Door-to-door dog licensing? Wasting resources, wasting time, & KCMO continues to make contentious relations with citizens

Last week, KCMO Animal Control made the startling announcement that on each Wednesday from now until September, Animal Control will be choosing neighborhoods in "targeted areas" and going door-to-door checking on whether people have their pets licensed.

In KCMO, all dogs, cats, and ferrets must be licensed. For each pet that is not licensed, the owner will receive a $75 fine - -so fines could total as much as $300 for someone with four pets in their home (all pets over the maximum of four allowed by the city will be taken from the owner).

KCMO is barely able to provide basic resources for their residents. The schools are suffering. Crime is still high. Our roads don't get plowed when it snows. Public transportation continues to get cut. But somehow we have the the funds to send Animal Control door-to-door to check to see if they're licensed? 

The head of animal control, Patrick Egberuare, says the move isn't about generating revenue (which is laughable) but is "pretty much about public safety."

"Pretty much?"

And "public safety"? I don't want to speak for everyone here, but I can only guess that when 40% of the people in the city said they don't feel safe in their own neighborhoods (and 88% in city parks at night and 72% in downtown KCMO) that most of them didn't answer it that way because they felt threatened by their dog not being licensed. Just a guess on my part.

No, if the city were all that concerned about public safety, there are dozens of other things that would take precedence over dog licensing checks. So why are we wasting money on this?  And why is it that when the city faced a major budget deficit this year, that Animal Control was one budget that remained intact. It appears to me that they must have a lot of excess resources that could have been cut.

Nope, it seems obvious that this is a revenue grab by the city -- and one that could prove to be really costly.

The Constitutionality of doing door-to-door checks to look for people breaking laws is definitely in question. The 4th Amendment protects us (supposedly) from being searched without reasonable cause that we have done something wrong.  We would all instantly see the 4th Amendment being violated if authorities came door-to-door looking for illegal weapons, or to check someone's legal citizenship. And while dog licensing seems innocent enough, it is still a violation of the same Constitutional Law.

The city of Louisville currently has two legal cases (one state, one federal) they are working against for similar activity there. And Two years ago, when a Lucas County, OH (Toledo) dog warden attempted the same type of license checks, and was quickly shut down by the county government because they said it was a waste of time and likely a violation of the 4th Amendment (that particular dog warden resigned under public pressure last fall).  All it's going to take is one ACO crossing the wrong person who knows a lawyer and the city will have yet another lawsuit on their hands -- especially when many of the "targeted areas"happen to be in our lower-income areas (Eastwood Hills, Blue Hills, Ivanhoe Northend, etc). Meanwhile, many of our upscale neighborhoods (Waldo, Brookside, Ward Parkway, Armour Hills, etc) have been miraculously left off the targeted list (even though if you visit these areas on a weekend it seems that everyone there owns a dog).

Not only are these searches an unnecessary money-grab from the city, but they continue to put the city in a contentious relationship with its citizens by needlessly harassing people who are not causing any problems and in many cases, heaping substantial fines on them. At a time when KCMO should be doing whatever it can to try to attract people to want to live here, they continue to make policy decisions that make the citizen's relationship with the city tenuous at best. This is one reason many people I know haven't licensed their dogs already is because they feared by doing so they would become the targets of animal control. Seems like their fears are pretty warranted.

If the city council and the mayor have any sense at all about them they will pressure the Animal Control department to quit wasting our tax dollars on these silly searches. It's a waste of time and money -- and is leaving the city open to another potential lawsuit. There are hundreds of other things we could spend money on besides this.

For those of you who's neighborhood is going to be targeted, here's some good information from Kansas City Dog Advocates on your rights as a citizen when Animal Control comes knocking.

Comments

[Hyperblogal]

Don't answer the door.

[smh]

Absolutely. This is such a waste of time, effort, money, ink, etc. I wish I had a more constructive comment, apologies.

[Brent]

No doubt -- and thanks for noting that - I included that last paragraph so people can learn more about how to handle the calls.

Still can't believe my tax dollars are going toward this.

[MDog]

Re: those emergency rescue stickers some people put up to tell rescuers how many animals they have in case of fire or other emergency, would that provide "probable cause" for a search if you have one that says you have X number of animals (and it's over the limit.) Since we are over the limit by two, I think I'll take down my sticker. Not sure if that's a good idea, but this door-to-door thing really freaks me out.

[smh]

I see there was yet another violent attack on your stretch of Armour last night. Very sad.

[Brent]

Theoretically MDOG, it would give them just cause to get a warrant to come search you.

Double-check the neighborhood list -- I don't think they are going door-to-door in your neighborhood. But you'll want to check to be sure.

I'm also hopeful that the council will force them to stop this nonsense before too many more resources are wasted on this.

