Once More California Senator and Lt. Governor Candidate Dean Florez Proposed Legislation gains high profile national attention; California is often viewed as leading the Nation. This time the bill that proposes an Animal Abuse Registry is featured in the latest issue of Time Magazine. I have written before about this bill and Time Magazine captures one of the more important arguments for passage of this legislation right up front.

Should There Be an Animal-Abuser Registry?

Cruelty to animals, it is said, is often a precursor to graver crimes. So would there not be some usefulness to a registry of individuals convicted of felony animal abuse? Legislators in California want the Golden State to be the first to establish such a record – just as California was the first in the nation to create a registry of sex offenders.

The popularity of such legislation can be measured in many ways. I noted while reading the Time coverage, even though the story was just released over 2000 Facebook users have noted the legislation and took some type of action.

“We think California is primed for this kind of a bill,” says state senate majority leader Dean Florez, who introduced the bill in late February. “We’ve progressed to the point where we as a legislature are moving in a direction of this bill, which is ultimately, How do we in essence prevent repeat offenses when it comes to cruelty to animals in the state of California?” It is an issue that, Florez says, Californians care for deeply. About 60% of California residents own pets, he says; add in farm animals, and 80% of the population has some kind of ownership of animals.

One issue that must be resolved is the funding of the measure, be it by pet owners who purchase food, those convicted must pay a fine, or some other equitable measure.

If I were a betting person I would put my money on the Legislature finding equitable funding of this bill that would  be added to the legislation before it becomes law. Given the apparent popularity (and I know the Facebook measure is not scientific), I think the Governor would sign it. That is if a sticking point will be getting the votes to pass, which will require some Republican votes.

Time quotes Florez “In this case,” he says, “the issue is simple. Do Republican members … really want to be seen on the side of animal abuse? I don’t think they do.”

Find this full article at:

http://www.time.com/time/natio…

HIGHLIGHTS NEED FOR SENATOR DEAN FLOREZ BILL (AB1277) ESTABLISHING ANIMAL ABUSE REGISTRY IN CA

“He told us that he pinned the dog down by the neck and throat for 20 seconds while the puppy defecated and urinated on itself in panic or because it started to lose consciousness, we don’t know,” said Lt. Dan DeSousa with SD County Animal Service.

Coco died Friday, one week after CA Senator Dean Florez introduced AB 1277, which would establish an Animal Abuse Registry in California and “make those guilty of Animal Abuse famous for their crimes” and hopefully prevent horrors that Coco suffered.

Coco’s owner and alleged puppy killer, David Hale Warner, 50, is currently in the San Diego Detention Center and has been booked on felony animal cruelty charges.  The Department of Animal Services has 72 hours to prepare a case for the District Attorney.  If convicted, Warner may be punished with up to three years in a state prison, one year in a county prison or fined $20,000.

Future animal cruelty cases (and other abuses) may well be prevented if California State Senator Dean Florez, also a candidate for California Lt. Governor, is successful in gaining passage of Senate Bill 1277.

California state Sen. Dean Florez hopes a love of animals will bring the parties together. Florez is the chair of the state Senate’s Food and Agriculture Committee and an animal welfare advocate.

Details of Bill

Sen. Florez has offered a bill, S.B. 1277, to establish an online registry of people convicted of felony animal abuse.  The registry would help warn shelters and rescues as well as pet owners of abusers in the area to avoid. It would be a deterrent to animal abuse. It would also serve as an early warning indicator of those likely to commit domestic abuse or other violent crimes.

There is a well-established link between animal abuse and domestic violence and other violent crimes.

Animal abuse is often an indicator of future violence to humans

In one study 71% of women in a battered women’s shelter reported their abuser either abused a household pet or threatened to abuse a pet. (Ascione, 1998)  

In another study 88% of child abusers also abused the animals in the home. (Ascione)

In a study by Dr. Jacquelyn Campbell, Public Health Department, the Johns Hopkins University from 1994 to 2000 in eleven USA metropolitan cities, pet abuse was one of the four significant predictors for determining who was at highest risk for becoming a batterer. Many abused spouses delay leaving out of fear for their pets’ safety and because they have nowhere to take them.

70% of animal abusers were found in one 20 year study to have then committed other crimes, and 44% went on to harm people. (Arluke, A. & Luke, C. 1997).

In another study 99% of animal abusers had convictions for other crimes. (Clarke, J. P. 2002). In that same study it was found 100% of people who committed sexual homicide had abused animals. (Clarke, J. P. 2002). That study also revealed 61.5% of animal abusers had assaulted a human as well. (Clarke, J. P. 2002).

63.3% of inmates in a prison study who were in for violent crimes admitted to abusing animals. This doesn’t include the ones who didn’t admit it. (Schiff Louw Ascione, 1999)

Police have found animal abuse is a better predictor of whether someone will commit sexual assault than previous convictions for murder or arson. (Clarke, J. P. 2002).

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Find your California state senators and representatives at http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/your… and urge them to vote yes to S.B. 1277 and help identify persons convicted of felony animal abuse for the protection of both animals and people.

Read more: http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2… and http://www.animallawcoalition…. which were used in preparing this news item.