In brief: City Council advised against banning dogs

The Coeur d’Alene City Council is being advised by legal counsel not to ban certain breeds of “dangerous” dogs from the city, according to Deputy City Attorney Warren Wilson.

Banning up to a dozen different breeds was one option Wilson presented to city officials following a highly publicized pit bull attack earlier this year. The suggestion of a breed ban was met with protests from a local dog club and several dog owners.

Among the dogs that may have been banned: pit bulls, Rottweilers, Presa Canarios, Akitas, Alaskan malamutes, chow chows, Doberman pinschers, German shepherds, Siberian huskies, Staffordshire bull terriers and wolf hybrids.

Critics questioned who would be in charge of identifying the dogs’ breeds and what would happen in the case of mixed-breed canines.

Wilson said the city’s General Services Committee meets at 4 p.m. Monday and will be asked to advise the full council against considering a breed ban.

– Taryn Hecker

Blue Creek Bay plans open to comment

The public will have another chance Monday to comment on a public recreation plan for about 736 acres along Blue Creek Bay.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has three draft plans for how to manage the area, which is considered a key piece of property providing public access along the shore of Lake Coeur d’Alene.

The agency will use the public comments to develop an environmental assessment of each plan’s impacts. Once the assessment is complete this winter, there will be another public comment opportunity.

Local businessman Jack Forest sold the majority of the property, which is a mix of meadows and treed hillsides with views of Lake Coeur d’Alene, to the BLM.

The 7 p.m. meeting is at the Coeur d’Alene BLM Office, 3815 Schreiber Way.

For more information, call Brian White at (208) 769-5031 or go to www.blm.gov/id/st/en/fo/coeur_ d_alene/programs/planning/0.html.

– Erica Curless

Post Falls

Police Department names new captain

Post Falls police Lt. Scot Haug has been promoted to captain of the department, effective Sept. 20.

Haug has been with the department for more than 20 years and was recently instrumental in adopting a wireless computer network to put laptops in patrol cars.

As a result, Post Falls police officers can securely run criminal background checks, file investigative reports and more – all in their patrol cars.

In his new position, Haug will be the department’s second-in-command, reporting directly to Police Chief Cliff Hayes. Haug will oversee the force on a daily basis, guiding its patrol, investigations, communications and computer services divisions. He has proven to be an “excellent leader” whose management and technology skills make him a natural for the added responsibilities, Hayes said.

Haug began his career in 1987, climbing the ladder from animal patrol officer to lieutenant. He will receive a raise of approximately 5 percent, bringing his annual salary to $78,000.

Hayes said Haug will bring the high-level staff always on call to four.

The department has been without a captain since the 2003 retirement of Jim Simmerman.

– Paula Davenport