Alert 1/14/09 Humane Investigator Bill Emergency
Sen. Patsy Ticer, after indicating her support for a resurrection of the humane investigator program and her promise to patron such a bill, appears to have withdrawn that support. Her reason? Not everyone (i.e., the Farm Bureau, Agri-business Council, and Virginia Animal Control Association) agrees on the particulars of the bill, primarily where humane investigators should “report”.
Where humane investigators “report” – i.e., who is the “boss” of the humane investigators - is the VACA (Virginia animal Control Association) hang-up. According to their leadership, animal control officers (ACOs), not all of whom even who belong to VACA, feel humane investigators (HIs) should report to them. In other words, the ACOs should be able to decide what an HI does, how it is done, what priority, and to evaluate the performance of the HIs.
The problem from our viewpoint? Animal control people can work for up to two years before being trained (i.e., taking and successfully completing a basic animal control class). On the other hand, humane investigators cannot become humane investigators without first being trained.
Another problem is the direction ACOs are given by county officials who frequently see ACO’s work as something which should take little time or little money, and so not prosecuting (or otherwise overlooking problems) is what all too often happens.
VACA leadership maintains there are “rogue” humane investigators and that humane investigators “mess up” investigations. When asked for specifics, none are forthcoming. Rather than providing examples, VACA believes HIs will somehow subvert having the ACO function upgraded and professionalized. We think ACOs should be upgraded and professionalized as well, but that has nothing to do with humane investigators.
Are you familiar with the work of humane investigators? These are people who volunteer to work on animal welfare issues, are trained at their own expense before being appointed by their local Circuit Court Judge to be a humane investigator, and are recommended by a local humane society/SPCA. THEY ARE VOLUNTEERS, THEY ARE TRAINED, AND THEY ARE FREE.
The humane investigator program was dealt what the Farm Bureau and VACA hoped would be a death blow in 2003 in a bill patroned by Del. Terri Suit, and the reason for this was the Farm Bureau’s fear that humane investigators’ work with animals in need might involve farm – especially factory farm – animals. That slippery slope…..
Then, when the bill to resurrect the HI program was up for consideration during the 2007 session, there was a different reason to get rid of the program. This time the “rogues” myth was supplemented by the canard that there were limited number of training programs, and to use those training slots for HIs rather than for ACOs would cause problems (since ACOs are mandated by Virginia law).
This was utter nonsense. A study we are just completing shows sufficient training slots then and now for ACOs and anyone else, and, in fact, training slots go begging. Training groups said additional courses would be scheduled if there was sufficient need for them.
And, this year’s reason to not re-instate the program is about who is the boss – or where each group “reports”.
Our answer? If the ACOs report to the County Administrator, the humane investigators should report there as well. If the ACOs report to the police/sheriff, the humane investigators should report there as well.
VACA doesn’t like that and so will not support resurrection of the program.
Here is some more of the reasoning for not having an HI program back in full and active swing: the counties haven’t asked for it. This is from Larry Land, the spokesperson for VACo (Virginia Association of Counties). At a time when counties are clamoring and pleading for any help they can get, Mr. Land claims to be deaf. Does he really maintain that member organizations would not be actively looking for a way to deal with the financial problems in the animal welfare area when there is free, volunteer, and trained help? The counties really don’t want it???
We assume you are all aware of the budget problems facing the state; the HI program is but one instance of where a big difference can be made.
But VACA – the animal control association – doesn’t want HIs. We wonder if any of you could find even one ACO who is doing his/her job who wouldn’t welcome a pair of trained hands – free trained hands – to help in this time of strained resources - to help with calls, with strays, with starvation cases, with abandonment, with cruelty, with animal fighting, with puppymills. Free, trained, help is being rejected.
So – this is a very long introduction to get to the “ask”. This is what we “ask” you to do.
1. Please be in touch with Sen. Ticer and tell her she should not have abandoned the HI bill she had committed to patroning. You can reach her:
email: PatsyTicer@gmail.com
Richmond office: 804-698-7530
Alexandria office: 703-549-5770
2. Please be in touch with your own legislators – your own senator and your own delegate – and ask each to contact Sen. Ticer, encouraging her to patron and push for passage of a bill to reinstate the HI program, or to patron the bill themselves.
Press hard to have your legislators themselves patron such a bill. We can provide language of a bill to present to them, we have until 1/23/09, and we certainly can have people who are pro-HI ready to meet with your legislators.
To find your legislators:
http://conview.state.va.us/whosmy.nsf/main?openform
3. Goto your own county Board of Supervisors (or, in a town/city, to your town/citycouncil) and ask them to contact Larry Land at VACo (or contact the Virginia Municipal League), asking each to contact Sen. Ticer and ask that she patron the HI bill, and/or ask for a resolution by the county board of supervisors (or the city/town council) that requests re-instatement of the HI program.
Remember to mention that HIs are trained, are volunteers, and are free.
To find your county Board of Supervisors, “google” your county and check out county government.
Larry Land/Virginia Association of Counties (VACo)
email: LLand@vaco.org
804-343-2504
Joni Terry/Virginia Municipal League (VML)
email: JTerry@vml.org
phone: 804-649-8471
4. Go to your own sheriff/police and ask them to contact Sen. Ticer to ask that she patron the HI bill.
Remember to mention that HIs are trained, are volunteers, and are free.
You can get contact for your sheriff/police by looking in your local phone book.
Other organizations to contact:
Virginia sheriffs: www.VirginiaSheriffs.org
Virginia police chiefs: www.VAChiefs.org
Virginia rank and file police: www.PAOV.org
5. Go to your own ACO (animal control officer) and ask why they would not welcome a pair of free, trained, hands to help them with their work – to help at the pound, to help when someone is sick, to help cover the weekends when there is but one ACO for an entire county – ask why they would resist this.
And let us know what you hear.
Thank you.
Lillian Clancy and Don Marro
Virginia Voters for Animal Welfare