Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police, Pennsylvania Sheriffs Assoc., Pennsylvania District Attorneys Assoc. join more than 500 other law enforcement agencies in calling on Congress to pass the FIGHT Act
Fayette County, Pa. — In an extraordinary showing of unanimity by law enforcement from rural and urban parts of the Commonwealth, the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police, the Pennsylvania Sheriffs’ Association, and the Pennsylvania District Attorneys’ Association have asked House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson to include the bipartisan Fighting Inhumane Gambling and High-Risk Trafficking (FIGHT) Act as a provision of the Farm bill. They are joined by more than 70 individual county sheriffs and district attorneys who have also endorsed the FIGHT Act.
Despite existing state and federal laws against dogfighting and cockfighting, these criminal syndicates operate on an extraordinary scale in the U.S., with perhaps 20 million fighting birds, according to the USDA, and thousands of illegal dogfighting networks. “Animal fighting “is a threat to public safety, animal welfare, and community health,” noted Scott L. Bohn, executive director of the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police.
“Animal fighting is organized crime that threatens public safety and drains law enforcement resources,” saidSheriff James Custer of Fayette County, Pennsylvania, and a board member of the National Sheriffs’ Association, which has also endorsed the legislation. “Sheriffs, prosecutors, and police leaders across Pennsylvania are united in calling on the House Agriculture Committee to advance the FIGHT Act now. It’s time for Congress to move it forward.”
“Pennsylvania’s prosecutors deal with the real-world consequences of violent and organized crime, including animal fighting,” said Kelly Callihan, executive director of the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association. “When law enforcement and prosecutors across the Commonwealth speak with one voice, legislators should take note. The FIGHT Act reflects the on-the-ground experience of those who investigate and prosecute these crimes, and it is the common-sense step Congress should take to strengthen enforcement and protect our communities.”
“The federal government plays a critical role in complementing the work of local law enforcement to interdict animal fighting operations,” says Montgomery Sheriff Sean P. Kilkenny on behalf of the Pennsylvania Sheriffs’ Association. “These are often complex operations, requiring multiple agencies stretching across states, territories, and even nations. We have finite resources and may be unable to conduct a complete investigation if an animal fighting ring stretches across county or state lines.”
Don Bacon, R-Neb., and Andrea Salinas, D-Ore., members of the Agriculture Committee chaired by Pennsylvania’s Glenn Thompson, lead H.R. 3946 in the House. The bill has attracted 72 Democrats and 57 Republicans as cosponsors, including Reps. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa.-2; Madeleine Dean, D-Pa.-4; Christopher Deluzio, D-Pa.-17; Dwight Evans, D-Pa.-3; Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa.-1; Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa.-6; John Joyce, R-Pa.-13; Summer Lee, D-Pa.-12; Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa.-7; Daniel Meuser, R-Pa.-9; Scott Perry, R-Pa.-10; Guy Reschenthaler, R-Pa.-14; and Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa.-5. The Senate bill, S. 1454, led by Sens. John Kennedy, R-La., and Cory Booker, D-N.J., has 17 cosponsors, including Pennsylvania’s John Fetterman, D-Pa.
The horrors of animal fighting came into the public glare in Pennsylvania after the dogfighting case of Michael Vick, who joined the Philadelphia Eagles after his incarceration for staged animal fights and electrocuting poor-performing dogs. Law enforcement has documented recent high-profile cockfighting and dogfighting cases in Pennsylvania, including a 2025 dogfighting case in West Hazleton (Luzerne County) in which Pennsylvania State Police impounded 28 pit bulls found with scars and other signs consistent with fighting. In Bucks County, law enforcement broke up a cockfighting ring in Plumstead Township. One of the two perpetrators was also convicted on charges of narcotics trafficking.
“Dogfighting and cockfighting rings are routinely linked to illegal firearms, narcotics trafficking, gambling, money laundering, and violent crime,” writes Centre County Sheriff Bryan Semple. “These operations exploit gaps in enforcement and jurisdiction, allowing organized criminal networks to operate with relative impunity while placing communities, officers, and the public at risk.” While Tioga County Sheriff Frank Levindoski also backs the bill and notes that “strong federal coordination and enforcement are essential to dismantling these networks effectively.”
“Law enforcement leaders across Pennsylvania see firsthand how animal fighting damages neighborhoods and fuels broader criminal networks — it’s far more than an issue of animal abuse,” said Natalie Ahwesh, Pennsylvania state director of Animal Wellness Action. “We’re honored to work alongside the sheriffs, chiefs of police, and district attorneys in all 67 counties to push for strong laws that equip state and federal law enforcement with the tools needed to dismantle these organized crime rings.”
In addition to more than 70 law enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania, the FIGHT Act has now been endorsed by more 1,050 groups and agencies across the nation, including the National Sheriffs’ Association; the National District Attorneys Association; Small and Rural Law Enforcement Executive Association; Major County Sheriffs of America; American Gaming Association (AGA); United Egg Producers; Rose Acre Farms; Vital Farms; Indiana State Poultry Association; Ohio Poultry Association; and the North Central Poultry Association.
The $300 billion casino industry also supports the FIGHT Act. “Illegal gambling operations provide an easy avenue for money laundering, and the proceeds generated through these operations are often used to facilitate other serious forms of crime,’ wrote William C. Miller, Jr., president and CEO of the American Gaming Association. “These illegal operations also offer wagers on activities that are themselves illegal – namely dogfighting and cockfighting. We are deeply concerned about the proliferation of betting on animal fights on the web, and support efforts to interdict these crimes.” On-line wagering on cockfights in the Philippines alone came in at $13 billion in 2022. There were more than 100 people murdered associated with disputes over cockfighting.
America’s egg industry is also deeply concerned about the role of cockfighting in spreading avian disease to the U.S. egg and poultry industries. “Ten of the 15 US vND (virulent Newcastle Disease) outbreaks originating from smuggled gamefowl from Mexico into the United States caused major disease epidemics in southern California in 2002-03 and 2018-20,” said Chad Gregory, president and CEO of the United Egg Producers, the nation’s major trade association for the industry. “At least 16 million birds died and more than $1 billion was spent to control U.S.-centered vND outbreaks.”
A fact sheet on the FIGHT Act can be found here and a poster showing the breadth of support for the measure can be found here.