NSA Teams Up with HSUS To Produce Animal Cruelty Roll Call Videos

The National Sheriffs’ Association has teamed up with the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to produce roll call training videos covering topics in animal abuse. The goal of the video series is to alert law enforcement officers to various types of animal cruelty crimes and how to investigate them, while working within their rigorous schedules. This allows agencies to keep officers up-to-date on animal cruelty crimes in their community through quick but efficient videos that can be built into their daily work.

 

There are currently two videos available – “Cruelty and Neglect” and “Dog Fighting” – with plans for additional videos in the future. They feature experts in the subjects and are both prefaced by a message from NSA Deputy Executive Director John Thompson. Thompson is a vocal advocate from law enforcement in the realm of animal welfare and was integral in getting the FBI to finally include animal cruelty amongst its trackable offenses in the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS).

The link between animal abuse and subsequent or concurrent human violence is proven by research and it is imperative that law enforcement officers understand this link. These crimes typically involve more victims than just the animal. “If somebody is harming an animal, there is a good chance they also are hurting a human,” said Thompson. “If we see patterns of animal abuse, the odds are that something else is going on.” That’s why it’s crucial for law enforcement to be able to understand and recognize animal abuse crimes for the protection of everyone in their communities.

The HSUS provides no-cost training and support to law enforcement agencies across the country in handling animal abuse cases. For access to the videos, please contact Ashley Mauceri (amauceri@hsus.org) or April Doherty (adoherty@baltimorecountymd.gov). If you’d like more information on resources available to law enforcement to combat animal abuse, contact the National Law Enforcement Center on Animal Abuse (NLECAA), a program within NSA, at animalcruelty@sheriffs.org.