Animal control services in Lynnwood might be scaled back to help the city deal with its budget shortfall.
Right now the Lynnwood Police Department employs two full-time animal control officers. One of them is retiring this fall and police officials are considering not filling that position.
“Currently we have animal control coverage seven days a week. That would cause us to revise the schedule so we would have coverage five days a week,” Deputy Police Chief Karen Manser told Lynnwood Today. “Years ago before we had two animal control officers the police officers responded to those calls when animal control was not on duty. We will do our best to maintain service levels.”
Despite their job title, animal control officers do more than round up loose dogs. According to the city of Lynnwood website, animal control officers support police officers during traffic collisions, vehicle prowls, stolen vehicle recoveries, impounds, parking complaints, ordinance violations, animal complaints and other non-emergency situations.
At PAWS, we consider Lynnwood animal control officers to be community heroes. They protect lost and abandoned animals from getting injured by taking them off the streets. They ensure that animal abusers don’t get away with senseless acts of cruelty. They reunite worried pet guardians with their beloved animal family members. And they serve with compassion and respect for all the citizens of our community. It would be a great loss to Lynnwood to lose this resource that so many people and animals deserve.