Campbell cops take proactive approach to animal welfare

By LINDA M. LINONIS

linonis@vindy.com

CAMPBELL

A 6- to- 8-week-old puppy found on the edge of a wooded area, a young dog eating roadkill on the side of a street, a pit-bull mix with body sores and a wandering mastiff mix.

These are among the dogs that the Campbell Police Department has helped. The puppy and pit-bull mix are in the care of Angels for Animals, and the young dog and mastiff mix were reunited with their families.

Campbell Police Department is taking a proactive approach to animal welfare.

“Everything is a priority in the moment we’re dealing with it,” said Chief Drew Rauzan, noting the department’s response to human and animal incidents. “I believe we’ve always been animal-friendly in this department,” the chief continued. “We’re being more proactive.”

Rauzan said just as traffic and narcotics offenses are addressed in the law book, so is inhumane treatment of companion animals. “If it’s in there, it falls under the police department. If it’s the law, we can enforce it,” said the chief, who also is a lawyer.

“All we’re doing differently is taking the lead as the charging agency,” the police chief said. He said if a dog is evidence in a case, a humane agent would be involved in the process.

Humane agents from Animal Charity and deputy wardens from the Mahoning County Dog Pound cover the county, Rauzan said. Campbell officers concentrate on their city. “We’re in a better position to respond immediately here,” he said. But, he added, the department continues to work with humane agents and the dog pound, depending on the situation.

Rauzan said the animal-friendly approach has been an unofficial component of the department, but he is taking the practice to a more-comprehensive level.

City residents should call the nonemergency police number, 330-755-1411, or send an anonymous email to vice@campbellohio.gov to report animal cruelty.

Rauzan said the department has some dog crates and carriers that are used when officers pick up strays. Officers have leashes and tethers in cruisers. On March 14, a Boy Scout troop will assemble larger kennels that the department bought. These kennels are more permanent structures, Rauzan said. Officer Jim Conroy, who is involved in animal rescue, is coordinating this effort.

Also in the works is updating the city’s website, www.campbellohio.gov, to provide a link for people to find lost pets. Owners will be able to upload photos and descriptions. “We want to help people here,” he said.

Rauzan has served as chief since November 2013 and was a sergeant from 2004-13; he has been with the CPD since 1998. “What I make a priority becomes a priority,” he said. CPD has 14 full-time officers and 10 part-timers.

“Our goal is to learn from the past and improve services in the future,” Rauzan said. The chief said he hoped that residents will take notice that if animals are not cared for properly according to Campbell laws and companion state laws, they will be charged. “We will enforce the laws as aggressively as possible,” Rauzan said.

Rauzan said the animal advocacy “is a work in progress,” and he welcomes suggestions. He plans to meet with Animal Charity and the Mahoning County Dog Pound to “work out a plan and policy.”

Judie Clement, city administrator, said the city and police are taking a proactive approach to animal welfare. In part, an incident in the city in which a dog starved to death and was found frozen by a dog house was a catalyst. “That was motivation,” the animal advocate said. “Now people are calling about situations, and that’s good.”