Posted on: Friday, August 2, 2002

Police prep for pet-noise calls

The Hawaiian Humane Society said yesterday it will continue taking animal nuisance calls only until Aug. 14, and the Honolulu Police Department said as a result it is figuring out how to deal with about 700 more complaints a year.

The Hawaiian Humane Society said yesterday it will continue taking animal nuisance calls only until Aug. 14, and the Honolulu Police Department said as a result it is figuring out how to deal with about 700 more complaints a year.

All nuisance calls to the Humane Society about barking dogs and crowing roosters were scheduled to be routed to police beginning yesterday. In the past, both the Humane Society and the Honolulu Police Department responded to complaints.

The Hawaiian Humane Society, a non-profit organization that provides the municipal function of animal care and control services, decided yesterday to continue to take animal nuisance complaints until Aug. 14 to help with the transition, said Hawaiian Humane Society spokeswoman Eve Holt.

The change comes in the wake of a decision by the Honolulu City Council not to approve an $80,000 increase in the Humane Society's contract for services. The organization said it needed the money to be able to continue handling the complaints.

The police department was "not expecting" to be handling all of the animal noise complaints, but is now working to smooth out its procedures, Assistant Police Chief Paul Putzulu said yesterday.

Residents with complaints need to call 911, and police will prioritize the calls, he said.

The department already has procedures on how to respond to animal nuisance complaints, but, "a lot of the calls were referred back to the Humane Society," Putzulu said.

The Humane Society logged about 1,100 nuisance complaints a year.

Putzulu said he was surprised when he found out last week the department would be handling all animal nuisance complaints. He said he was "worried about how much time and effort that would take from doing other duties and responding to other calls."

City ordinance prohibits excessive noise by animals if it is continuous and exceeds 10 minutes or if it is intermittent and exceeds 30 minutes. if it did not occur within two years of a previous violation. A $100 fine for a second violation is given within two years of a previous violation, and subsequent fines within two years of two or more violations are between $500 to $1,000, and/or imprisonment for up to 30 days. In lieu of imprisonment, the court may order the defendant to serve up to six months of probation. The court may also order the animal’s owner to attend an animal control training program.

When the Humane Society fielded nuisance complaints, it sent letters to the animal owners. 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.

Putzulu said the department will not handle calls in the same way. Police will go to the location of the complaint and document it in a report if there is evidence. Police officers also will have the opportunity to issue a citation, Putzulu said.

The Humane Society 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, said city spokeswoman Carol Costa.

Costa said she recommended that the council fund the increase, but the money was deleted from the agency's budget.

City Council budget chairwoman Ann Kobayashi said she was disappointed that the Humane Society could not handle animal nuisance complaints without the $80,000, and that the council was looking for other groups to provide the service without burdening police.

Kobayashi said the city budget is in such a deficit, many organizations had to deal with budget cuts this year.

"Everybody had to suffer cuts and everyone is making due with what they have," Kobayashi said. "If the Humane Society can't accommodate us, then we have to look at other ways."

A hearing about the Humane Society contract and how the city can deal with nuisance complaints without having to use police will take place in mid-September, Kobayashi said.

Under the new contract, the Humane Society still provides shelter for homeless animals, 24-hour emergency rescue and animal intake. The agency also enforces laws dealing with animal cruelty, stray dogs, cat protection, animal abandonment and the recently enacted dangerous dog law, Holt said.

No one from the Humane Society has been let go because of the budget cut, Holt said.

To ease the burden of calls to police, Tracey Wiltgen, executive director of the Mediation Center of the Pacific, said people with animal nuisance complaints can call the Mediation Center. The center helped the Hawaiian Humane Society in the past with animal nuisance complaints, and the agency allows neighbors to talk about the problem in a controlled environment.

Wiltgen said the Mediation Center will take complaints for free and immediately call the pet's owner about the problem. If the two cannot come to an agreement, Wiltgen said they can come to the meditation center for a $25 fee for each party.

"This might be an easier approach," Wiltgen said. "At least they'll be aware of the problem."

Reach Shayna Coleon at scoleon@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8004.