UNDER REVIEW — Attorney Matthew Chapman of the Rawle & Henderson law firm, right, was asked by Brooke County commissioners Friday to draft formal documentation in an effort to address several concerns raised in recent weeks over the operations of the county’s humane officer, dog wardens and animal shelter. -- Craig Howell

WELLSBURG — Brooke County officials continued discussions Friday on previously expressed concerns with the operations, policies and procedures involving the county’s animal shelter and humane officer position.

In an almost-three-hour special meeting, commissioners agreed to ask Matthew Chapman of the law firm of Rawle & Henderson LLP to draft a formal document addressing quarantine policies and procedures to be used in the county, standard operating guidelines for record keeping and reports, seizure notices and affidavit documents.

He also was asked to work with the sheriff’s department and county Prosecuting Attorney Allison Cowden to review policies of retention of animals subject to criminal proceedings and the preservation of evidence.

Cowden had raised concerns in recent weeks about many of the issues, in particular following the appointment of a sheriff’s deputy to serve as humane officer, questioning how an individual can serve in both capacities.

Chapman and Commission President A.J. Thomas, though, said many of the issues are addressed in state code, in particular that a county’s sheriff shall appoint a deputy to serve as humane officer, as described under West Virginia Code 7-10-1, as well as the specific duties of a humane officer as compared to a dog warden.

“The code is very specific about what they’re able to do,” Chapman said.

Cowden explained much of her frustration stems from a ruling in February 2023, when a Wellsburg man was sentenced to one year of house arrest and the construction of blessing boxes after pleading guilty to the killing of a neighbor’s dog.

“That was the day I decided something needed to be changed with the judicial system in Brooke County,” Cowden said. “In order for justice to be served, we need to do our homework.”

Cowden further stated many of the existing documents used in the county are insufficient when it comes to pursuing charges, as they don’t always include vital information.

Also raised were concerns about the enforcement of county policies within the boundaries of Brooke County’s municipalities.

“It’s an issue we’ve grappled with a number of times,” Thomas said, noting some communities have adopted their own ordinances to address tethering and having animals in extreme temperatures, but few of them have any uniformity.

One area of concern which could be clarified from Friday’s meeting was in the matter of record keeping, with officials agreeing to explore the possibility of including the county’s animal shelter and Health Department into the computer-aided dispatch system used by the county’s 911 Center, which would involve the creation of digital records for any incident to which the humane officer or dog wardens would respond.

“There are so many wonderful features with this CAD system,” explained 911 Director Christina White, noting the potential of providing some access to all emergency departments in the county — including EMS and volunteer fire departments.

Those in attendance agreed they need a clearer chain of command when it comes to animal investigations.