Waterloo Council Approves Use of Firearms for Animal Control

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — The Waterloo City Council has voted to allow the city's animal control officers to use firearms in certain instances to put down severely injured or sick wildlife.

The council unanimously approved the ordinance Monday. Currently, control officers have to wait for assistance from an on-duty Waterloo police officer to put down an animal. But Mayor Buck Clark said control officers would not be permitted to carry weapons.

Instead, Traffic Operations Superintendent Sandie Greco said animals captured after hours would be captured and driven to a remote location, where the firearm would be kept.

Waterloo Director of Public Safety Daniel Trelka said he supported the change so police officers would not be called away from duty to put down animals.