Summer 2010 - PAWS Chicago

2010 Heroes of the YearChicago Joint Task Force Animal Crimes Unit honored at PAWS Chicago’sFourth Annual Animal MagnetismThe Chicago Joint Task ForceAnimal Crimes UnitBy Jaclene TetzlaffFighting for those who can’t fight for themselves can be a dangerous job.But thanks to the Chicago Joint Task Force Animal Crimes Unit, more animal crueltyoffenders have been arrested and convicted than ever before.The Chicago Joint Task ForceAnimal Crimes Unit is composed of thepeople on the front lines who risk theirlives everyday to help end dog fightingand close down puppy mills. One of thefew in the country, the unit is comprisedof members from the Chicago PoliceDepartment, Cook County Sheriff’sOffice, and the U.S. Department ofAgriculture.Typically, it would be hard forseparate governmental departments towork together. But just a few years ago,Police Superintendent Jody Weis andSheriff Tom Dart, both animal lovers,decided to proactively work to allocatemore resources to this effort and trainmore officers to recognize animal abuseon the scene. With departments workingtogether as a team, along with USDASpecial Agent In Charge Joe Smith, theTask Force is able to bust more illegaloperations at a quicker rate.According to the USDA’s office,“Pursuant to the Animal Welfare Act,USDA’s Office of the Inspector General(OIG) investigates the potential criminalmistreatment of animals throughoutthe U.S., including investigations ofanimal fighting operations. OIG’sSpecial Agents work closely with Stateand local law enforcement authoritiesand participates in task forces to fulfillOIG’s statutory duties related to animalwelfare. In fiscal year 2009 and the firsthalf of fiscal year 2010, OIG’s animalfighting investigations nationwideresulted in 405 individuals beingconvicted.”When offenders can be chargedon multiple counts, they can be putaway with greater penalties. This isso important because these illegaloperations often move around fromcity to suburb to rural area. Once theyare out of one jurisdiction, a singledepartment may be unable to infiltratethe ring. But that has changed thanksto officers cultivating sources andinformants throughout all geographicareas. The team exchanges information,gets a search warrant, and all go intogether, while following City, County,State, and Federal guidelines to ensurearrests and convictions.According to Cook County SheriffTom Dart, “Because these offenderstend to move around and conductfights in cities, suburbs and rural areas,the collaboration of departments andexchange of information is absolutelycritical to the success we have had sofar. Though we come from differentdepartments, our goal is the same – toend the abuse of animals. Every personinvolved in the unit works tirelessly andwill continue to do so until we achievethat goal.”40