On July 30th, 2012 a CCPD Patrol Officer and Animal Control Officer responded to an address on the 3600 block of Wright Street to investigate an allegation of animal neglect. Upon their arrival officers discovered the carcass of dog that appeared to have died due to neglect, ie-lack of adequate water, shade, etc.. The Animal Control Officer impounded a second dog that also appeared to be neglected, while the Patrol Officer generated an incident report for animal cruelty against the dogs’ owner. A necropsy was later conducted upon the deceased dog and the veterinarian determined it had died due to dehydration and excessive body heat. On or about July 31st, the animal cruelty case was forwarded to the District Attorney’s office Misdemeanor section for prosecution.

Earlier today, the investigating Animal Control Officer and the dog’s owner appeared in Municipal Court for a hearing regarding the impounded dog. A Municipal Court Judge ruled to release the impounded animal back to the owner, assessing impound fees and associated costs. The Animal Control Officer returned to the Animal Control Facility, where he discovered that the impounded dog had been inadvertently euthanized on August 16th, 2012 by another Animal Control Employee. Paperwork associated with the animal clearly indicated that the dog was being held pending the August 17th municipal court hearing and could not be euthanized prior to August 28, 2012. The incident was brought to the attention of Animal Control Supervisors, who referred the incident to the Police Department’s Internal Affairs Unit for investigation. The employee in question has been reassigned duties within Animal Control pending the outcome of the investigation, which could result in discipline up to and including demotion, suspension or termination.

“I am just as upset as those in the community over this needless destruction of an animal in our custody,” stated Commander Todd Green, whose duties include the supervision of Animal Care and Control Services. “I assure you that we will conduct a thorough investigation into this incident and take whatever corrective measures are appropriate to ensure that this never occurs again.” Commander Green added that since the Police Department assumed responsibility over Animal Care and Control in January of the year, it has made tremendous strides forward toward improved service, but this is certainly an unacceptable event and will not be tolerated.