JASPER, Tenn. - City leaders are concerned about a growing problem with pit bulls in Jasper, and now they're taking steps to address it.
At the May meeting of the Jasper Board of Mayor and Aldermen, Parks and Recreation Director Justin Baker said since he started on the job in September, about 90 percent of loose dog calls are for pit bulls.
"The biggest problem is, basically, every town around us has an ordinance against pit bulls," he told the board. "What's happening is when people are actually renting property in the city, they're bringing their pit bulls over here. You can just drive the streets in Jasper and see there's a lot of them."
Baker recommended an ordinance that "mirrors" those of nearby municipalities.
The board voted unanimously to approve Ordinance 376 on first reading, which would require pit bull owners to purchase an insurance policy, provide proper containment and register the animals with the city.
"I think it would help us as a city," Baker said. "We don't want to become known for harboring dangerous dogs."
Mayor Paul Evans said problems with pit bulls in Jasper have skyrocketed lately.
One roaming pit bull recently got into a resident's house and attacked two other dogs, and in a separate incident, a pit bull on a leash killed another dog that got too close to it.
Baker said he was forced back into his truck by a pit bull when he was called to remove it last month.
"I'm concerned about it," Evans said. "Those dogs - they don't have to be provoked, I think."
Police Chief Billy Mason said the problem with pit bulls has gotten worse over the last decade.
"Used to, there wasn't a pit bull here at all," he said. "Now there are just more and more, and just about every call we've had, if there's a bite or a dog's been attacked, it's a pit bull - every one of them. On the norm, since I've been here, unless it's become an issue, we don't address it."
Alderman Paul West, who is also a police officer in nearby Whitwell, Tenn., said he thinks a lot of people who own pit bulls are "not really the people that need to have them."
"There's a mentality," he said. "They want the baddest and the meanest. They [pit bulls] are bad news."
City Attorney Mark Raines said Jasper has the right to regulate the animals.
"This doesn't totally outlaw the pit bulls," he said. "It just imposes some restrictions that if you're going to keep that type of animal, you've got to make sure it's properly secured. If you meet all those criteria, then you can keep them."
Raines said the ordinance provides "reasonable restrictions" on owners to make sure pit bulls don't get out and "damage other people's property or the animals or the people."
He said city leaders will need to add some sort of time frame to the ordinance for owners to meet the requirements and that current owners would be notified of the new rules.
The board will hold a public hearing on the matter before its next regular meeting on June 12 at 6 p.m. CDT. The board is expected to vote on a second and final reading of the ordinance at that meeting.
Ryan Lewis is based in Marion County. Contact him at ryanlewis34@gmail.com.