New Chicago Police Department directive limits where people can bring abandoned, stray animals
A new directive from the Chicago Police Department is limiting options for people to bring abandoned animals to police stations for help.
A box of abandoned kittens, possibly a few weeks old, was found this week by Chicago police, who we're told weren't sure what to do with them all because of a new directive that now tells officers, "When encountering a cat, department members are encouraged to leave it in their environment unless it is sick, injured, or in distress."
John Garrido has run an animal rescue since 2017 and takes in up to 100 dogs a year, brought into the 16th police district. He's a retired Chicago police lieutenant who helped write the department's now former directives on how officers should handle stray or lost animals.
"Last Thursday, out of the blue, May 7, a new order popped up," he said. "It took a system that was working perfectly fine and broke it for no apparent reason."
Per the policy, whoever finds the lost animal is advised to take it to the city shelter. Stray animals or surrenders will no longer be accepted at police stations in most cases, and neighborhood rescues are no longer an option for officers.
"Whoever did it either is definitely incompetent or they hate animals," Garrido said. "People may not turn them in anymore. They may keep them."
Garrido says animals that were once brought to neighborhood police stations were often sent directly to rescues where foster and adoption networks were already in place. Now, these animals will be funneled directly to the city animal shelter.
Garrido says that, sadly, the euthanasia rate is going to go up.
"Animals still go to animal control, and they are overwhelmed, and they are doing the best they can, so this was just another mechanism that was in place to release that pressure a little bit," he said.
A CACC spokesperson says they always monitor population management regardless of policy changes, saying:
As far as overcrowding concerns, population management is always something we monitor closely regardless of policy changes. However, CPD has already had 24/7 access to Chicago Animal Care and Control for years, so this is not introducing a brand new intake pathway into the system.
Nothing in the order prevents members of the public from helping reunite stray animals with owners or working with rescues when appropriate. If a city agency takes custody of an animal and cannot continue holding it, the most appropriate transfer point is another city agency with established intake, tracking, and accountability procedures. If a city department takes possession of an animal, there should be accountability, documentation, and chain of custody procedures associated with that intake. Animals are legally considered property, and documentation standards matter for both the public and the city.
The spokesperson also reminds pet owners that microchipping their pets is important, but just as important is ensuring that the microchip registration and contact information remain up-to-date.
"It's throwing so many more hoops into the process that are unnecessary and makes it so much more unnecessary to do," Gariddo said.