A top city employee who has worked with the animal shelter since 2017 is headed to the Dallas Police Department.

Ryan Rogers, who served as assistant director at Dallas Animal Services for the past two years, will become Assistant Director of the Dallas Police Department.

Rogers begins his new appointment on August 28.

Dallas Animal Services director Ed Jamison, who worked hand in hand with Rogers for two years, says that "Ryan's hard work and professionalism have helped propel DAS into the national spotlight as one of the highest functioning, big-city animal control departments in the country."

"Ryan has been instrumental in the implementation of data and processes, streamlining the purchase of supplies and equipment, finding creative ways to speed up the on-boarding process for new employees, and pushing data-driven measurable goals that showed the Dallas Community that even with record-high intakes, record-high positive outcomes can be achieved at the same time," Jamison says.

City Hall is currently besotted with the word "data," which is being summoned as a possible solution to various ills, including the city's increase in crime. Mayor Eric Johnson recently created a special task force on "safe communities," which he said will rely heavily on "data-driven solutions."

The data thing first surfaced in 2016, when Boston Consulting Group (BCG) was retained to evaluate operations at Dallas Animal Services, which was understaffed and overwhelmed. BCG delivered a 140-page report that counted loose dogs and made recommendations on how to reduce the numbers.

The Dallas Police Department was recently the subject of its own consultant study, which determined that it needs to improve efficiency and do a better job of prioritizing resources.

As city assistant director positions go, the police department is one of the big ones, with a half-billion dollar budget, 1,500 cars, there's a lot of just sheer stuff to manage.

"I have a lot of respect for Chief Hall, and I'm excited to go over there," Rogers says. "At some point, I'd like to be in city management. Animal services was kind of a detour, and I didn't know anything about animals, but I saw an opportunity to help solve some problems."

Prior to joining DAS, Rogers was an assistant director II with the city's Department of Court and Detention Services. He originally applied for the DAS director position, along with Jamison, who got the job.

"I think we worked well together, and now they can take it to the next level, maybe get someone with animal experience," Rogers says.

Jamison says that Shelter Manager III Jordan Craig will fill in as interim assistant director.

"We will be conducting a national search for our next assistant director," he says. "From a DAS perspective, we’ll use this as an opportunity to reload and aim for the next level."