Animal Cruelty Prevention, Investigation & Prosecution Collaborative (ACT)

About the Program

Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety (Best in Category)

Year: 2015

The San Bernardino County Animal Cruelty Task Force (ACT) is a unique multi-disciplinary collaboration, designed to promote community awareness, education, investigation and prosecution of animal fighting and abuse in San Bernardino County, created by the District Attorney’s Office. ACT has increased the awareness of The LINK (the link between animal violence and human violence) and the importance of reporting animal abuse not only San Bernardino County, but throughout other counties. As a result of ACT, the widely varied participating agencies have been exposed to training thereby law enforcement officers and attorneys are better prepared to properly investigate and prosecute animal abuse cases, increasing public safety. Additionally, ACT has increased community awareness and the reporting of animal cruelty through the distribution of various brochures and presentations, educating the public on “The Link”. ACT has a web page available to the public providing videos, public service announcements and news articles related to the crimes of animal cruelty and fighting in San Bernardino County. Additionally the public can anonymously report these crimes without the fear of retaliation. The San Bernardino County ACT is now a nationally recognized task force, with other agencies seeking to duplicate the model in their areas.