The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ® (ASPCA) has released the results of a poll conducted by Edge Research. The poll illustrates some of the concerns that law enforcement officers have regarding dog fighting. Some key findings were:
- 52% of law enforcement personnel have not received training to investigate dog fighting.
- 49% of officers would like more training to investigate animal cruelty.
- The majority of officers believe dog fighting to be a serious crime.
- 40% of officers do not have appropriate resources to investigate dog fighting.
The ASPCA is working with law enforcement officers to increase their capacity to ‘Get Tough’ on dog fighting by training officers on investigating dog fighting. The APSCA has also collaborated with the United States Department of Justice to create the Dogfighting Toolkit for Law Enforcement.
“Even though dog fighting is a felony in all 50 states, dog fighting still takes place across the country, and represents the worst of human nature,” said Matt Bershadker, ASPCA President and CEO. “When our society and our laws reflect the true seriousness and depravity of this crime, many more lives will be saved from suffering."
