WASHINGTON, D.c. – Animal Wellness Action today commended the Maryland Sheriffs’ Association for formally endorsing the bipartisan FIGHT Act (Fighting Inhumane Gambling and High-Risk Animal Trafficking Act, H.R. 3946 / S.1454)—landmark legislation designed to give law enforcement the tools it needs to dismantle organized dogfighting and cockfighting operations nationwide.
In a letter to Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, the Association spotlighted the entrenched cruelty and public-safety dangers posed by animal fighting, including a recent Maryland case in which a senior Department of Defense official ran a dogfighting ring out of his home for a decade. That shocking episode, the sheriffs noted, underscores the scale and seriousness of these crimes and the urgency of federal action.
“Dogfighting and cockfighting aren’t isolated acts of cruelty — they are organized criminal enterprises tied to gambling, weapons trafficking, and intimidation,” said Darren M. Popkin, executive director of the Maryland Sheriffs’ Association, in the letter. “The FIGHT Act would give law enforcement the critical tools we need to protect animals and communities and to dismantle these violent operations.”
Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy, praised the Maryland Sheriffs’ Association for its leadership:
“Law enforcement officers know animal fighting enterprises are crimes of violence, entangled with cruelty, illicit gambling, narcotics and weapons trafficking, and even human-on-human violence,” Pacelle said. “We are so pleased to partner with the Maryland Sheriffs’ Association in urging Maryland’s congressional delegation to help stamp out this organized crime network.”
Maryland is a national leader in combating illegal animal fighting. This year, Governor Wes Moore signed into law bills advanced by Senator Ben Kramer (D-19, Montgomery County) and Nick Allen (D-District 8, Baltimore County) to stop cockfighters from maintaining large rooster yards used to feed birds into domestic and foreign fighting derbies The FIGHT Act complements this state legislation and won the backing of the National Sheriffs’ Association, the National District Attorneys Association, and more than 900 organizations nationwide spanning agriculture, gaming, law enforcement, and animal welfare sectors.
“Congress should heed this call from Maryland’s law-enforcement leaders and advance the FIGHT Act without delay,” Pacelle added. “I ask all lawmakers to cosponsor this anti-crime, anti-cruelty, pro-agriculture legislation.”
To find more about the FIGHT Act: Animal Fighting is the Pits