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Residents urge Harper Woods to restore animal control and to limit police vehicle staging at library
Summary
During public comment residents asked the council to reinstate the Charter Committee, restore animal-control services after recent encounters with loose dogs, and to discourage staging of armored police vehicles in the library parking lot, which patrons said is creating fear and blocking library parking.
Several Harper Woods residents used the public-comment period at the Dec. 1 council meeting to press officials on animal-control services and library operations.
Terry Williams, a 26-year resident, said the city currently has no animal control and described a recent incident in which neighbors captured a loose dog only to be told by Grosse Pointe Animal Adoption and the police to release it; Williams read sections of the Harper Woods code of ordinances about dogs running at large and urged the council to restore animal-control coverage quickly.
McKenna Champney, president of the City of Harper Woods Library Board of Trustees, said state police have been parking armored vehicles at the library prior to operations in Detroit and that the presence of these vehicles has caused anxiety among patrons and taken library parking spaces. Champney asked the council to request that law-enforcement partners use alternative staging areas or park behind the building to reduce patron distress; she offered to provide photographic evidence.
Several residents also urged reinstating or reviewing the Charter Committee to clarify roles and to ensure council actions align with the charter. Councilmembers thanked residents for their comments and said staff will continue discussions with partners about animal-control contracts and library parking logistics.
