56% of women will stay, or will not report, or will return to abusive relationship to protect their pet. Over 71% of female victims of IPV who own pets reported that their batterers had harmed, killed, or threatened animals to coerce, control and humiliate them.
violence link applicable to violent crime investigations
How organized crime/gangs profit from animal abuse
Gangs host dog fighting events to traffic in guns and drugs, recruit, and for illegal gambling to fund their criminal enterprise.
Animal fighting is a huge money maker for gangs/organized crime.
Other crimes animal abuse linked to
A Chicago Police Study looked at people charged with animal abuse over the course of 3 years, 65% had been arrested for assault of a human being.
FBI findings
An analysis of FBI reports, 96% of animal cruelty offenders had other documented criminal offences (Levitt et al., 2016)
Terrorism linked to animal abuse
Press release July 2018 USA:
The Joint Counter terrorism Assessment Team, a collaboration between the National Counter terrorism Center, the Department of Homeland Security, and the FBI, issued the report this week, titled Animal Cruelty: A Possible Warning Behavior for Terrorism and Other Premeditated Violence against Humans Which Needs Reporting and Further Vetting. The report emphasizes that reporting, investigating and prosecuting acts of animal cruelty can help prevent acts of human violence, including terrorism.
International Association of Chiefs of Police
The IACP state in their February 2018 issue of The Police Chief Magazine:
“Police officers and detectives should be appropriately trained in the recognition and documentation of crimes against animals – and they should have sufficient resources to enforce animal cruelty laws”.
International Association of Chiefs of Police
Feb 2018 issue of The Police Chief Magazine:
“Animal abuse investigations are vital because animal maltreatment is a co-occurring and central aspect of interpersonal violence.
Animal care professionals, such as veterinarians, animal control officers, and humane law enforcement all have roles to play in the prevention, identification, and treatment of interpersonal violence. The co-occurrence of child abuse and domestic violence with animal abuse, and the significance of childhood animal abuse means that animal welfare overlaps with both family welfare and public safety.