Full Notification

After more than a year of planning and preparation, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office, Davey’s Voice and the Humane Society of the United States hosted a training today, September 12, 2017, for area law enforcement, animal control/humane officers, code enforcement and prosecutors on animal cruelty investigations. The training has been offered in other parts of the country but this is the first time it was taught in Santa Barbara County as a California Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) certified class.

The District Attorney’s Office and Sheriff’s Office worked to bring the training to Santa Barbara County when they identified the need to train personnel on the specific requirements surrounding animal cruelty investigations and what is needed for a successful prosecution.

The one-day training covered a number of topics including dogfighting, cockfighting and illegal animal abuse; how animal cruelty crimes are associated with other felonies; the importance of understanding and applying animal cruelty and fighting laws and how to handle animal cruelty and fighting complaints from first response to filing charges.

The Sheriff’s Office and District Attorney’s Office are pleased to have hosted the class and hope to have it offered in Santa Barbara County on a regular basis.

Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce Dudley said, “Given the strong correlation between animal and human abuse and the cruelty involved in animal abuse; successfully reporting, investigating and prosecuting animal abuse is a critical component in keeping Santa Barbara County safe.”

Sheriff Bill Brown said, “Thoroughly investigating and vigorously prosecuting animal cruelty cases is the right thing to do. It is also important for the safety of the overall community. Numerous studies have shown that suspects who commit acts of animal cruelty often go on to commit violent crimes against persons. The sooner such offenders can be brought to justice, the greater chances of preventing crime in the future. The Sheriff’s Office is proud to partner with the DA’s Office and the Humane Society in presenting this key training for law enforcement officers, animal control officers and prosecutors alike.”

More than 30 officers and investigators participated.

The first photo is of Sheriff Bill Brown speaking at the training. The second photo is of Santa Barbra County District Attorney Joyce Dudley speaking at the training.