By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw
WARSAW — Five weeks ago, the city of Warsaw realigned the jobs of two employees so that both now oversee animal control, code enforcement and parking enforcement with an office at the police department.
Dana Hewitt has been overseeing code enforcement for the city of Warsaw for 12 years with the building department.
Dalis Owens is a former longtime Kosciusko County deputy with 28 years of law enforcement experience who joined the city police department a year ago to oversee parking patrol in downtown Warsaw.
Together the two are now working under the reconfigured arrangement and juggling three major tasks while using two city vehicles that now clearly delineate the combined roles.
Hewitt pitched the idea to the police department earlier this year, and and then heard back months later. He said the arrangement is intended to allow police to focus more on traditional duties instead of animal control calls.
So far, they said the changes have gone well. Hewitt has already undergone animal control training and Owens is working to finish up the training.
On top of that, they’re also learning how to work closely with the Animal Welfare League, which accepts animals captured in the city, as well as coordinating with other police departments when needed.
That was the case recently when the city assisted a large animal abuse case with the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office. Much of the job involved moving animals in the city’s specialized truck.
“We transported six dogs and five cats from a situation that was horrible,”
Hewitt said. “The owner is pending charges for animal cruelty and the home was condemned by the health department.”
He said much of the work so far has involved setting animal traps.
Hewitt said animal control has become a more time-consuming job but that code enforcement continues to be important. Both employees are expected to share in the duties and support each other when needed.
He also said pet owners need to realize they are responsible for their pets.
Owens admitted the longstanding disdain for parking patrol by some but said the role remains an important issue because of the growing traffic in the downtown.
“I’m probably one of the most unliked people in the city, but when we do have that conversation and I just help them understand the reason why we need to keep the parking moving is so that everybody has an opportunity to stop downtown and enjoy our great businesses that are starting to come up,” Owens said.
He and Hewitt both said part of their on-going roles with animal control involves educating the public.
Mayor Jeff Grose said the reconfiguration is under a trial run and that he suppports the change so far.
“The hope is after we go through, I don’t know, another six to 18 months, both of these guys can evaluate, re-evaluate, and help us move in a direction that is good for the taxpayers and the community,” Grose said.
He said he believes Hewitt and Owens are good fits for the roles.
“Dealing with the public, these guys are really good at what they do,” Grose said.
Hewitt previously worked for 20 years in state corrections in Indiana prisons. Both of their experiences in law enforcement come in handy in some of their new duties.
“Having that experience really helps us work with the public, I think, a little bit better because we’ve seen it before and understand where a lot of the emotions are coming from,” Owens said.
“Working in that environment kind of gives you a special skill set,” he said.
Hewitt and Owens, along with Grose, talked about the changes for an upcoming episode of In the Know, the public affairs show that airs weekly on weekends on Kensington Digital Media radio stations.
