The Animal Wellness Foundation and Animal Wellness Action recently announced the formation of a National Law Enforcement Council dedicated to enforcing federal, state and local laws against animal cruelty. Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg has been appointed to the council.
The FBI’s homicidal triad includes early-age acts of animal cruelty. In homes where a man harms a spouse or a girlfriend, he will often turn his violent instincts toward a child or an animal.
“There is a documented link between animal cruelty and domestic violence,” said Aronberg, who has personally prosecuted cases of felony animal cruelty in Palm Beach County. “Those who engage in this despicable crime demonstrate a lack of empathy for the suffering of others, which will often manifest itself in other violent crimes.”
Aronberg, who is active in animal rescue charities and has received a national award from the Pegasus Foundation for his work in fighting animal cruelty, said that he was “honored to have been chosen for this task force, as our state and federal laws are still inadequate in this area.”
The National Law Enforcement Council includes a number of prosecutors who have distinguished themselves in their public advocacy and continue to advocate for safer communities for people and animals, including former Florida Attorney General Bob Butterworth. The group is co-chaired by former Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson and former Oregon District Attorney Josh Marquis.
The Animal Wellness Foundation is a Los Angeles-based private charitable organization with a mission of helping animals by making veterinary care available to everyone with a pet, regardless of economic ability. Animal Wellness Action is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization with a mission of helping animals by promoting legal standards forbidding cruelty.
