Enhancing Neighborhood Safety with the Critical Case Processing Unit

About the Program

Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety (Best in Category)

Year: 2015

Protecting residents and their pets from dangerous dogs is a core function that the County of Los Angeles Department of Animal Care and Control performs in its role as a public safety agency. Ensuring dangerous dogs are properly confined and managed creates safer communities for all residents and their pets. By implementing an administrative hearing process, the Department has been able to resolve many more cases at a significantly reduced cost to the taxpayers. Prior to implementing the administrative hearing process, only a handful of cases could be brought to the overburdened court system each year, at a cost ranging from $6,000 - $40,000 per case. With the new less costly process and a dedicated Critical Case Processing (CCP) unit to handle the increasing number of dangerous dog cases, the Department has been able to resolve more than 300 cases in the past year, at a cost avoidance savings of more than $2 million. In recognition of its extraordinary success, the CCP program received the 2014 Bronze Eagle award from the Los Angeles County Quality and Productivity Commission. It has also been used as a model for other animal care and control agencies in California.