BRIEFS

Halifax Humane Society suspends intake services

Halifax Humane Society has suspended intake, adoptions, boarding and grooming services and implemented outbreak management protocols after 15 dogs contracted upper respiratory infections.

The virus has a high recovery rate with rest and medical treatment, but is highly contagious, a news release from the shelter reported on June 22.

On Tuesday, June 27, HHS reported in a news release that the infections were caused by canine pneumovirus.

The shelter is asking for the community’s support to help treat the 15 dogs.

A total of $175 can provide

Before he was elected, Chitwood was the police chief for Daytona Beach from 2006-2016. He began his law enforcement career in 1988 with the Philadelphia Police Department.

During his announcement, Chitwood touted the more than 179 hires he’s added to VSO since he was elected, as well as his agency’s deescalation training, which he said has resulted in 50% fewer use-of-force incidents. He also highlighted VSO’s 60% clearance rate. Clearance rates refer to the percentage of crimes a law enforcement agency solves.

Speakers at the announcement included members of the Jewish community, who praised Chitwood for his battle against antisemitism.

Rabbi Ron Lennick, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Volusia and Flagler Counties, said that in his 45 years of community involvement, he’s never met a person who better embodies the qualities of “the grace of a generation” — someone who stands up for righteousness, fairness, decency and justice.

“He’s a man of courage, a man of principle, a man of action, a man of flair and style,” Lennick said. “He is strong and firm and kind and compassionate. He is a man for all seasons — one of the greats of our generation.” medications and supportive care to dogs affected by the illness for 15 days, HHS stated.

“As an open admission shelter, we encounter various challenges and uncertainties when accepting community intakes,” Halifax Humane Society stated in the news release. “It is through our diligent efforts that we have identified canine pneumovirus as the root cause of the URI in our shelter dogs, allowing us to determine its presence in our community.”

While there is no vaccine for upper respiratory infections, HHS issued a reminder that pet owners should contact their veterinarians to establish an annual vaccination protocol for dogs beginning at 6 weeks of age to strengthen the dog’s immune systems to combat viruses and infections.

A proposed ordinance would bar sex offenders from living within 1,500 feet — an increase over the state limit of 1,000 feet.

JARLEENE ALMENAS SENIOR EDITOR

Should Volusia County ban adults unaccompanied by children from entering county playgrounds?

On Tuesday, June 20, the Volusia County Council discussed changing playground regulations in unincorporated areas and increasing the distance requirement that buffers schools, child care facilities, parks or playgrounds from areas where sex offenders or predators are allowed to live.

The state mandates that no sex offender or predator reside within 1,000 feet of any of these places; a proposed Volusia County ordinance could increase that limit to 1,500 feet.

County Councilman Danny Robins asked the county to pursue such an ordinance at the April 4 council meeting.

Some members of the council, though, were concerned about unintended consequences.

“In my opinion, the state has already implemented pretty severe sanctions,” County Councilman Don Dempsey said at the June 20 meeting.

Dempsey, a criminal law attorney and former prosecutor, said he’s seen many people go to prison for violating the existing distance requirement because they unknowingly live within 1,000 feet of a park or violate one of the other restrictions.

He also said there are “grey areas” where people make a plea bargain not because they’re guilty, but because they don’t want to risk going to trial and facing life in prison.

“I don’t know what the rationale would be of a 1,000 (feet) versus 1,500, other than just being politically correct, being tough on crime and just pound these people,” Dempsey said. “I get it, but there’s a lot of people who I think are caught in the net and they end up getting severe sanctions for little stuff like this.”

If the county were to enact the ordinance, Dempsey continued, all of the men up on the dais alongside him would be banned from going to a playground.

The county would be criminalizing an adult who wanted to sit on a swing set, he said.

Robins argued that the ordinance was meant “to keep the creeps away from our children.”

“Public safety is a priority, especially when it comes to our children,” Robins said. “... A lot of these people may never get caught for years, or even identified. So this is an additional layer to make that contact, or ring some bells in the community.”

The ordinance was a “nobrainer” for him, he said. He didn’t see why an adult would be loitering in a playground without a child.

Dempsey said that, while the ordinance may sound good, he didn’t think he’d ever dealt with a case where a child was abducted from a playground and molested. He was also concerned that the proposed ordinance could impact housing and place a burden on landlords.

Councilman Jake Johansson agreed with Dempsey, saying the county can’t protect “everybody from everything.”

“It’s something that can happen on a playground; it can happen in a museum,” Johansson said. “We let 4-year-olds get off the bus and walk two blocks to their house — it can happen there. So are we going to have county School Board people hired to escort these kids home once they come off the bus?”

After Councilman Troy Kent withdrew his second to Robin’s motion to pursue an ordinance with increased distance requirements and a playground ban for adults, Robins amended his motion to include only the distance requirement, asking staff members to bring the council more information, including a map showing where all county parks are located in relation to the homes of registered sexual offenders and predators.

Volusia County maintains 23 playgrounds.

Email Jarleene Almenas at Jarleene@observerlocalnews. com.

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