Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James B. Comey officially announced the FBI will now report animal cruelty crimes as a separate offense under the agency’s Uniform Crime Report Program, the prime source of information on crime in the United States.
“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. “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.”
Animal rights groups, including the AWI and the Humane Society of the United States, have been working towards policy change for over a decade.
Previously, when and if information about animal cruelty crimes was captured in the UCR, the data were relegated to a catchall category entitled “All Other Offenses” and grouped in with a variety of other crimes. With this significant revision, animal cruelty statistics will now be itemized separately and become available for review and analysis.
“No longer will extremely violent cases be included in the ‘other offense’ category simply because the victims were animals. Just as the FBI tracks hate crimes and other important categories, we will now have critical data on animal cruelty,” said Wayne Pacelle, CEO of the HSUS, in a blog.
Animal cruelty crimes will be classified as distinct Group A offenses, joining other major crimes such as arson, assault, and homicide, and will require the reporting of both incidents and arrests starting in 2015. The reported crimes will be categorized as simple/gross neglect; intentional abuse and torture; organized abuse; and animal sexual abuse.
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“Now that animal cruelty, including animal neglect, is included in the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, there is a real incentive for law enforcement agencies to pay closer attention to such incidents,” Pacelle said. “With accurate data, law enforcement agencies will also be better able to allocate officers and financial resources to handle these cases, track trends and deploy accordingly.”
Critical assistance from the National Sheriffs’ Association, which submitted its own request; the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys; and the Animal Legal Defense Fund helped achieve the positive recommendation for the reporting change from the FBI’s advisory committees.
NSA Deputy Executive Director John Thompson, who provided leadership on behalf of the proposal, said, “The National Sheriff’s Association is committed to providing law enforcement officers with information about the realities of animal abuse and its close link to other crimes. We are gratified by the FBI’s response and Director Comey’s commitment to improve public safety!”
The information on animal cruelty crimes that will become available through this reporting change will allow law enforcement agencies, policy makers, researchers, and others to better understand the factors associated with animal abuse, ascertain the characteristics of the perpetrators, and identify when and where such crimes occur, greatly benefiting the criminal justice community.
“We have every confidence that, when armed with the hard facts of the extent of the frequency of crimes against animals, this data will play a vital role in improving federal, state and local laws for the betterment of animals,” said Scott Heiser, senior attorney and director of the criminal justice program at ALDF, on their website.
