The Hawaiian Humane Society supports a bill moving through the City Council to require that dog-bite injuries be reported to the Honolulu Police Department similar to the way gunshot injuries are handled.

City Councilman Charles Djou introduced the bill, saying it appears to be needed to help identify dogs that bite so that multiple attacks can be prevented. He said calls for more action followed the recent trial of a woman whose dog attacked two children on a Kahala beach in incidents a week apart.

Pamela Burns of the Humane Society testified yesterday at a hearing at Honolulu Hale that the organization — which contracts with the city to take care of animal control duties — favors the general idea. The measure has passed first reading and yesterday won the approval of the Public Health, Safety and Welfare Committee, with one vote against it.

The bill now goes for public hearing Jan. 24 before the full council.

"It would help to perhaps identify unreported dangerous dog cases or previous incidents involving dogs," Burns said. She did raise some concerns about the medical privacy of dog-bite victims if those records were made public.

Councilman Romy Cachola voted against the measure in committee, saying that requiring healthcare providers and veterinarians to make a police report might create a burden for them.

Honolulu Police Capt. Robert Green, who works out of East Honolulu, supported the measure. But he resisted a suggestion to change the bill to require that police officers take photos of dog-bite injuries.

"Not every officer is issued a camera," Green said, so mandating photos might turn out to be time-consuming and remove discretion from the investigators.

"It becomes too manpower-intensive," he said.

The city's Department of Emergency Services supported the bill and a spokeswoman said crews already report such injuries.

Reach Robbie Dingeman at rdingeman@honoluluadvertiser.com.