County Delivery of Animal Control Services*

- Manual re-entry of data is costly, inefficient, and introduces the possibility of transcription errors. The Board of Supervisors disagrees wholly with this Finding. The Board of Supervisors agrees with and adopts the response of the Mendocino County Sheriff to this Finding.

- Animal Control Officers often have difficulty making contact with Animal Care while in the field. The Board of Supervisors disagrees in part with this Finding. The Board of Supervisors agrees with and adopts the response of the Mendocino County Sheriff to this Finding.

- Information access limitations restrict efficient handling of loose and stray animals, because no background information is available to officers in the field. The Board of Supervisors disagrees in part with this Finding. The officers do not have computers in their vehicles, but they are able to contact Animal Control by cell phone in many areas of the County. If the animal in question has a license on it, or if the owner's name is known, it is possible to access information in the field.

- Not all data about an individual case is necessary to proceed on most licensing (small animal) cases. Large animal abuse or neglect cases require more extensive information from both Aegis and Chameleon to proceed. The Board of Supervisors disagrees in part with this Finding. It is unclear what the Grand Jury means by this "finding." An officer can start a licensing case on partial information about the owner, etc. They can also start an animal abuse or neglect case without having the owner's full name and other information.

- The absence of an Animal Control Officer stationed on the coast represents a serious risk to public health and safety. The Board of Supervisors disagrees wholly with this Finding. Law enforcement, both County and City, respond to Animal Control calls when there is a risk of harm to citizens. RESPONSE TO GRAND JURY REPORT TITLED: COUNTY DELIVERY OF ANIMAL CONTROL SERVICES

- Coastal calls require at least two extra hours of officer time. The Board of Supervisors disagrees in part with this Finding. See response to Finding 9 above. Additionally, response times will be shorter if Animal Control is already on patrol in the coastal area.

- There is an egregious degradation of coverage on the coast. The Board of Supervisors disagrees wholly with this Finding. Although there is no Animal Control Officer stationed on the coast, the Animal Control Officers are out in the field while on duty and respond to calls from the coast. In addition, law enforcement officers, both County and City, respond to Animal Control calls when there is a risk of harm to citizens.

- The impact of budget decreases has degraded services for the entire County. The Board of Supervisors disagrees in part with this Finding. The Board of Supervisors implemented budget cuts in all departments in response to decreased revenue and increased costs while attempting to preserve critical services and deliver additional services in the most efficient and cost effective manner possible based on the resources available.

- Animal Control Officers are more than dog catchers. They are underpaid for the level of training they are required to have and the responsibilities they perform. The Board of Supervisors disagrees in part with this Finding. The Board of Supervisors agrees that Animal Control Officers are more than dog catchers. The Board of Supervisors disagrees that they are underpaid when compared to other County employees.

- A comparison of job descriptions reveals a higher level of responsibility of the Animal Control Officer than that of the Deputy Probation Officer I. (Appendices A and B) The Board of Supervisors wholly disagrees with this Finding. This is like comparing apples to oranges. The duties and responsibilities of an Animal Control Officer are necessarily different from those of a Probation Officer I.

- Lack of prosecution leads to Animal Control putting more emphasis on working with abusive owners longer in an attempt to alter owner behavior before proceeding with removal of the animals. RESPONSE TO GRAND JURY REPORT TITLED: COUNTY DELIVERY OF ANIMAL CONTROL SERVICES The Board of Supervisors disagrees wholly with this Finding. The Board of Supervisors agrees with and adopts the response of the Mendocino County Sheriff to this Finding.