TOLEDO, Ohio — Lucas County Canine Care and Control suspended its volunteer program Tuesday, shortly after a group of LC4 employees showed up outside of the Lucas County Commissioners' regular meeting to ask for the commissioners to stand up for them against harassment involving LC4 volunteers.
The group claims that they are being intimidated by volunteers and receiving threats and harassment on social media.
The conflict between LC4 employees and volunteers erupted, in part, after a volunteer obtained videos earlier this month of an employee appearing to hit dogs and spraying them with water in the LC4 kennels.
The incident was recorded on July 10, according to Sherrie Littin, the volunteer who requested them in a public records request.
Littin posted the videos and shortly thereafter, the employee who was caught on camera in the videos was placed on leave, pending the results of an internal investigation.
Lucas County Commissioner Pete Gerken told 11 Investigates that a decision on the future of the employee could come as soon as next week.
But Tuesday afternoon, Gerken and other commissioners suspended the volunteer program so that the harassment allegations could be investigated. He told 11 Investigates that they have been receiving examples of concerning social media posts.
"It's time that we clean up some of this stuff. The volunteers are there because we invite them in. Volunteers are there because we ask for their support. When that attitude crosses over to become harassing and a distraction to the workers who are there every day doing the hard jobs, then we're going to suspend the program," Gerken said. "We're going to take a look at what happened and why it happened. But my first job to my employees and our employees in this county is to protect them."
He added that the pound has a long history of being a lightning rod for criticism from the public. He said in today's social media environment, it's important to take all allegations seriously.
"I'm not going to wait for all the evidence. If they're coming and telling me they're being bullied and distracted and threatened, then we're going to act first."
For now, he said, the program is suspended indefinitely.
"I think by tomorrow, we'll have some examples of those bullying tactics that have come from social media," he said. "I want to be clear. We all love dogs. We're in a community that loves dogs. Everybody's doing the best they can. But when that descends into personal animosity and hate and vitriol, that doesn't help dogs, that doesn't help our operations for the dogs."