Town Pulse Public Safety
AUGUST 2026 - UPDATE
In This Issue: Busy month at the Animal Shelter! The Sunset Market was a success CVPD new hire testing continues Lots of training going on at the Police Department!
ANIMAL SHELTER - AUGUST SNAPSHOT OVERVIEW
The Chino Valley Animal Shelter experienced significant capacity and operational challenges throughout August while continuing to provide animal care, reunification, adoption, and public safety services. Staff managed 39 incoming animals during the month, completed 19 adoptions, reunited 12 pets with their owners, and recorded 31 live outcomes. Animal Control Officers responded to 109 calls for service.
SHELTER STATS 39 Animals Taken In 31 Animals Placed 12 Pets Reunited with Their Owners 19 Animals Adopted 96.9% Live Release Rate 109 Animal Control Calls for Service
AUGUST 2026 - UPDATE
ANIMAL SHELTER SHELTER CAPACITY & OPERATIONAL CHALLENGES
For most of August, the shelter operated over its designed dog capacity. At several points, the shelter reached 20 dogs while having only 12 indoor dog kennels available. This required staff to double-house compatible dogs in kennels and, during periods of peak capacity, house some dogs outside continuously. The sustained overcrowding placed significant strain on the facility and on the amount of care, cleaning, enrichment, and monitoring staff could reasonably provide within scheduled hours. For the first time in the shelter's history, staff were required to place a temporary stray-dog intake hold into effect because the facility was physically unable to safely house additional dogs. The hold was an operational necessity intended to prevent further overcrowding when no appropriate housing space remained.
POSITIVE OUTCOMES & COMMUNITY IMPACT Despite the capacity challenges, August included several encouraging adoption outcomes. Two long-term shelter residents were adopted, providing homes for animals that had spent an extended period in care. Two dogs who had proven to be challenging adoption candidates because they preferred the company of other dogs over people were adopted together. The pair are now in their new home and doing well, demonstrating the value of matching animals with adopters who understand and appreciate their individual personalities and needs.
SHELTER POPULATION & MEDICAL SERVICES One of the month's outcomes involved an elderly, sickly stray cat that was found in the community and for whom no owner came forward. Once the cat legally became the shelter's responsibility, a veterinary examination was performed. Based on the cat's age and medical condition, the veterinarian determined that humane euthanasia was in the cat's best interest. The shelter's reported ending animal count on August 31 was 27. During August, 19 animals were adopted and 12 were returned to their owners. Pre-adoption spay/neuter services were completed for 16 animals, supporting the shelter's ongoing effort to ensure animals leave the facility altered as required.
ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER ACTIVITY Animal Control Officers responded to 109 calls for service in August. Animal Problem calls represented the largest category, followed by Animal Pickup and Animal Noise calls.
CLOSING
August demonstrated both the importance of continued community support and the operational challenges created when shelter capacity is exceeded for an extended period. Staff continued working to place animals into appropriate homes, reunite lost pets with their families, and maintain safe care standards despite limited housing capacity. A big thank you to our Mayor and Council for giving staff the flexibility to reduce or waive adoption fees when needed to help manage shelter capacity. This will be an important tool when the shelter is approaching, at, or over capacity.
AUGUST 2026 - UPDATE
POLICE DEPARTMENT PD STAFFING UPDATE Police Recruit Sean Salazar began the NARTA Police Academy on July 20, 2026, and is currently in Week 7 of his training. Sean is progressing well and continues to meet academy expectations and requirements. If he maintains his current progress and successfully completes all academy requirements, he is expected to graduate in December 2026. Officer Craig Stephenson is currently in Phase 3 of the CVPD Field Training Program and continues to demonstrate excellent progress. If he successfully completes all remaining training objectives, he is expected to complete the mandatory 16-week program and transition to solo patrol in early November 2026. Due to the recent departure of two officers to other local law enforcement agencies, the Chino Valley Police Department has six vacancies as of August 16, 2026. A newhire testing process was conducted on August 29, with six applicants participating. Two applicants did not pass the physical fitness portion of the testing and, therefore, were unable to continue in the selection process. The remaining four applicants completed the remainder of the testing process, with two being selected to move forward into the background investigation phase. If those two candidates successfully complete the rigorous and comprehensive background process, which includes a polygraph examination, psychological evaluation, and medical examination, they will be invited to attend the next NARTA Police Academy class, scheduled to begin in January 2027. We currently have one lateral applicant from New Jersey in the background investigation process. We anticipate completing the background investigation within the next few weeks. If the applicant successfully completes all portions of the background process, he will be extended a conditional offer of employment. If hired, he will have approximately one month to prepare for and complete the AZPOST challenge examination required to transfer his law enforcement certification from New Jersey to Arizona. Upon successfully passing the AZPOST examination and obtaining Arizona certification, he will be scheduled to begin the CVPD 16-week Field Training Program. The Department is planning to conduct another new-hire testing process in October and will continue its ongoing efforts to recruit qualified lateral officers to fill current vacancies.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH August 2026 Sunset Market put on by the Chino Valley Police Officer Association
AUGUST 2026 - UPDATE
POLICE DEPARTMENT GOVERNOR’S OFFICE OF HIGHWAY SAFETY (GOHS) UPDATE Utilizing grant funding from GOHS, we were able to participate in the following details in August:
PD TRAINING UPDATE The Chino Valley Police Department remains committed to increasing its in-house training capabilities by expanding the number of certified instructors across required training disciplines. This strategy reduces the need for travel to attend high-liability training, lowers associated costs, and provides greater flexibility to conduct training locally throughout the year. As a result, our officers receive consistent, high-quality instruction while maintaining the knowledge, skills, and readiness necessary to serve the community effectively.
August 2026 1 Traffic/Speed Detail in town (1 CVPD officer assigned to 2-hour detail) 3 Tri-City multi-agency traffic detail (3 CVPD officers assigned to a 4-hour detail each)
Below is a summary of the training courses attended by department personnel during AUGUST 2026. CPR/AED/FIRST AID- In-house 8-hour training (Whole Department) Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) Conference- 3-Day (1 sworn DRE attended) K9 Conference- 3-Day (2 sworn attended) Pryor Learning 2- Day Training on Communication (1 attendee) ACJIS 3 hr. Training (1 attendee)
PD: AUGUST STATISTICS
AUGUST 2026 - UPDATE
PD: YTD STATISTICS
AUGUST 2026 - UPDATE