Year-to-date, there has been only one incident where the use of force was required. The low number of use of force incidents in Oakwood is a testament to the professionalism and de-escalation skills of Oakwood’s Public Safety Officers patrolling streets every day.

The Oakwood Public Safety Department is once again issuing “Good Choice Tickets.” The program is designed to recognize Oakwood’s youth for making good choices such as using a crosswalk, wearing a bicycle helmet, or looking both ways before crossing the street. This is a good way for the officers to interact and acknowledge youths for making good choices.

The Oakwood Public Safety Department will host its sixth Citizen Police Academy (CPA) in September 2024. The CPA is a 10-week program that meets for two hours, one night per week, covering the following topics: Safety Department Introduction/Orientation; Patrol Operations; Traffic Enforcement; Use of Force; Active Shooter Training; Evidence Collection and Processing; and Fire Prevention / Education. The CPA is free of charge and is open to any Oakwood resident or individual working within the city of Oakwood. The September program has two remaining spots.

From January 1, 2023 to date, the Oakwood Public Safety Department received 372 domestic and wild animal complaints. Most domestic complaints are related to dogs and some cats. Wildlife complaints are mainly received from residents dealing with foxes, raccoons or coyotes. It is illegal to harm, capture, or kill wildlife animals without the appropriate approval. The biggest challenge the department frequently deals with is loose dogs. In many cases, officers capture the dog and reunite them with their owner. Unfortunately, there are times when unwanted animals are deliberately dumped in the city. If a foster home cannot be found for the animal, the department reaches out to the Montgomery County Animal Resource Center (ARC) for assistance. Chief Hill invited Director Amy Bohardt and Team Lead Randi Broadus from the Montgomery County ARC to speak about the services of their organization.

Ms. Bohardt thanked Chief Hill and Council for inviting her to the meeting to share information about the services they provide. As the dog warden in Montgomery County, they patrol 462 square miles in Montgomery County. Montgomery County ARC’s mission is serving the community and pets of Montgomery County through effective public safety, humane animal welfare, and connecting pets to forever homes. They estimate 140,000 dogs live in Montgomery County. The Animal Resource Center has space to house 80. A lot of what they do is aimed at problem-solving to figure out where a dog came from so they can work to get it home with the supplies, resources and/or knowledge needed to be successful. They believe that pets, especially dogs, enrich people’s lives and they aim to preserve that and keep pets and people together. Dog licenses and microchips are reliable sources; however, it is estimated that there is only a 34% license rate in Montgomery County. People need to know that dog licenses are legally required in Montgomery County. Dog licenses can be traced at any time by anyone on the Montgomery County Auditor’s website. The ARC organization cannot be effective alone. It takes people's involvement in adoptions, fostering, volunteering and donations. Last year, Montgomery County ARC received 9,160 calls for service and 21 of those calls were from Oakwood. She thanked the Oakwood Public Safety Department for doing a remarkable job caring for dogs in Oakwood.

Mr. Stephens asked how many dogs are licensed in Oakwood.

Ms. Bohardt said that they estimate that Oakwood has around 2,200 dogs and only 23% are estimated to be licensed.

Mrs. Jackson asked if there is a penalty if a recovered dog is not licensed.

Ms. Bohardt answered yes if it is outside of the dog license sale season. The penalty is double the cost of the license.

Mayor Duncan asked about the ARC funding sources.

Ms. Bohardt said most of their budget is funded primarily by license fees and then supplemented with general revenue from Montgomery County.

Mr. Klopsch asked Chief Hill to comment on Oakwood’s pet chip reader.

Chief Hill shared that the department has two chip readers. A citizen donated money to the department to purchase one of the two devices. The devices are used immediately after a dog is recovered to help get the dog back to their owner.

Mayor Duncan asked if pets are microchipped by veterinarians.