That dog too noisy? Call cops, city says
By Shayna Coleon
Advertiser Staff Writer
Starting today, the Hawaiian Humane Society no longer will handle complaints about barking dogs or crowing roosters, leaving Honolulu police to deal with all O'ahu calls about animal nuisances.
Hundreds of calls will be routed to the Honolulu Police Department as a result of the City Council's decision not to approve an $80,000 increase in the Humane Society's contract for services. The organization said it needed the increase to be able to continue handling complaints.
"In the past, both (the Humane Society and Honolulu Police Department) responded to complaints, but now HPD will take care of it," city spokeswoman Carol Costa said.
As of today, Costa said, the Humane Society "will advise callers with these types of complaints to call the police."
Costa said the Humane Society logged about 1,100 nuisance complaints a year.
The organization was recently awarded an animal control contract worth $1,636,775 — an amount $80,000 short of what the agency said it needed to take care of animal nuisance complaints, Costa said.
Costa said the city administration asked the City Council for an $80,000 boost, but the council voted it down in May.
The society "had been running at a deficit, with private funding usually making that up," she said. "The Humane Society informed the council that without the $80,000 they would no longer respond to nuisance complaints."
The Humane Society fielded nuisance complaints, typically about noisy animals, and sent letters to the animal owners, Hawaiian Humane Society spokeswoman Eve Holt said. If the problem recurred, the person needed to file another complaint and a Humane Society investigator was sent to talk to the animal's owner.
The society, a private non-profit organization, will continue to enforce animal cruelty laws, dangerous dog laws, cat protection ordinances and other laws under its city contract, Holt said; only the handling of nuisance complaints has been turned over to police.
Honolulu police officials say they must add the animal complaints to the other work they do.
"I know people have often talked about how a discouraging amount of time is spent on nonemergency calls to 911," said Honolulu Detective Letha DeCaires. "The concern will be if people will become more frustrated if they need to be put on hold."
City ordinances prohibit excessive noise by animals if it is continuous and exceeds 10 minutes or it it is intermittent and exceeds 30 minutes. The initial fine for violating the law is $50, with a $100 fine for a second violation within the next two years. Subsequent fines within another two years are between $500 and $1,000, and/or between 30 days to six months' probation.
DeCaires, program coordinator for CrimeStoppers, which has been taking anonymous complaints about animal cruelty since January, thinks the noise complaints to the telephone line will increase now that the Humane Society has bowed out.
"The Humane Society offered that service because neighbors maybe did not want to make a formal complaint," DeCaires said. "I anticipate Animal CrimeStoppers will show an increase in calls if the Humane Society is not answering those calls."
Reach Shayna Coleon at scoleon@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8004.
