HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 07 An Ordinance Making it a Violation to Initiate a False Report or Provide a False Statement to an Animal Control Officer AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY Meeting Date: 3/4/2013
Meeting Type: Regular Meeting
Staff Contact/Dept.: Jerry Smith/Police
Staff Phone No: 726-2320
Estimated Time: Consent Calendar
S P R I N G F I E L D
C I T Y C O U N C I L
Council Goals: Enhance Public Safety
ITEM TITLE:
AN ORDINANCE MAKING IT A VIOLATION TO INITIATE A FALSE
REPORT OR PROVIDE A FALSE STATEMENT TO AN ANIMAL CONTROL
OFFICER.
ACTION
REQUESTED:
Adopt/not adopt:
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE SPRINGFIELD MUNICIPAL CODE
CHAPTER 5, PUBLIC PROTECTION, CONTROL OF DOGS AND OTHER
ANIMALS, MAKING IT A VIOLATION OF THE SPRINGFIELD MUNICIPAL
CODE TO INITIATE A FALSE REPORT OR TO PROVIDE AN UNSWORN
FALSIFICATION TO AN ANIMAL SERVICES OFFICER.
ISSUE
STATEMENT:
The City of Springfield provides Animal Control Services to the citizens of
Springfield. Considerable time is exhausted responding to false reports, providing
follow up investigations and verifying facts provided by individuals who knew at
the time they made the statement that it was false. Oregon State Statutes (162.385)
provides penalties for providing false information to a police officer but does not
provide a tool for use by the Springfield Animal Control Officer.
ATTACHMENTS: 1-Ordinance
DISCUSSION/
FINANCIAL
IMPACT:
The City provides Animal Control Services, operating under State Law and City
Ordinance authority. Investigations occasionally find individuals who knowingly
provide false information to the Animal Control Officer.
Oregon Statutes provide tools to deal with false information to police officers but
does not provide the same level of accountability for such behavior to Animal
Control Officers. Lane County has an ordinance that provides for initiating false
reports to animal control officers from which the proposed ordinance was modeled.
There is no financial impact with adoption of the proposed ordinance.
A first reading was conducted on February 19th, 2013.