VVSA, Windsor County Sheriff's Department & the FBI partner to address animal cruelty in Windsor County!WE NEED YOUR HELP TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN!
Two years ago VT Volunteer Services for Animals assisted the VT State Police by conducting a statewide survey of reported acts of neglect and abuse towards animals, including the number of cases, which agencies responded, and how the reports were handled. Beginning January 2016, this collection of data, from across the country, will give credence to what those involved in the prevention of animal abuse has known for years - that is, that abusers do not stop to count the legs of their victims.
Starting January 2016, police departments across the country will be required to report any reported crimes related to animals to the national database at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Law enforcement agents and research workers will now have a better perception of how to prevent animal cruelty, thanks to the FBI. Reports of animal abuse, as well as arrests, will be collected and a record kept of every incident, according to Mary Lou Randour, from the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI). Located in Washington, D. C. Randour serves as the Senior Advisor for prevention of animal cruelty and training. The AWI, along with the National Sheriffs’ Association, had pushed for the expanded data collection. The information is designed to identify where the crimes are most committed and to create age effective education and intervention programs. The FBI now considers animal abuse a "Group A" offense, and all reports of animal abuse made to police will be included in The National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS). The FBI has identified four types of animal abuse: simple/gross neglect, intentional abuse and torture, organized abuse (cock & dog fighting), and sexual abuse of an animal. Cruelty, defined by the FBI as: “Intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly taking an action that mistreats or kills any animal without just cause, such as torturing, tormenting, mutilation, maiming, poisoning, or abandonment. Included are instances of duty to provide care, e.g., shelter, food, water, care if sick or injured; transporting or confining an animal in a manner likely to cause injury or death; causing an animal to fight with another; inflicting excessive or repeated unnecessary pain or suffering, e.g., uses objects to beat or injure an animal.” The FBI’s expanded scope of data collection on animal abuse is “one of the most dynamic and significant changes ever,” says Phil Arkow, founder of the National Link Coalition based in Stratford, NJ, which conducts research, training and education on the link between animal abuse and human violence. "The new data will help activists and researchers give legislators a better understanding of the prevalence and nature of animal abuse," Arkow says. "Collecting information about animal abuse incidents is also important because many cases of animal cruelty do not involve police charges." "Animal cruelty has been traditionally minimized by law enforcement because it doesn’t involve people being hurt", says Arkow. But now, animal abuse can no longer be trivialized and considered in isolation to other crimes, he notes. “When animals are abused, people are at risk; when people are abused, animals are at risk.” Animal cruelty and neglect is too often “the tip of the iceberg” because the way animals are treated in a family is linked to family dynamics and domestic violence." Studies have shown that mass murders and serial killers first begin with the abuse of animals as children and adolescents. Take inappropriate behavior seriously and seek intervention. Animals are voiceless. Please, report these incidents to your local law enforcement agency and VVSA at 802-672-5302. Look for our interview with Mary Lou Randour, from the Animal Welfare Institute, about this topic on our show, "For The Animals" aired on your local public access station or by visiting: vvsahs.org. See below for cruelty report form and the opportunity to donate! Together We Truly Do Make A Difference! DONATE TODAY TO HELP US MEET OUR GOAL OF $25,000 SO WE CAN PARTNER WITH THE WINDSOR COUNTY SHERIFF DEPARTMENT TO STOMP OUT ANIMAL CRUELTY! Report animal cruelty when you see it. |
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