A great city cannot function without a humane unit with policing powers. Period.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has closed down the uniformed unit that enforced abuse and neglect laws in New York City and was featured in the reality television show Animal Precinct, the Associated Presswrites.
Most of the remaining 17 ASPCA agents, who had guns, badges, and arrest powers, were laid off last month and their responsibilities left to the New York Police Department. Some animal advocates have long sought the change, saying the small unit could not keep up with the volume of abuse cases and sometimes took weeks or months to respond to calls.
[pullquote]One more sad example that in a disordered, corrupt society where public monies are wasted on wars and corporate pampering, the most basic necessities are sacrificed on the altar of “austerity.“[/pullquote]
ASPCA President Matthew Bershadker said the police department, with more than 34,000 officers, is better positioned to handle several thousand annual abuse complaints. Critics of the move said such cases will be a low priority for the NYPD, which has always had the power to investigate animal cases but does not have a unit dedicated to the task.
