Law enforcement

[tisana.livejournal.com]

Two questions:

1) Why does no one seem to pick up after their dogs in my neighborhood (Magoun Square)? Isn't there a law about that, based on it being a public health issue? Why is it never enforced? Is it worth saying something to people when you see them not picking it up?

2) I saw a crack pipe on the street in my neighborhood the other day. Great. Anyone know what any drug-related crime statistics our for our town? What are the "good" and "bad" areas? I know it's changed in the last few years and gotten a lot better, but Winter Hill still isn't great.

Comments

[georgy.livejournal.com]

I always notice tons of dog poo on the sidewalk in front of Trum Field... never fails. I have no idea what the deal is.

Winter Hill is sorta mixed -- I live a few blocks behind the Star Market, but besides the streets being kinda filthy, I feel safe.

[tisana.livejournal.com]

"besides the streets being kinda filthy, I feel safe."

I have too, which is why I was kind of surprised to see it.

[androidqueen.livejournal.com]

well, crackpipes aren't exactly dangerous.

[tisana.livejournal.com]

Well, no. But there typically is more violence associated with crack than there is with, say, marijuana or E. There are many illicit substances I could care less about people using, but some bring a little more potential for danger.

[veda815.livejournal.com]

I agree with it being filthy but safe. I was a little turned off when I first moved to the area because things looked run down. But now that I know the area I'm very comfortable. I think it is partly because it's such a big area for renters. When you rent you're only responsible for what's inside and the people who own the houses don't live there to see the trash on a daily basis.

[dirty-devlin.livejournal.com]

I've been looking all over for my pipe. Where did you see it?

Seriously though, about the dog shit - I would absolutely tell someone to pick it up if I caught them. That's completely ignorant. I imagine you could call the DPW and complain. Good luck.

[tisana.livejournal.com]

"I've been looking all over for my pipe. Where did you see it?"

Heh. ;p
Actually, two days later it was gone, and considering that the streets are normally full of garbage, the thought did occur that someone decided to..."recycle" it. Ew.

"I would absolutely tell someone to pick it up if I caught them"

I haven't, yet, all I've caught a dog doing is piddling on me while I stood at the bus stop. Perhaps my bias for cats is showing through now...

[abilouise.livejournal.com]

If you read the "speakout" section of the Somerville Journal (highly recommended for entertainment value) you'd know this is a problem all over the city. I would probably talk to the people doing it directly since our understaffed police department has bigger fish to fry.

[tisana.livejournal.com]

"our understaffed police department has bigger fish to fry."

Oh, I'm sure they do. Not criticizing them so much as the dog owners in my area (and while it might be all over, it seems to get worse the farther I walk out from Davis).

I just wasn't sure what it took to get a little more interest in keeping our own neighborhoods not disgusting...I mean, I'm not looking for a homeowner's association that tells you what kind of mailbox to have, just a little common courtesy not to leave trash all over, is that too much to ask of them?

I can't imagine posting signs saying "Please curb your dog" make a huge difference, but I have yet to catch someone. I was debating, if I did, just offering them some of my vast reserves of plastic grocery bags to help, not getting nasty, but it's still a bit snarky.

[aslant.livejournal.com]

i second the somerville journal recommendation - the police and fire logs (http://www.townonline.com/somerville/policeLogs/) are good to read not just for entertainment value, but also to keep tabs on crimes going on near your house. i check there every so often to see where robberies are being reported.

also, i just found this site (http://www.somervilledog.com/), they might be a good resource to find out about dog laws.

[tisana.livejournal.com]

Great links, thanks.
And yes, my workplace sends out advisories if there are crimes in the area, and since I walk a significant distance home, it would be good to know if there are crimes in the area, and I didn't know where to look.

[aslant.livejournal.com]

yes -- we get those advisories, too. but often they are isolated reports, whereas the police logs are great for city-wide patterns. excellent to keep track of if your walk might be less than safe!

[enochs-fable.livejournal.com]

It is totally worth saying something, particularly if they're doing it right on your steps.

Dog Fouling Ordinance

[somervilledog.livejournal.com]

Thanks, aslant, for providing the link to my site.

Sorry to be entering the thread late, but as a dog owner, I just wanted to contribute another idea about what to do when you see someone not picking up after their dog.

I greet the negligent person in a friendly way and offer them an intact plastic bag: "That's a cute dog! It looks like you're in need of a plastic bag: here, I have an extra one.

Also, when I see old poop on the side walk, I usually just pick it up myself, since I usually have extra plastic bags on hand. I don't want to step in that mess, and I certainly don't want my dog to step in it with her bare paws. Dogs can contract parasites from infected feces. Some parasites can actually enter the dog's blood-stream through the skin on the dog's feet; others get into the digestive track when the dog licks his paws.

I've found that the most efficient way to pick up poop (with the lowest possible ick factor) is to put your hand into the bag, pick up the poop with your bag-covered hand, turn the bag inside-out so that the poop ends up inside and knot the opening.

There is a $25.00 fine for not picking up after your dog in Somerville. See the City of Somerville Municipal Ordinances Part II [Code of Ordinances], Chapter 3 [Animals], Section 3-38 [Fines and Penalties] (c): "Any person who does not properly curb his or her dog shall be subject to a fine of $25.00."