Judge OKs two police officers at humane society
Although Washington Area Humane Society previously operated with a single police officer to handle complaints about the mistreatment of animals, its current strategy is to employ two people with credentials to provide coverage in Washington County seven days a week.
In accordance with state law enacted a decade ago, Washington County Judge Gary Gilman on Thursday approved Melinda Jewart and Glen Thomson as humane society police officers.
Under the law, a humane society or association must submit proof to the Court of Common Pleas that the police officer candidates meet all requirements, including residency in the state for the past year, successful completion of a training program, and have no criminal history, including no summary offenses of cruelty to animals.
In May, Jewart and Thomson attended a week of classes on law enforcement and a second week of animal husbandry classes at Penn State through the state Department of Agriculture.
Jewart, the owner of three dogs, said she went to school to become a veterinary technician, so at least part of her training “was like a refresher course for me.”
Jewart works as a kennel assistant and Thomson is an assistant to the veterinary technician and he also acts as an office manager. They will continue in these staff positions.
People tend to report cases of animal abuse and neglect during periods of bitter cold and searing heat.
“In between, there are not as many calls,” said Laurelle Dicks, manager of Washington Area Humane Society in Eighty Four. This will enable the staffers to perform their other jobs at the shelter while not investigating and prosecuting cases, but the job-sharing arrangement will mean a humane society police officer should be available each day.
According to a statement by the board of directors on the humane society’s website, in the past year, the shelter has received and investigated nearly 700 calls from people reporting animals’ inhumane conditions.
“I just have a higher love of animals than I do people, so you’re going to have to do right by them,” said Thomson, who owns four dogs and two cats. Despite this summer’s heavy rains, the shelter did not receive any reports of animals endangered by flooding. Thomson accompanied a humane officer last year on this type of call, and they were able to remove the animal.
The humane society police officer positions are funded directly by donations from the public, as are the other employees’ jobs at the shelter.
As of Thursday afternoon, Washington Area Humane Society had 34 dogs and 35 cats available for adoption.
Anyone who needs to report instances of animal abuse or neglect can call the shelter at 724-222-7387.