DA announces web page and app to fight cruelty to animals

Wednesday, March 4, 2015 - 22:52

ALBANY COUNTY — The district attorney’s office has a new web page, hosted at www.albanycountyda.com, on animal cruelty.

David Soares, Albany County’s district attorney, made the announcement about updates to his Animal Cruelty Taskforce, known as ACT, last Friday at the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society in Menands.
By clicking on the paw logo on the main page of the website, visitors can find resources about animal cruelty prevention and a list of local cases, and learn about partners in the community who “ACT” to prevent animal cruelty.

Soares also announced the launch of an app hosted by The New York State Animal Protection Federation and sponsored by his office. The app includes all of the animal laws currently active in New York law. Users can follow links to download the app on the  “ACT” website or the NYSAPF website.  Now, local police, sheriff’s departments, and anyone else concerned with animal welfare, can have access to laws relating to animals and animal cruelty on their smartphones.

In August 2013, Soares announced the formation of an Animal Cruelty Taskforce to use a multi-agency response to animal abuse, neglect, and hoarding cases, as well as combine law-enforcement prevention efforts and public-education outreach. Soares has designated a felony-level assistant district attorney from the Special Victims Unit to oversee all animal-related crimes. In addition to prosecuting these crimes in the courtroom, prosecutors from the office will also play an important role on the taskforce.

Prosecutors collaborate with medical and rescue professionals to hold trainings for veterinarians, pet-store operators, groomers, and anyone else who may be aware of animal abuse. The taskforce also seeks to address issues that arise in rural areas, such as with livestock and farm animals.

Taskforce members include local veterinarians, law-enforcement officers, delegates from the New York State Attorney General’s Office, members of animal rescue shelters such as the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, New York State Animal Protection Federation, and representatives from Cornell Cooperative Extension to aid in rural taskforce goals.  
 

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