FBI To Track Animal Cruelty as Crime Against Society in Uniform Crime Report

The Federal Bureau of Investigation web site published an announcement last month that they are now preparing to collect data on animal cruelty crimes through the National Incident-Based Reporting System, or NIBRS. (Listen to the podcast below or read the transcript here.)

The FBI web site explains:

The Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program has been the starting place for law enforcement executives, students of criminal justice, researchers, members of the media, and the public at large seeking information on crime in the nation. The program was conceived in 1929 by the International Association of Chiefs of Police to meet the need for reliable uniform crime statistics for the nation. In 1930, the FBI was tasked with collecting, publishing, and archiving those statistics.

Currently, over 18,000 city, university/college, county, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement agencies voluntarily participate in the program, submitting crime data either through a state UCR Program or directly to the FBI’s UCR Program. From this data, four annual publications are produced: Crime in the United States, National Incident-Based Reporting System, Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted, and Hate Crime Statistics.

Local and state police agencies previously had to report data on animal cruelty crimes to the UCR under an “all other crimes” category, diluting the information by mixing it in with several other unrelated crimes. With the change, which will lead to more comprehensive statistics on animal abuse, the UCR considers animal cruelty a crime against society and a “Type A” offense. There will be four categories:

1. simple/gross neglect
2. intentional abuse and torture
3. organized abuse (such as dog and cock fighting)
4. animal sexual abuse

“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 (AWI), an organization which has been advocating for this policy change for the last 12 years, “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.”

The National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA) is another organization that was largely instrumental in bringing about this change. Listed under “2013 Resolutions” on their web site:

NATIONAL SHERIFFS’ ASSOCIATION ADVOCATES FOR THE
ADDITION OF ANIMAL CRUELTY TO THE
UCR AND NIBRS

WHEREAS, the National Sheriffs’ Association is concerned with the link between the treatment of animals and the early identification of violent criminals, and;

WHEREAS, animal cruelty is often one of the first symptoms of a child at risk for developing antisocial and aggressive behavioral disorders, appearing at a mean age of 6.75 years, and;

WHEREAS, consistent findings show that animal cruelty is part of the cycle of violence in families and communities, and;

WHEREAS, women residing at domestic violence shelters are nearly 11 times more likely to report that their partners had hurt or killed pets than women who have not experienced intimate partner violence, and;

WHEREAS, there is a scientifically proven connection between animal cruelty and child abuse, domestic violence, other interpersonal violence, and juvenile delinquency, and;

WHEREAS, an ongoing study by the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation on the characteristics of animal cruelty offenders has found that 50% of such offenders had a history of interpersonal violence and 17% had a history of sexual violence, and;

WHEREAS, many of the nation’s most infamous criminals were found to have abused animals in their past, including serial killers Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer, and school shooters from Arkansas, California, Colorado, Kentucky, and Mississippi, and;

WHEREAS, a survey regarding the Uniform Crime Report (UCR) found that a majority of States (84.6%) reported that if animal cruelty crimes were reported in the UCR, this data would be “somewhat useful to extremely useful” for law enforcement;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Sheriffs’ Association advocates for the training and resources necessary for law enforcement to further develop knowledge and awareness of the link between animal cruelty and domestic violence, child abuse, elder abuse, and gang violence by mandating the collection of animal cruelty data in the Uniform Crime Report and the National IncidentBased Reporting System (NIBRS).

From an article by S.P. Sullivan on nj.com:

New Jersey’s animal welfare community welcomed the news.

Victor “Buddy” Amato, chief law enforcement officer for the Monmouth County SPCA, said his agency has been providing statistics to the FBI for years, which were put to use for internal analyses.

“(Now) they’re going to the next level, which is great,” Amato said. “People are taking animal cruelty more and more seriously. It’s a violent crime, and if it goes unchecked, it leads to bigger things.”

Amato said the changes are part of a larger trend toward increased awareness of animal cruelty issues.

“An animal is a very easy victim,” Amato said. “An animal can’t pick up a phone and call 911.”

Last year, Gov. Chris Christie signed “Patrick’s Law,” which upgraded animal cruelty from a misdemeanor to a fourth degree offense. The law’s namesake was an emaciated pit bull found abandoned in a trash chute whose plight drew national attention as an example of animal abuse. More recently, the Legislature took up the issue of banning piercing and tattooing pets.