[Alana]

Brent, is the KC Dog Advocates (or anyone, for that matter) working on trying to repeal the 4 dog limit? I would love to be legal, but the way the law is currently written I can't. I'd certainly vote for a city council person or even Mayor, based on this one single issue.

[Sarah Mullally]

I mean, really!?? Are you f-ing kidding me? Need money much, KCMO? Of all the abused, neglected and chained dogs in KC you are going to worry that the owners of 3-4 rescue dogs have them licensed? Of course we do!! Do something productive with our taxdollars and your time!! Save a life or two!!

[Brent]

Alana,

I know a lot of people in your situation - a lot that would love to license all of their pets but are over the limit and thus don't want to call attention to themselves -- precisely because they feel like they'll be targeted by animal control (which seems justified given these recent events).

I'd love to get it adjusted, but I know that the person currently making animal control policies (Mike Schumacher) has no desire for the change and would fight it tooth and nail. But it will be one of the questions in our survey for elections next fall.

Unfortunately, until recently, many in the animal welfare world have been against the change too -- but now that the people who are helping to save homeless animals are being targeted with the pet limit, I have a feeling some may be changing their minds.

As for what can anyone do about it? I recommend that EVERYONE write letters to their city council members about it so they realize that it really does need to be changed.

[Brent]

I know Sarah -- right? It's not like they have the rest of their problems even close to solved with stray dogs and cruelty...but hey, can't make money on ownerless dogs, so why focus on that?

[Marla]

Some of the worst schools in the country and THIS is what KCMO chooses to waste their money doing. And people wonder why other parts of the country think we still drive on dirt roads and shit in outhouses.

[Aja]

Does anyone know what they do if you don't answer the door? Will they keep coming back even after September. I'm hoping they just go away because this is a clear violation of my rights. Even if you don't answer but they hear dogs inside can they do anything?

[SKC Observer]

I wrote about this myself--didn't even take on the constitutional issues--just the waste of time factor and yes, I did note that pet owners VOTE. Maybe they'll figure out that this is a waste of time and quit before someone gets hurt. Just silly.

[WaldoGuy]

I live in Waldo and have for 13 years. They have stopped by here 2 times in the last 5 years or so. They definitely don't leave Waldo out.

[MDog]

Thanks, Brent. I didn't see my neighborhood on the list, but I'm not sure I totally trust the list. This whole thing is an outrage. I commend you for recommending letters, but with the attitude some city council people have expressed about animals, I'm not sure how much good it will do unless a lot of us write.

[Eric]

It's things like this that contribute to Kansas City being one of the most abandoned cities in the US (http://www.forbes.com/2009/07/23/vacancy-homes-rents-lifestyle-real-estate-vacancy-cities.html).

[Brent]

Agreed Eric. Why would someone want to live here if you get very few amenities and you get harrassed even if you aren't causing anyone any problems?

MDog - from the look of the comments, here, on the news sites and on other blogs it looks like a lot of people are really annoyed/frustrated with this. Elections are 10 months away, if the council/mayor choose to do nothing, there is recourse.

[Joe]

Remember folks, you have the right to remain silent.

[Paula]

My northland neighborhood is on the "sweep" list today! My poor pups liked at me with these sad puppy dog eyes when I had to put their beds in a downstairs kennel. If only my fur kids understood that it was for their protection and not in "violation of their comfort".

I will never open my door to animal control regardless if my "kids" are properly registered or not!

[PAMM - People Against Missouri (Pet) Murders]

They don't accept those underground electronic fences as proper containment and are seizing dogs out of folks yards and ticketing them.

They are targeting the northland because their is money to be had...Mike Schumacher is an asshole and KCMO govt is useless.

[ACO]

god you people are sad...complaining about a $7 tag

[Brent]

If you were reading you'd note that no one is complaining about paying for a $7 tag. They're complaining that with all of the cruelty/neglect cases that are out there that are unprosecuted by Animal Control, and stray dogs that aren't captured, that animal control should have more important things to focus on.

There are no fewer than 3 groups of animal welfare people out there working to stop cruelty/neglect (which should be animal control's job) while AC is out knocking on doors of non pet-owners looking for unlicensed pets.

It's about completely messed up priorities.

[Drew]

Screw the constitution they say what if they are looking for guns? Or dope? or Illegal immigrants, or Jews, or whatever Nazi target is next it's the violation of civil rights at issue not the licenses....

[Drew]

Ohh and "ACO" who called us "sad "above is
Animal Control Officer, AKA Stormtrooper Nazi, Constitutional right violating FACIST.
I took an oath to defend the US constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic you are of the domestic enemy variety, woe be it to you to try violating my constitutional rights the war will begin with you.