacific residents urged the Board of Aldermen on Aug. 6 to tighten animal-control practices after a recent attack they said left a neighbor injured.
"Maybe we need some stronger laws," Katie Collins, 209 East Walnut Street, told the board during public participation, recounting her own prior dog-bite injury and asking how neighbors would be notified when a dangerous animal is reported. City staff said an open case exists but that information available to the public is limited to the case record.
Elected officials pressed for clarity about how animal control and police handle reports. Major Don Locke said the department has been performing extra enforcement in problem areas and that he has requested clearer signage at certain roadway locations to improve public safety. He told the board he had "urged residents to use extreme caution" and asked citizens to report hot spots so officers can focus enforcement.
Attorney Jones, who advises the city, said dog-bite and animal-control responses must respect due process and that cases are typically forwarded to the prosecutor's office for review. Jones noted that if a judge later deems a dog "vicious," the ordinance requires removal from the city, but the legal process must be followed before that outcome.
In response to residents' concerns and examples of delays in follow-up, aldermen asked staff to formalize a concise investigative checklist that would guide first responders and animal-control officers. The police chief and Major Locke agreed to work with Attorney Jones on a written procedure covering initial response steps, evidence collection, quarantine/impound rules and when cases should be forwarded to the prosecutor.
The board did not adopt any new ordinance at the meeting; instead it directed staff to return with a draft procedure for review so the city can ensure consistent, timely handling of dog-bite complaints and clearer public messaging.
The board's next procedural step is for staff to bring a proposed checklist or formal policy back to the aldermen for consideration.
