Lake Havasu City Police Department Animal Control Officer Chris Lutgen was named the 2016 Animal Control Officer of the Year by the Arizona Association of Animal Control Officers at their annual conference in Laughlin, Nevada, last week. 

ACO Lutgen has been with the Lake Havasu City Police Department for three years and has prior experience as an Animal Control Officer in California.  ACO Lutgen has been very involved in the implementation and development of several programs related to animal control within Lake Havasu City. 

ACO Lutgen successfully completed a course as an Emergency Animal Medical Technician after recognizing the need to assist injured animals more quickly. This certification has saved the department and the city approximately $5000 per year in medical expenses incurred by transporting injured animals to emergency veterinarians.

ACO Lutgen also helped transition the animal licensing program from an outside vendor to being under the control of the police department, making it more convenient for the community and saving the department over $25,000 per year. ACO Lutgen helped develop a training program for new animal control officers and is a field training officer himself.  

The Lake Havasu City Police Department would like to congratulate ACO Chris Lutgen on his achievement as the 2016 Animal Control Officer of the Year.     

Public Information Officer:  Sergeant Tom Gray (928) 855-1171