I am pleased to report that starting in 2016 the FBI will begin tracking cases of animal cruelty. The four categories of cases to be tracked include neglect, intentional abuse and torture, organized abuse (dogfighting, cockfighting), and animal sexual abuse.
This is huge!
Despite mental health professionals having said for years that animal cruelty is an indicator of other forms of violent behavior, there has been no way to track these criminals.
This is going to be a major help in cracking down on animal hoarding. In most states animal hoarding is rarely prosecuted, and when it is, the hoarder usually picks up and moves on to different area and sets up shop all over again. Now local law enforcement will be able to track these repeat offenders with the help of the FBI.
Those who raise animals to fight will also be tracked, so these roving dog fighting rings can’t easily hide any longer.
As for those that are cruel to animals today? The FBI will be watching you, because we know it’s only a matter of time before you move on to other violent crimes such as rape or murder.
And because tracking these crimes will give them a higher profile, local and state governments will be encouraged to pass tougher laws against those who inflict cruelty onto animals.
It’s good news, people, and way overdue.
Filed under: cats, dogs, pets, politics of animal welfare Tagged: animal cruelty, animal rescue, animal welfare, animals, crime, dogfighting, hoarding, law enforcement, pets