Encyclopedia of animal rights and animal 201

158 | Cruelty to Animals: Prosecuting Anti-Cruelty Laws often becomes the deciding factor in handling and resolving complaints Finally, there is a problem with enforcement and prosecution Rookies encounter very few clearcut cases of animal cruelty that lead to prosecution and punishment Instead, they encounter respondents whose behavior toward their animals does not violate the law, but falls short of what officers would prefer to see Without a technical violation of the cruelty law, officers feel that they have little, if any, authority to force respondents to improve their treatment of animals When they meet respondents whose acts violate the law, officers see their advice ignored Rather than giving up entirely at these times, rookies must learn how to get their message across to respondents and, if necessary, take them to court This final option can also be particularly frustrating, especially for rookies, as they encounter a judicial system that seems indifferent or hostile to the concerns of animals Most officers learn to cope with these problems by developing an attitude of humane realism With little legitimate authority to enforce the law, officers become humane educators who try to make abusers, or others they meet on the job, into responsible animal owners With few victories in court, they discover alternative ways to be effective in their fight against cruelty, and, in the face of public confusion about, or derision for, the role of humane law enforcement, they emphasize the police side of their work without forgetting their commitment to animal protection See also Cruelty to Animals: Enforcement of Anti-Cruelty Laws Further Reading Alexander, L 1963 Fifty years in the doghouse: The adventures of William Ryan, Special Agent No of the ASPCA New York: G.P Putnam’s Sons Arluke, A 2004 Brute force: Animal police and the challenge of cruelty West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Press Arnold Arluke CRUELTY TO ANIMALS: PROSECUTING ANTI-CRUELTY LAWS Animal cruelty prosecutions have become daily events that attract widespread public and professional interest Several trends demonstrate the increasing focus on enforcement of anti-cruelty laws: • Television shows such as “Animal Precinct,” which highlights the efforts of the Humane Law Enforcement division of The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) in New York City, are extremely popular, with numerous spin-offs showcasing similar efforts in Houston, Detroit, Miami, San Francisco, Philadelphia and elsewhere • The number of law schools offering courses in animal law rose from in 2000 to 92 in 2008 • The American Bar Association (ABA) and many state bar associations now have active animal law committees • Prosecutors in many jurisdictions have established task forces to work with a variety of local agencies to specifically address crimes against animals • The number of states with felonylevel penalties for some forms of animal cruelty has grown dramatically in the last two decades from in 1988 to 43 in 2008