As part of the contract negotiations between the City of New Haven and the Elm City Local CACP (the police union), it appears that one of the items up for debate is the elimination of the police officer requirement for the City of New Haven Municipal Animal Control Officer (Officer Joe Manganiello's position). That would mean that this position could be filled by a less qualified and less trained citizen who might just have the bare minimum of qualifications for the head of the animal shelter. This would be a terrible loss for the shelter and especially for our shelter animals.

Some of the concerns we have include, but are not limited by:

Public safety issues for both the citizens and the animals (both the shelter animals and the community animals).

New dangerous dog ordinances - Officer Manganiello spearheaded the new dog laws that were passed at the beginning of the month (you can read about it here: https://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/alders_ok_dangers_animal_ordinance/ ) . The enforcement has not begun yet and it would be remiss if a police officer was not involved in its implementation. Without a police officer with knowledge of the regulations and how to frame them correctly, these ordinances probably would not have passed in the first place.

Seizing and monitoring of animal cruelty cases - Officer Manganiello testifies in court for these cases and can safely and effectively deal with these situations. He is a spokesperson for the shelter and can convey these situations to the media in an effective and professional way.

De-escalation of situations involving animals - Officer Manganiello uses his training to de-escalate and diffuse fraught situations that could lead to horrible consequences if they weren't handled correctly.

Enforcement of animal control laws - With a police officer enforcing the laws directly, members of the public are much more likely to follow his counsel. He has been able to get people to sign over their dogs who were not in the best shape.

Safety of people who visit the animal shelter - Sometimes the people who visit the animal shelter or who are in the area do not have others' best interest in mind. Having a police officer in the building to handle these situations immediately is invaluable.

Training of new police officers - Officer Manganiello teaches the new recruits at the police academy about how to deal with dangerous dogs and tries to prevent cases where an officer will shoot a dog if he or she feels threatened. This has saved many animals' lives.

Community policing - Elimination of this requirement will diminish the shelter and the city's reputation for community policing.

We urge the City of New Haven and the Elm City Local CACP to take the elimination of this position out of the contract negotiations.