09172014 - News Article - FBI to begin tracking animal cruelty offenses in national crime reports

FBI to begin tracking animal cruelty offenses in national crime reports
By Kelsey Stein
AL.com
September 17, 2014 - 5:25 PM
http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2014/09/fbi_to_begin_tracking_animal_c.html

For the first time, animal cruelty crimes will be tracked in Federal Bureau of Investigation reports about crime in the U.S.

James Comey, the agency's director, announced that changes that will be made to how those offenses will be handled by the Uniform Crime Report Program.

For many years, animal cruelty data was included in the reports as part of the "All Other Offenses" category instead of being itemized separately.

The reports will include incidents and arrests for simple/gross neglect, intentional abuse and torture, organized abuse and animal sexual abuse. Local agencies will track animal cruelty cases and report them to the FBI.

The decision has been praised by animal rights groups and activists across the country.

Wayne Pacelle, the president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, wrote in a blog post that, previously, there was no process for tracking animal cruelty data either nationally or on a state-by-state basis.

"No longer will extremely violent cases be included in the 'other offense' category simply because the victims were animals," Pacelle wrote. "Just as the FBI tracks hate crimes and other important categories, we will now have critical data on animal cruelty."

"The change instituted by the FBI formally recognizes the seriousness of animal abuse crimes and their negative impact on the welfare of society," said Cathy Liss, president of the Animal Welfare Institute, in a news release. "The data that will become available as a result of this change will help law enforcement better understand and respond to these types of crimes, which occur alongside many other forms of violence and criminal activity."

The state of Alabama is no stranger to animal cruelty offenses.

Last summer, more than 450 dogs were rescued in Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and Texas in the second-largest federal raid of a dogfighting ring in U.S. history. A dozen people have pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the raid.

In November 2013, authorities rescued dozens of dogs and puppies found in deplorable conditions, often without clean water or shelter, at three sites in Tallapoosa County. Six people were charged and indicted in the dogfighting ring, and all have now been sentenced.

In June of this year, Jefferson County sheriff's deputies removed more than a dozen animals from a Birmingham pet grooming and boarding business. The owner, Scott Alan Kirkland, is charged with five counts of animal cruelty.

Earlier this year, AL.com animal issues reporter Joey Kennedy wrote that Alabama ranked 46th in animal protection. Just last year it became a felony to commit an egregious act of animal cruelty.

The state has implemented heavy penalties for dogfighting but has not taken the same measures with other issues, such as cockfighting and puppy mills.