North Judson Resident Addresses Dog Problem at Town Council Meeting

Posted on October 9, 2018
Author Jacque Ryan, WKVI

Officers with the North Judson Police Department and Code Enforcement are working to address citizen concerns related to dogs in town. One resident came before the town council last Monday to alert them about a residence with some troublesome dogs on Leslie Street.

He said the house in question has about 7 seemingly aggressive dogs and reported that his granddaughter was chased by one in September.

He explained that he didn’t contact police because he had called about them in the past and felt that the matter wasn’t handled properly by local authorities. He told council members he believed that this wasn’t only a safety concern but the individuals have more dogs than the town permits and they’re apparently unlicensed as well.

Code Enforcement Officer Joe Leszek said that any time there is an incident the police need to be notified immediately. Leszek added that due to privacy laws, there are certain ways that the police and code enforcement officers are limited when it comes to responding to these calls.

Leszek explained, “The problem is if the dogs aren’t outside when we stop by to do our patrols and our checks and we can’t see them, we don’t have the authorization to kick down someone’s door to see if they have a dog.”

The resident mentioned that he has surveillance cameras and he knows what times the dogs are typically out so he’s going to attempt to get pictures to assist the police and code enforcement with addressing the issue.

Leszek added that the residence he’s referring to is already on the radar for other code violations and while he hasn’t seen any dogs so far, he said he’ll keep an eye out for any unregistered animals on the premises.

Marshall Kelly Fisher said police have increased patrols in areas where problems are reported frequently. However, Fisher and Leszek both said one of the biggest problems they face is that they receive calls about strays that were seen in a particular area and when officers respond, the dogs are long gone.

Marshal Fisher encourages residents to call the police department as soon as they spot an untagged animal to increase the likelihood that officers will be able to catch it and turn the dog over to the humane society before it moves elsewhere.

You can reach NJPD through dispatch by calling 574-772-5914. Additionally, if you have any code violations to report, Clerk-Treasurer Andrew Rowe said you can contact town hall and he’ll be able to notify Code Enforcement Officer Leszek immediately. You can reach his office at 574-896-3340.