Wisconsin Statutes 173.07 – Powers and duties of humane officers
Current as of: 2023 | Check for updates
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Terms Used In Wisconsin Statutes 173.07
- Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
- Following: when used by way of reference to any statute section, means the section next following that in which the reference is made. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Officers: when applied to corporations include directors and trustees. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
- Person: includes all partnerships, associations and bodies politic or corporate. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
- Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
- State: when applied to states of the United States, includes the District of Columbia, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the several territories organized by Congress. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
- Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
(1) Enforcement. A humane officer shall enforce ss. 95.21 and 944.18, this chapter, chs. 174 and 951 and ordinances relating to animals enacted by political subdivisions in which the humane officer has jurisdiction under s. 173.03 (3).
(2) Investigation. A humane officer shall investigate alleged violations of statutes and ordinances relating to animals and, in the course of the investigations, may execute inspection warrants under s. 66.0119.
(3) Seek subpoenas. A humane officer may request the district attorney for the county to obtain subpoenas to compel testimony and obtain documents in aid of investigations.
(4) Issue citations. If authorized by the appointing political subdivision, a humane officer shall issue citations under s. 66.0113 for violations of ordinances relating to animals.
(4m) Request prosecutions. A humane officer may request law enforcement officers and district attorneys to enforce and prosecute violations of state law and may cooperate in those prosecutions.
(5) Prohibited actions. Unless also a law enforcement officer, a humane officer may not in the course of his or her duties do any of the following:
(a) Execute a search warrant.
(b) Carry firearms.
(c) Stop or arrest persons.
(d) Stop, search, or detain vehicles, except under an inspection warrant under s. 66.0119.
(e) Enter any place or vehicle by force or without the consent of the owner, except in an emergency occasioned by fire or other circumstance in which that entry is reasonable and is necessary to save an animal from imminent death or a person from imminent death or injury.
(f) Remove any animal from the custody of another person by force.
(6) Conflict of interest prohibited. No humane officer may sell or otherwise dispose of any animal that came into the humane officer’s custody in the course of his or her duties.