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Residents worry Keene draft law’s penalties and enforcement are too harsh
Summary
At the Jan. 14 hearing, several residents questioned the draft law's penalties, including a 15-day jail authority, and sought clarity on enforcement and educational approaches.
Multiple residents at the Jan. 14 hearing said they support the objective of reducing dog-related risks but questioned whether the draft law's penalties and enforcement approach are proportional. Noreen McCarthy warned that a provision authorizing up to 15 days in jail is "very heavy against dog owners" and could make people fearful of seeking help: "Giving authority for 15 days in jail, we do not want to end up in jail."
Council member Christopher (Chris) Daly responded to questions by noting that the penalty provision was contained in an earlier local law: "to be clear, the penalty prevision say in this law was in the 1998 law; this is not something we came up with." Commenters urged education and clarified enforcement plans before moving to strict criminal penalties.
