More than 50 Law Enforcement Agencies in 17 States Urge Congress to Pass the Animal Cruelty Enforcement Act

In our last National Law Enforcement Council newsletter, Animal Wellness Action’s Director of Legal Affairs Josh Marquis connected the dots between animal cruelty and school shooters.

Since then, Animal Wellness Action has been hard at work reaching out to law enforcement organizations across the country to boost support for the Animal Cruelty Enforcement Act, H.R. 1016, which would establish a dedicated division at the Department of Justice to assist in investigating and prosecuting federal animal cruelty crimes.

It is well documented that legal standards proscribing cruelty are routinely underenforced, which has clear and direct implications for the animal victims of cruelty and neglect. Deficient enforcement of our state and federal anti-cruelty laws is one of the glaring problems in the present-day animal welfare movement.

We want to thank D.A.R.E. America — a police-led program that empowers children to respect others and to lead lives free from violence — and every single organization that is lending their support to this game-changing legislation. In three months, Animal Wellness Action has gathered support from 55 law enforcement and domestic violence organizations across 17 states, as well as hundreds of international, national, state, and local animal welfare agencies. These include six county sheriff’s offices in Illinois, 12 District Attorneys’ offices in Pennsylvania, and the Ohio and Wisconsin Associations of Chiefs of Police.

We will continue to gather more support to pass this critical legislation, because it is vital that animal welfare laws not only be passed, but they must be enforced in order to save lives.