October 15, 2009

PET PALOOZA
Midland Animal Services will participate in a community event aimed at keeping your pets healthy and safe.

Pet Palooza will take place on Saturday, October 24, 2009, from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. in the Commons Area at the Scharbauer Sports Complex.

Midland Animal Services will conduct a low-cost rabies shot clinic.  For $20 you can get a rabies shot, city or county license, and a micro-chip.  Everyone is encouraged to come out to the event, especially pet owners who may not have a relationship with a veterinarian or those who do not know the vaccination history of their animal. 

Lost animals with a current city license are 95% more likely to get returned home within 24 hours after arrival at the shelter.  A large number of animals arrive at the shelter not wearing collars and that is where the micro-chip will help.  Every lost animal is scanned, and as long as an owner’s contact information is current, Animals Services can normally reunite micro-chipped animals with their owners within 24 hours as well. 

Citizens who have lost their pets should check the city's website, www.midlandtexas.gov, to see if they are at the shelter.

AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ASSAULT OF A CHILD
Midland Police have arrested a man and charged him with two counts of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child.

46-year-old Terry Lane Lee (12-13-63) of Midland was arrested yesterday, October 14, 2009.  A warrant was issued on October 13.

Fort Worth Police and CPS contacted the Midland Police Department about the case on September 15, 2009.  The two female victims in the case made an outcry to authorities.  The assaults occurred in Midland over a period of ten years at west Midland apartment complexes.

The victims and suspect are known to each other. 

PEDDLERS
The City of Midland wants all residents to know the laws in place regarding “peddlers” in the city limits.

Anyone person or group who sells items is required to have a city issued permit.  This includes door-to-door sales, selling items from roadside vehicles, and anyone soliciting in the roadway.

The Midland Police Department has recently had contact with a number of individuals soliciting.  Anyone doing so, in a parking lot, street, or along a roadway is required to have a permit.

Residents are encouraged to ask solicitors for proof of a permit.  This will help protect the buyer or person making a donation.  If the solicitor does not have a permit, residents can report the offender to the Midland Police Department by calling 685.7108. 

SERVICE HOURS
The City of Midland has extended its hours of operation to help accommodate citizens wanting to do business during the lunch hour.

Development Services, which includes the areas of Planning, Engineering, Code, GIS, and Transportation is now open to the public from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. 

For more information about Development Services visit www.midlandtexas.gov or contact 685.7100. 

SCHOOL ZONE CHANGE
A new ordinance in the City will go into effect tomorrow, Friday, October 16, 2009. 

School zones will now be in effect for the times posted OR when the lights are flashing.  Motorists who have traveled “A” street during the five o’clock traffic have noticed the change this school year.  With the switch of some schools moving to a magnet school schedule, some students do not leave at the normal 3:20 p.m.  Students are leaving campuses at later times.

The ordinance also helps with the enforcement of summer school zones which vary in times.   

The City adopted the OR when flashing ordinance to help officers enforce the extended times in needed areas.  Motorists are asked to obey the flashing lights and slow down in school zones.

ELECTRONIC TICKET WRITERS 
The Midland Police Department will soon have a new weapon to help fight crime.  Electronic Ticket Writers have hit the streets with officers and will make the task of ticket writing more efficient. 

A Demonstration and Media Ride-Alongs will be available on Wednesday, October 14, 2009.  Any media interested should report to the west parking lot of the Police Department at 11:00 a.m. 

The eight hand held devices allow officers to collect data by swiping a driver’s license through a mag strip reader.  It can also gain vehicle make, model, and year, through a scan of the registration tag.  The ticket writer also makes it easy for an officer to choose offenses from drop down menus.  The mobile device can speak directly with the printer via Bluetooth connection so that the ticket is printed while the officer returns to the patrol unit.  Captured citations are uploaded into the Police Department and Municipal Court data bases.  Officers simply place the handheld devices in their cradles at the end of the shift and all citations are automatically downloaded. 

The electronic ticket writers will be operated by six traffic officers (for moving offenses) and two community service officers (for parking offenses).  It is expected that the time to write a ticket to an offender will take 1/3 of the time it normally does. 

Similar technology is used in larger cities in the state. 

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