Reform Wichita Animal Control

We need an urgent change at the Wichita Animal Shelter. Our furbabies are being killed everyday at all alarming rate.

The civilian and commissioned supervisors in charge, WPD Capt. Doug Nolte,  WPD Lt. Joe Schroeder, Civilian Supervisor Drew Bessey and Civilian Supervisor Dennis Graves, have been allowed to operate our local animal shelter with the same non-life preserving policy for many years. Their policy is and has always been to follow the State of Kansas mandated three day stray hold. If an owner doesn't claim their furbaby within those three days and they are not adoption candidates, then they are to be killed with no questions asked.

If any of you have ever been to the Wichita Animal Shelter, you can clearly see there is always an abundance of empty kennels, especially during their slow winter months. Then why the need to kill our furbabies in three days you ask? That's because those in charge refuse to change and comprise a plan to make the shelter "no kill". Of course, making a shelter "no kill" isn't going to be easy and it will be a lot of hard work, but many shelters around the US have found ways to save the lives of furbabies and we can too.

In the last three years, many licensed animal rescues have been desperately trying to save the lives of our furbabies and have been met with opposition from those in charge of Animal Control. When rescue tries to save a life of a "death row" furbaby, they are often given strict timelines to remove the furbaby from the shelter and no extra time is given, even with the abundance of empty kennels. Why won't those in charge work in partnership with our local rescues to save the lives of our furbabies?

Many local rescues have offered to purchase time by paying the $10.00 per day boarding fee of a "death row" furbaby, in hopes that an owner will eventually be found, an interested adoption candidate can adopt through the Kansas Humane Society or a foster applicant can be properly screened and a furbaby can be sent to their home to be tested and placed for adoption. Instead of allowing rescue to purchase time or working with rescue to come up with a plan to save our furbabies, those in charge of animal control decided amongst themselves, this was not a feasible plan and told rescue the Wichita Animal Shelter was not a bording facility.

On August 12, 2016, WPD's Animal Control section decided to make saving the lives of our furbabies even harder by banning citizens and licensed rescue organizations from taking photographs and video of DEATH ROW furbabies to post to social media, in an effort to save them. WPD made it very clear that anyone who violated this new "POLICY" will be removed from THIER facility and issued a tresspass violation. Any violator who is issued a tresspass will be arrested upon arriving within so many feet of THIER facility. WPD Capt. Doug Nolte told news reporters the reason for this new policy was for the safety of the public and that certain citizens were misrepresenting Animal Control by using photos and videos that were being taken. Again, why do they fight so hard to prove their REASONS to kill our furbabies instead of saving them?

On August 15, 2016, the Wichita Police Department decided to change their minds after the outcry of citizens and will allow pictures and videos to be taken, but only of certain areas of the shelter and treats given out by rescue organization trainers is still prohibited. 

It's perfectly clear those in charge of Wichita Animal Control have zero plans to change their way of running our local animal shelter. They will never change and that is why we are asking for help from our community. Please take a peaceful stand with us and demand our city leaders to immediately replace WPD Capt. Doug Nolte, WPD Lt. Joe Schroeder, Civilan Supervisor Drew Bessey and Civilan Supervisor Dennis Graves. We are not only demanding our city leaders replace them, but we as a community demand to have a say in their replacements. We would love to have a city forum for the public to openly ask questions to anyone who would be a candidate for animal control supervisor. We would love our City Manager, Robert Layton, to have just as much thought and consideration in their replacement, as he did for our new Chief of Police.

Furthermore, we would like our city leaders to consider hiring only one civilian or commissioned supervisor to be in charge of the entire animal control department. We believe with the Wichita Police Department already having an on-site Commissioned Lieutenant, there is no need for two civilian or two commissioned supervisors. Two civilian supervisors only creates a confusing atmosphere of power and that is not what's in the best interest of our furbabies. Having only one civilian or one commissioned supervisor and one commissioned Lieutenant allows for a concise follow through of animal control policy and perhaps a bigger budget to hire more Animal Control Officer's as well.

Along with replacing those in charge of Wichita Animal Control, we believe there needs to be an immediate replacement of all Animal Control Officers as well. It's perfectly clear that the current ACO'S have just as much compassion as their bosses. Furthermore, we believe all ACO'S must go through the same hiring process as WPD'S recruits. We believe all ACO'S must be able to pass psychological testing, a lie detector test and a thorough criminal background check in order to work along side our furbabies. It has come to our attention that there are several ACO'S and a former Lieutenant in charge of Animal Control who have Misdemeanor Domestic Violence Charges, Protection from Stalking Orders, Felonies of different sorts and the majority of the ACO'S were disqualified from the hiring process to become Wichita Police Officers. If it is not in WPD'S policy to hire such citizens to become police recruits, why are they allowed to work with our furbabies?

Thank you all for taking the time to read our petition. We are asking that you please sign and share our petition. Please only sign once and refrain from using false names. We would love to have over 10,000 signatures to take to our local leaders to show them, we as a community demand change!

Please be peaceful and respectful in all communication with city leaders, we do not condone threats or violence, it is simply not acceptable!

A PEACEFUL Protest will be scheduled in the very near future! Stay Tuned!!!

City Manger: Robert Layton
rlayton@wichita.gov
Mayor: Jeff Longwell
jlongwell@wichita.gov
Council Member (DIST I): Lavonta Williams
lkwilliams@wichita.gov
Chief of Police: Gordon Ramsay
gramsay@wichita.gov

#NO #KILL #ICT #CHANGE #ENOUGH