District Attorney Lisa A. Smittcamp said animal cruelty can be a precursor to crimes against people.
The United States Humane Society has done research showing that between 71% and 83% of women in domestic violence shelters report that their partners have abused or killed the family pet. In families under supervision for child abuse, 88% had also committed acts of animal abuse. In seven school shootings between 1997 and 2001, all of the shooters had committed acts of animal cruelty.
 |
| District Attorney Lisa A. Smittcamp |
The unit will consist of prosecutors who will work with local law enforcement, including officers with the Central California Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, who investigated 1,200 acts of animal cruelty and neglect last year.
The animal cruelty unit’s mission will be to make Fresno County safer by fully enforcing all animal protection laws, and breaking the connection between animal abuse and human violence through education, prevention and prosecution.
Becky Holly, a member of the board of directors with Fresno Bully Rescue, was glad to see an increased emphasis on enforcement of animal cruelty laws in Fresno County.
“A lot of these are felony cases and they end up being dropped to a misdemeanor or dropped altogether,” said Holly. “It’s nice to see Fresno County finally taking this seriously.
“Hopefully the unit will be able to collect enough evidence to prosecute these cases the way they should be prosecuted. They’re felonies for a reason.”
People witnessing animal cruelty are asked to contact their local law enforcement or animal control agencies, or the Central California SPCA at (559) 233-7722.
(Fresno Bee - July 17, 2015)
No comments:
Post a Comment