Coral Springs Humane Unit

CORAL SPRINGS POLICE HUMANE UNIT FOR UNIT OF THE YEAR 2014

We are responsible for investigation and enforcement activities for city Ordinance and State Statute violations dealing with animals. We are not “dog catchers”, and do not simply drive around picking up loose dogs. We are certified by the State to perform their jobs, including certification in humane animal capture and standard investigation techniques. Being well versed in civil and criminal rules, we are able to testify in Court on behalf of the City.
Standby calls frequently require the us to deal single handedly with capturing loose, unpredictable, and sometimes dangerous animals that pose threats to the citizens and animals within our communities.
What mostly goes unknown about our unit is as follows:
• Animal Control Officers deal with potentially rabid and or diseased animals. This poses personal injury risks to the Officer, who sets their own well being aside in order to protect the public. Special challenges arise when capturing aggressive, vicious and feral animals that have bitten or mauled people.
• Humane Officers investigate city and State Statute violations, which may result in the Officer referring criminal charges against the violators. These offenses range from misdemeanors to felonies.
• Humane Officers are put in harms way when called upon by the Police Dept. to go on “drug raids” and other highly dangerous cases when attack dogs are present that might impede the serving of warrants, the searching of properties or the arresting of criminals.
• Officers are also called upon to enter residences wherein murders and/or suicides have occurred, usually before the human victim’s bodies are removed, due to the presence of protective pets who won’t let rescue personnel near their owner’s bodies. These scenes are grisly, emotionally draining calls to respond to.
• Humane Officers must also respond to fatal traffic accidents when pets are in the vehicles, exposing the Officers to heinous scenes of death and dismemberment.
• Humane Officers are called to house fires, where pets, and sometimes their owners, have died and must remove the animal’s bodies from the scene.
• Humane Officers are the ones who remove dead animals from the roadways in Coral Springs.
• Humane Officers respond to calls where dogs have caused property damages and cases where dogs have attacked, injured or killed other animals.
• Humane Officers investigate cases of “Animal Hoarding” – which require Officers to enter and work in environments where dozens, and sometimes hundreds, of abused and sick animals are kept in squalid, unsanitary, cramped spaces.
• Humane
‘]0 Officers respond to cruelty to animal reports and rescue animal victims from their abusers.
• When sick or injured animals are found, the Officer must make a field assessment of the animal’s condition. If the animal is in imminent danger of dying, the Officer must perform the humane act of euthanasia to end the animal’s suffering.
• If the injured animal is wearing I.D., the Officer tries to contact the owner and arrange for immediate veterinary care to be provided.
Animal Control Officers are ambassadors of humane care and treatment of animals. They perform the job of educators, informing the general public of the ordinances and Statutes that exist to protect the people and pets of Coral Springs.

2801 Coral Springs Dr
Coral Springs, FL 33065
United States