Gary Police Chief Derrick Cannon started his career with the city in 1999 at the animal shelter. Now, he’s one of the driving forces helping to get a new facility.
“I wanted to do this 20 years ago,” Cannon said. “When I started at the facility in 1999, the facility was challenged, I would say. There were lots of issues: HVAC, plumbing, electrical, infrastructure-wise. There was always a need for a new facility.”
The city of Gary is moving forward on the construction of a new animal control facility, located at 950 Jefferson Street. On March 12, city officials announced the facility is a $1.4 million project, and Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana will donate $500,000 towards its construction.
In December 2024, the Gary Common Council approved $500,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds for the new construction. Remaining funds will come from existing Gary community development and animal shelter allocations, according to Post-Tribune archives.
Gary’s current animal control facility was built in the 1930s, Cannon told the Post-Tribune, and it’s approximately 2,200 square feet.
“It was built at a time where domesticated animals were treated, housed and looked after a bit differently,” he said. “We’ve had to use the original office space for animal storage and other different types of things. Animal care … has changed over time.”
According to Gary Police Department statistics, in 2025, police responded to 2,370 service calls and complaints about public safety and animal welfare. Enforcement officers issued 356 warning citations and 181 citations for code violations.
In 2025, 575 dogs and 153 cats were taken to the city’s animal shelter, according to GPD. Of those, 89% of dogs were identified as strays, and 73% of cats were identified as strays.
According to GPD, 88% of cats were transferred to partners for adoption, and 4% were returned to their owners. 54% of dogs were transferred for adoption, and 14% were returned to owners.
In 2025, 23% of animals were “humanely euthanized or passed away while in care,” according to GPD, and those were limited to animals with terminal illness or injuries, or if they presented aggression or a danger to the public.
The new facility will be 5,600 square feet, Cannon said, which he thinks will help take in more animals, especially as they need quarantine spaces for those that are sick.
Supervisor of Animal Control Officer Marzilla Randolph said she’s worked for GPD for three years. Randolph started as a regular police officer, Cannon said, and then she moved up to be the animal shelter supervisor.
Before her employment in Gary, Randolph worked for Humane Indiana in Munster as a technician and as a lab manager at Hobart Humane Society. Randolph graduated from veterinary tech school in 2011.
“I worked briefly in a veterinary office, but I didn’t really like it,” Randolph said. “Shelters are more my thing.”
Randolph came to work for the Gary shelter because she wanted to be part of a solution, she said. Previously. Randolph said that a new shelter represents a better Gary — a city of compassion, responsibility and progress.
“It’s been great to just see how it’s turned around from when I first started,” she added. “When I first got here, I was fighting against the current because there was a lot of education needed. … But we’ve created a plan to help educate people first, and honestly, it’s just been up from there.”
According to Post-Tribune archives, Gary Animal Control has a pattern of attempts to remedy the facility. In July 2013, Animal Rescue Corps — a national nonprofit — conducted a needs assessment of the shelter, finding it was overcrowded, suffered disease outbreaks and was limited in finances and staff.
Former Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson previously said the city conducted an internal investigation after animal abuse allegations, adding that those would be addressed and staff changes would be made when appropriate, according to Post-Tribune archives.
In 2006, former Gary Mayor Scott L. King discussed building a new facility, according to Post-Tribune archives. In 2004, more than 2,000 cats and dogs were brought in or dropped off at the shelter.
According to Post-Tribune archives, 163 of those animals were picked up by owners, and 328 were adopted or sent to humane shelters. However, 1,600 animals — or 77% — were euthanized in 2004.
The community response for a new animal shelter has been positive, Cannon said, and he thinks there’s more legitimacy this time because of the city-allocated and donated funds for the construction.
“I think the police department and animal control, over the past few years, have really made steps to increase our legitimacy with the community,” Cannon said. “I think they’re already aware of some of our practices that we put in place already that have led us to this point.”
The support of Gary Mayor Eddie Melton and the Common Council has been instrumental in plans for the new shelter, Cannon said, adding that a new facility is one of Melton’s priorities in office.
Melton previously said the city plans to open the bidding process for construction in the next two months, and he plans for construction to start this summer. WDi Architecture, an Indianapolis-based firm, is developing the building’s design.
The city is evaluating the current facility and hasn’t decided what will happen when a new shelter is built, Cannon said.
Cannon and Randolph encouraged the community to have patience as the new shelter is built.
“On day one, when we have a new facility, we’re not going to have all these ailments fixed,” Cannon said. “We’ve put ourselves in a position that, even when a new facility comes, we’re going to be able to sustain it in the positive direction that we’ve been working.”
