|
September 16, 2005
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15210427&BRD=1708&PAG=461&dept_id=72445&rfi=6
"Thousands of cops are trained every year across our
state yet they fail
to receive training under the Agriculture and Markets
Law that penalizes
those who commit animal cruelty,"
---------------------------
Animal cruelty is raging throughout the U.S.
By: Eric Gross
CARMEL-Animal cruelty is rampant across America and is
a valuable
predictor of current and future violent individuals.
The FBI describes the triad of being abused as a
child, reacting by
torturing animals and becoming violent to humans so
well established
that animal cruelty cases are being used as a means of
identifying
possible suspects in violent crimes as an indicator of
future offenders.
Due to the increasing incidence of animal abuse cases
reported across
the region, the New York State Humane Association in
conjunction with
the Putnam County Sheriff's Department sponsored a
workshop Saturday for
police officers, humane law enforcement personnel and
animal control
officers at the county's Emergency Operations Center
in Carmel.
Dr. Harry Hovel of the New York State Humane
Association talked about
the connection between animal abuse and human
violence.
Hovel said every year more than 4,000 teens under the
age of 18 commit
murder.
"Virtually all of them were abused and began abusing
animals by their
early teenaged years," he said.
The FBI has estimated that 500 serial killers are
operating across the
U.S.
"All known serial killers were abused as children and
all known serial
killers tortured animals," said Hovel.
Studies of violent criminals in prisons, patients in
psychiatric
hospitals, women in battered women's shelters,
domestic violence cases
including child abuse and elder abuse indicate that 46
percent of sexual
homicide perpetrators abused animals, while 48 percent
of convicted
rapists abused animals.
The numbers are more frightening since 80 percent of
spousal abuse
situations also included animal cruelty while 88
percent of child abuse
cases included cruelty to animals.
Hovel said, "Many lives could be saved, much human
tragedy and suffering
could be prevented and a great deal of money spared if
police forces,
prosecutors, judges, social workers and the public
were able to
recognize the strong connection between animal cruelty
and human
violence and take animal cruelty seriously."
New York State Police retired investigator Susan
McDonough, chairwoman
of the Legislation Committee for the New York State
Humane Association,
told the gathering as a state trooper for 26 years she
investigated
thousands of cases of animal cruelty.
"I saw everything from starvation and neglect to where
dogs were chained
to trees and had arrows shot through them and even
cats set on fire.
During my investigations, more times than not children
or women living
in the home had also been abused."
McDonough said a major problem found in New York dealt
with a lack of
training on the part of police officers dealing with
animal abuse cases.
"Thousands of cops are trained every year across our
state yet they fail
to receive training under the Agriculture and Markets
Law that penalizes
those who commit animal cruelty," she said.
Holly Cheever, a veterinarian, discussed how law
enforcement personnel
can work with local veterinarians on animal cruelty
cases while Putnam
Chief Assistant District Attorney Christopher York
talked about writing
and executing a search warrant, collecting evidence
and preparing an
animal cruelty case for court.
Barbara Devolve, president of the Putnam County Humane
Society and a
member of the Putnam Sheriff's Department, thanked the
speakers for
their input as well as the 45 people for attending the
daylong seminar.
|
