Police encourage awareness of pet ordinance
Red Bay Police Department Chief Janna Jackson said crime has been low recently, but the biggest perpetrators the RBPD has had to deal with are furry friends.
Jackson said RBPD has had an increase in calls pertaining to the local animal ordinance in recent weeks.
“We have had quite a few calls for vicious animals or dogs not being restrained,” Jackson said. “We encourage everyone to be familiar with what their area’s animal ordinance is.”
Jackson said inside Red Bay city limits, domestic animals are not allowed to run free, and all animals classified as vicious must be restrained.
Jackson said any animal that bites another person or animal is deemed as vicious and is to be restrained. Any animal not abiding by the ordinance can be picked up by police.
“If we have a problem with an animal, they can be taken and impounded, so the owner would have to pay to get them out,” Jackson said.
Jackson said other than calls concerning loose animals, crime has been recently calm in Red Bay, with the main incidents involving drug possession.
“Things have been pretty smooth for the most part,” Jackson said. “We have had a few different instances but nothing crazy.”
Russellville Police Department Chief Chris Hargett said Russellville is also experiencing a time of low crime, mainly consisting of typical traffic stops.
“Right now we are just seeing normal stuff,” Hargett said. “Nothing really stands out.”
Hargett said this is usually the time of year when crime rates drop before picking back up around the holidays.
“Around Christmas is usually when we see our increase in burglary and things like that because people aren’t home,” Hargett said.
Hargett said COVID-19 has also contributed to the decrease in crime because a lot of people are still staying home.
“Right now COVID has everything still relaxed some, with things slowly picking back up,” Hargett said. “We are pretty happy with how things have been going recently. For the most part, it has just been business as usual for us.”
