‘I’d rather be calling the police’: Advocates worry over Henderson animal control restructuring

Starting July 1, Henderson Animal Care and Control will report to the city’s Community Development and Services, city manager Stephanie Garcia-Vause said in a memo Thursday.

Animal welfare advocates worry the move could diminish enforcement of animal abuse laws.

Ian Massy, assistant director for Community Development and Services, said that the move isn’t expected to disrupt animal control services, and shouldn’t have an impact on animal control’s ability to respond to emergencies.

“Community Development & Services has a long history of employing our code enforcement team and our public response team that handles public nuisance-related requests, and they work very closely with our animal control on animal-related requests,” Massy said.

Massy said the move would also more align the city with other local governments like Clark County. The hope is that the restructuring will make animal control more responsive in Henderson, he said.

But some of Southern Nevada’s most vocal animal advocates worry that moving animal control outside Henderson police control could hamper rescue efforts during emergencies.

“It’s concerning to me, as an advocate who wants to see the [animal abuse] laws taken seriously,” said Gina Greisen, founder and president of Nevada Voter for Animals. “I think it sends a stronger message when you fall under a police department that these cases are going to be taken seriously.”

“If there’s a dog fighter that they just caught, do you call your community development supervisor to go up the chain of command? I’d rather be calling the police,” Greisen said.

Lindsey Pinapfel, public relations coordinator for the Vegas Pet Rescue Project, said in a statement the move is “deeply concerning,” and that it could “inadvertently deprioritize the critical enforcement aspect” of animal protection.

“Animal control is more than just stray pickup, it often involves responding to serious abuse and neglect cases that require swift, coordinated law enforcement response,” Pinapfel’s statement said. “When the cases fall outside the direct oversight of police, there is a real risk that they may not be treated with the same urgency or legal gravity. Felony animal cases, in particular, must be met with rigorous investigation and appropriate legal consequences, and it’s unclear how that will be handled under the new structure.”

Massy said the move would not impact Henderson Animal Care and Control’s ability to respond to incidents in a timely fashion.

“This is simply a reorganization from one department in a city to a different department in the city,” Massy said. “There are no positions being changed or reclassified or eliminated. None of that is part of this reorganization.”

Greisen and others, including Councilwoman Carrie Cox, also took issue with the timing of the move. 

Cox said she was unsure if the restructuring would be constructive for the city, but hopes she and other council members, as well as the public, can be more involved before the new rule goes into effect.

“What’s important to me is what our residents think and feel, and that their voice is honored,” Cox continued. “And I want to hear more from our residents, and then the volunteers and our staff as to what their feelings are.”

Contact Casey Harrison at charrison@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Casey_Harrison1 on X or @casey-harrison.bsky.social on Bluesky.