LA's new Animal Cruelty Task Force is making things happen, and appears to have the full support of the police chief (excerpt):
Aaron Jones, 26, of Los Angeles, was convicted last month of tying his dog's tail in a knot, dousing her with scalding hot water and assaulting her repeatedly with a Taser gun. He is serving a three-year sentence.3 years is one of the stiffer penalties I've ever seen for an animal cruelty case. I'd like to see Aaron Jones -- who won't even be 30 by the time he gets out of prison -- receive major counseling for the duration of his incarceration so as to actually do more than just penalize the guy. Rehabilitation is key to reducing crime, and there's no better time than when you have a "captive audience."
"The correlation between animal cruelty and violent crime against persons is clear," Police Chief William Bratton said at a news conference announcing the conviction. "Some of the most notorious serial killers began their sprees by torturing and killing animals. We can reduce violent crime against persons by reducing violent crime against animals."
While this may be a back door for the LAPD to take on criminals who engage in more difficult to prosecute behavior, the net result is that animal cruelty is being dealt a major blow in the city of angels:
Staff have seized 180 fighting chickens -- 80 in one location alone, along with cockfighting gear. Several investigations are continuing, officials said.
