Government Technology - January 2008 - (Page 38)

public safety S TAT E | LO C A L | F E D E R A L j j Synopsis: A new online registry in Virginia, modeled after the state’s sex offender registry, logs dangerous dogs. Collaring Agency: Virginia Department of Agriculture. Dogs Dangerous Technology: Web database. Virginia’s new online registry discloses the location of vicious pets. ne angry outburst from family pets in Virginia can lead to serious consequences — a lesson some pet owners are learning the hard way. Responding to a growing number of citizen complaints about vicious dogs, the state launched an online registry — which works similarly to the Sex Offenders Registry — to provide pictures, addresses and information about dangerous animals. This meant policymakers had to reach a consensus on how to protect people from injury while tapping the necessary technology O to disseminate information effectively. The Dangerous Dogs Web site went live in July 2007 after the Virginia General Assembly approved legislation mandating the registration of threatening pets and dissemination of that information to the community. new service is divided — with some calling the online registry too harsh, and others contending it’s not harsh enough. “For the entire month of July and into the first two weeks of August, the stream [of comments] was never ending,” Lidholm said. The agency didn’t track the amount of correspondence collected, but she said the VDACS and the State Veterinarian’s Office received daily e-mail or phone calls regarding the registry. “The ‘too far’ camp is using words like ‘McCarthyism,’ ‘invasion of privacy’ and ‘over-stepping our bounds,’” she said. “The ‘not far enough’ group wants more information and details about the acts committed by the dogs, would like to see more strictures put on the owners, or thinks the law is too lenient in what constitutes a dangerous dog.” Citizens also complained that the list ignored certain regions — something Lidholm attributes to the newness of the site. “We have had a lot of comments from people complaining that their localities aren’t listed yet,” she said, “But that is changing as more come online. We’ve had a few people who simply wrote to say ‘Thank you.’ One that stands out is a couple who likes to bicycle through Virginia and use the registry to see if there are any dangerous dogs on one of their proposed biking routes.” Contact: Elaine J. Lidholm, director, Office of Communication and Promotions, Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, 804/786-7686. Developing a Dog Tracker Creating the registry was an arduous process for the VDACS and the Office of the State Veterinarian, which developed a system and criteria for classifying dogs as candidates for the list. In Virginia, 133 jurisdictions received questionnaires from the two state agencies to determine what features to include and how to ensure fairness. Public Response Elaine Lidholm, director of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) Office of Communication and Promotions, said public opinion of the JAN_08 38 B Y TA M A R A W A R TA | C O N T R I B U T I N G W R I T E R http://www.govtech.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Government Technology - January 2008

Government Technology - January 2008 Contents Point of View Big Picture The Last Mile On the Scene CIO Sightings Four Questions for... Spectrum Location, Location, Location Digital Governor Back to the Drawing Board Waukesha Goes Green Collaring Dangerous Dogs Public Sector Goes Web 2.0 Bounce Back SACWIS Rollout Simple Strategy Products Personal Computing How It Works signal:noise

Government Technology - January 2008

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