Cottonwood Police’s Animal Control Officer Autumn Durnez has handled plenty of calls in her 14 years with the city — but none quite like Frank the emu, who flew the coop before being safely returned to his owner midday Tuesday, Oct. 28.

“I did grow up on a small farm in the Verde Valley, so we had everything from sheep, horses, cows and obviously cats and dogs, so I’ve always had a close relationship with the animal world,” Durnez said.

The calls of Frank running afoul started coming in from several residents around the area at State Route 260 and Rodeo Drive, and the emu made his way eventually northwest on State Route 89 before being appre­hended by Durnez near Cottonwood Street and Willow Tree Lane just outside of Cottonwood city limits.

“Only in Cottonwood!” the Cottonwood Police Department posted to social media with body camera footage of Durnez pinning a netted Frank down. “After some teamwork between officers and animal control — and maybe a few laughs — the speedy bird was safely caught and returned home. All in a day’s work — you never know what’s going to cross our path next in Cottonwood!”

“This was the first [emu] we’ve had to capture,” Durnez said, and explained that there’s nothing in the training manual for hatching an emu apprehension. “We make it up as we go, we don’t have anything for emus necessarily. … It was a lot of fly by the seat of your pants because we weren’t sure how exactly we were going to capture [Frank] … because I’ve had no experience actually capturing an emu before.”

“The owners showed up on scene and were able to help us apprehend it, then of course we were just holding it until they could get their trailer and truck to transport it home,” Durnez said. “I think Frank learned his lesson, and hopefully he will be a little more cooperative next time.”

On March 27, Durnez was awarded the Arizona Animal Control Officer of 2024 at the Arizona Animal Control Association Conference.

“Durnez was one of 10 nominees and was nominated by fellow Animal Control Officer Randy Damron of the Safford Police Department for her unwavering commitment to the profession and to AZACA,” a CPD Facebook post reads. “With over 14 years of service to the city of Cottonwood and a lifetime membership in AZACA, Ofc. Durnez has been a driving force in the field. For the past three years, she has served on AZACA’s Board of Directors, working alongside animal control officers from across Arizona.”