Ride-along with Officer Coleman

Officer Jimmy Coleman grabbed a notebook with a list of addresses, double-checked his computer and headed out the door for a typical Wednesday morning.

His first stop was a house in Cahaba Heights where he had set up a pair of cat traps a few days before, and where he hoped to catch a feral cat that had been plaguing the homeowner. Instead, the trap held a large orange cat wearing a collar, which Coleman promptly set free. He only removes feral cats, not pets who have wandered a few blocks from home.

Coleman is the Vestavia Hills Police Department’s code-enforcement officer, a job that not only entails being the city’s lead cat-removal expert, but also aims to protect property values throughout Vestavia.

“Everybody wants to keep their property value up. It’s good for them; it’s good for their neighbors; it’s good for the city,” Coleman said.

Whether it’s a yard or lot that needs landscaping work or a home in disrepair, Coleman said he spends most of his time talking with residents about property maintenance, informing them of Vestavia’s various codes and ordinances. 

From enforcing the city’s weed ordinance that requires underbrush be removed and any overgrowth maintained to reminding homeowners to keep their property clear of “junk,” Coleman said he spends a lot of his time driving through Vestavia’s neighborhoods, but doesn’t make traffic stops or go on patrol calls. 

He is also the officer responsible for any animal control calls, such as a loose or continuously barking dog. After the City Council’s action earlier this year, his job now also includes mitigating and taking care of feral cat infestations.

Coleman said his position was created when civilian city employees were having difficulties getting residents to comply when faced with a code violation. When the former animal control officer retired, the city merged the two positions, and Coleman’s unique job was born.

After 21 years with the Birmingham Police Department, Coleman retired from Birmingham’s force on Feb. 23, 2011. On Feb. 24, he was in uniform patrolling the streets of Vestavia Hills, and he said he is thankful for the opportunity to serve residents with the VHPD.

“This is a top-notch police department,” he said.

Coleman’s main responsibilities revolve around answering complaints, either those logged through the city’s Action Center or through the many phone calls he said he receives each week. 

He said he is careful, though, not to let residents know who complained about them.

“My job is to go into the neighborhood and fix the problem, not create another one,” he said.

For the animal control side of his position, Coleman said the majority of his work involves family pets that have lost their way, not dangerous animals.

Ideally, Coleman said, pets would have a collar and tag with the owner’s phone number and address. That way, instead of having to take the dog to a clinic and write the owner a ticket, he can simply return the animal to its home and discuss the issue with the owner in person.

“That’s the best scenario,” he said, and said he highly encourages people to make sure their pets are properly identified, both through tags and microchips.

Still, Coleman always tries to reunite lost pets with their families, and will post photos of dogs without collars on the animal control Facebook page.

Coleman said dogs also come up fairly often in his code-enforcement work, particularly violations of the city’s barking-dog ordinance.

Any “continuous barking,” when a dog barks without stopping for 30 minutes or more, is a violation of a city code Coleman said he thinks many residents are unaware exists. 

“Everybody needs to try to fix that problem before it escalates,” he said.

Coleman said he recognizes that he might not be everyone’s favorite visitor when he stops by to remind them about cutting their grass or cleaning up their driveway, but that he does his best to work with residents so that matters don’t escalate to the point of going to court or before the city council.

“I always try to be compassionate with everybody,” he said, adding that he knows every situation is different, so he tries to approach every situation that way.

In the end, he said he just wants everyone to feel secure and happy to live in Vestavia Hills.

“What I find most rewarding is when I’m able to help somebody solve a problem,” he said.

The City of Vestavia Hills recently launched a mobile application platform for the city’s Action Center.

The app, which is available for both Apple and Android devices, allows residents to make public service requests as well as file complaints and pay fines. It also includes links to important city information, as well as other resources residents might need.

To download: Search “Vestavia Hills Action Center” in the Apple App Store or Google Play store.