Animal control duties fall to police

By Hugh Clark
Advertiser Big Island Bureau

HILO, Hawai'i — Mayor Harry Kim has decided to transfer administration of the county's animal control program to the Big Island Police Department.

In an order issued last week, Kim set July 1 as the transfer date to move the troubled program from the finance department to the police department, which will be responsible for oversight of the contract now held by Hawai'i Island Humane Society and for the training of animal control officers.

The Humane Society will receive $788,000 this year to pick up strays, remove dead animals, and run adoption programs and shelter operations in Kea'au, Waimea and Kealakehe in North Kona. The program handles 15,000 animals annually that are either reclaimed by their owners, destroyed or adopted.

Humane Society Executive Director Grayson Hashida said placing animal control under the police department could lead to better enforcement and better training for his staff of 26.

Ginger Towle, a former leader of the West Hawai'i Humane Society, and other critics of the program say too many dogs and cats are being needlessly destroyed because previous county leaders were uninformed about animal control management.

"We're still in the mom-and-pop stage" of animal control, Towle said.

There also are complaints that the Humane Society has been unable to respond to the large number of calls about stray and vicious dogs, particularly in the rural area of Puna.

Another concern is that animal control fees and policies on the Big Island are outdated. For example, dog licensing fees — which now stand at $2 for a sterilized dog, $6 for unsterilized — haven't been increased since 1980.

A county legislative auditor's review in 2000 concluded that although the Humane Society was performing "capably," there was insufficient money for the program. The auditor also criticized the animal control contract, which runs through June 30, as poorly written.

That review was followed in September by a $12,000 study by the National Animal Control Association that recommended the transfer to the police department.

Acting Police Chief Lawrence Mahuna pointed out the mayor's order to increase police department responsibilities didn't come with additional money.