IRONDEQUOIT, N.Y. (WROC) — The Irondequoit Police Department has started their deer management program. The program was created in 1996 by the DEC to help minimize some of the deer population and the dangers that come along with an excessive deer population, such as deer-car motor vehicle accidents and spreading Lyme disease. “The town itself is kind of unique in the fact that we are bordered on three sides by water and on our south side, by the city of Rochester. The deer kind of just stay here and continue to reproduce and that’s why we have the large numbers we have here,” says Lieutenant Joe Coon of the Irondequoit Police Department. Before heading out, hunters must make sure that they are registered for the program. “The hunters apply to be a part of the program. We put them through a proficiency test in order to qualify to be a member,” Coon says. The Irondequoit Police Department and the DEC will work hand in hand throughout the duration of this program to manage the deer population around town.   “We have an officer assigned each day that the program is in session to the program. The hunters have to check in with us, tell us where they are hunting, what is taking place, if they ended up taking an animal and we have to go and help make sure it’s tagged,” Coon says. “They helped us create the program and since then, we’ve taken it over and we run the day to day operations and they provide us with the tags.” This year, the DEC will also be conducting research during the length of the program as well.  “Chronic wasting disease, which is a disease that is transmissible between deer and certain other animals,” says Coon. “They’re going to come out and perform their research.”  In addition, this year, hunters will have the option to participate in the venison donation program where once they catch a deer, they can bring it to a local deer processor that also partakes in the program. Once the deer is processed, they will donate it to Food Link and will be dispersed throughout community food banks. This is a great way to give back to the community and Lieutenant Joe Coon says it will greatly impact the community. The program will run every day that school is in session from sunrise to noon until December 13. Click here for more information about the deer management program.