News
Think Outside the Box!
May 05, 2009, 7:3PM MT
By Fran Farrell
VanKavage Trains Officers to Increase Awareness on Animal Cruelty Laws
VanKavage Trains Officers to Increase Awareness on Animal Cruelty Laws
Written by Amy Abern, Best Friends Staff Writer
This was the message Best Friends’ senior legislative analyst Ledy VanKavage kept coming back to during a training session to 30 police officers on the laws as they apply to animal cruelty cases.
VanKavage shared with officers that they should go for state criminal charges over municipal charges for stiffer penalties and that when investigating dog-fighting claims, look for signs of drugs—the two offenses generally go hand-in-hand. And always get photos! A picture can make the difference between a walk and prison time.
Team Presntation
VanKavage and co-presenter Cherie Travis, associate director, Center for Animal Law at DePaul University, presented these ideas along with clear definitions and examples of various forms and levels of animal cruelty during a presentation. The attendees used the information as study guide before taking the test to become certified humane investigators, a volunteer position in conjunction with the Department of Agriculture.
“This is just one more weapon in our fight against animal cruelty,” says VanKavage. “The more the our police officers and court officials understand the laws as they pertain to animals, the better chance we have of making sure the perpetrators are held accountable and punished for their crimes against animals.”
New Information for Busy Police Officers
The presentation provides information integral to investigating crimes against animals—information not found in Illinois’ criminal code. Rather, the laws pertaining to animal cruelty are contained in the Illinois Humane Care for Animals Act so many police officers don’t know about them. While a Chicago police officer might be able to act on automatic pilot in arresting someone for petty theft, he might not understand the correct procedure—or even know that there’s an arrestable offense—when seeing a dog tethered to a chain in a back yard without food, water or shelter. These crimes and associated penalties are defined under the Illinois Humane Care for Animals Act—of which all attendees received a copy.
VanKavage goes through some of the more common animal cruelty laws— many she helped draft and get passed through the Illinois House and Senate—and explains how their effectiveness can be maximized. As an example, she cites Violation of Owners Duties—a person may be convicted of a misdemeanor for something as simple as not providing adequate food and water. No big deal. But if there’s a second offense, the crime graduates to a felony.
“This is where thinking out of the box comes in handy,” says Ledy. “Look and see if the perpetrator has done this before. If he has, this time around, it’s going to cost him.”
VanKavage also suggests the officers keep an eye out for signs of crimes involving domestic violence while processing the scene of an animal cruelty case. The links, she says, between domestic violence and animal cruelty are well documented.
Thinking Creatively
“Again, it’s all about thinking creatively,” says VanKavage. “There are ways you can get information. If there’s a child in the room, the child may be reticent in talking about abuses against him, but may talk freely about abuses to the family dog. It’s easy to say something like, ‘Have you ever seen daddy hurt Spot? What does he do?’ And when the child answers and you can corroborate the statement with veterinary evidence, you’ve got the perpetrator.”
Teamous Newberne is celebrating his 20th year as an Animal and Animal Products Investigator through the Illinois Department of Agriculture. He is one of nine hired investigators for the whole state. Even with the current 200+ certified humane investigators, the state could always use more.
Here’s how it works: The department of agriculture gets a call regarding suspected animal cruelty. If the call happens within Newberne’s jurisdiction of Cook or DuPage counties, he looks through the roster of Certified Humane Investigators and calls one or more to follow up at the address. Most humane investigators are civilians sponsored by their local animal welfare groups and veterinarians. With police taking on the role of investigators, chances of catching and prosecuting offenders increases. Their involvement also increases the chances of catching and prosecuting the offenders. Newberne hopes more police officers follow suit.
“It wasn’t always like this. We didn’t always have the interest of the police,” says Newberne. “For years, cases regarding animal cruelty fell low on the totem pole of importance in law enforcement. And thanks to the work of people like Cherie and Ledy, we have ways of getting out this important information so we can better address crimes against animals.”
Training Well Received
Sergeant Mark George was part of a team that conducted the raid of an in-progress dog-fight on Chicago’s West Side this past November. Since that time, he’s executed nearly 38 warrants related to animal cruelty. And he decided the training was well worth his time.
“It’s been baptism by fire,” says George. “This presentation today gives us important resources I know from experience we need to get these dog fighters and violent offenders off our streets for good.”
While the position of Humane Investigator doesn’t give law enforcement additional authority beyond their role as police officer, the education needed for certification serves as an invaluable tool in prosecuting crimes against animals.
Increase in Police Willingness to Investigate
Since offering the training and the advent of shows like Dogtown and Animal Precinct, VanKavage has noticed an increase in police willingness to actively investigate animal crimes.
“Now it’s up to animal shelters and rescuers to actively participate in helping the victims of animal abuse including dogfighting,” says VanKavage. “Society will no longer tolerate simply euthanizing victims of animal cruelty because of the cost or length of their treatment--it is right and moral that we focus on helping the victims, the animals, and prosecuting the abusers. For this we will need the help of every animal shelter and rescue group throughout the land but I believe they are up to the challenge.”
For more information about the connection between animal and human abuse, click here: The Link: Animal Abuse and Violence
Read about how to reporting animal cruelty: Report Animal Cruelty
Photos by Amy Abern
Posted by Fran Farrell