Discussion about drug overdose and animal cruelty

Salina City Council approved changes to the way drug overdoses are handled this week. Animal cruelty laws were also discussed.

On Monday, city attorney Brad Sutton presented city commissioners with ordinances published in the Uniform Public Offense Code 2024. The code is modeled after the state's criminal code and serves as the Salina Police Department's primary manual for enforcing criminal ordinances.

Changes in how drug overdoses are handled give police officers more discretion and encourage them not to arrest people who are calling for help or needing help because they are overdosing on drugs or experiencing the effects of taking controlled substances. “This is becoming more of a problem as fentanyl and other substances are being put into pills and controlled substances as a cheap substitute for the real drug,” Sutton said.

Animal welfare organizations are passionate about raising awareness about the problems of animal cruelty. They want to hold pet owners who do not provide water, food and shelter for their animals accountable so that it is not considered animal cruelty.

According to Sutton, animal welfare officers have no legal means to enforce compliance with food, water and shelter regulations without involving the police.

Animal welfare called for the reinstatement of regulations stating that it is unlawful for animals not to be provided with adequate and healthy food, drinking water, shade from the weather, opportunities for exercise and veterinary care when needed. Other bans called for included abandonment and leaving an animal unattended in a vehicle without adequate ventilation. Sutton suggested sticking with the previous DA's amendment, which made animal cruelty unlawful.

City commissioners voted to adopt the 2024 UPOC for Kansas cities, published by the League of KS Municipalities, and to comply with anti-animal cruelty laws.