South Carolina’s capacity to investigate animal cruelty has jumped 600% after a week-long certification training hosted by Charleston Animal Society at the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office.
Before the training, the state had only three certified animal cruelty investigators and now that number has climbed to more than 20, with seven of them being Charleston Animal Society employees.
These investigators will have their work cut out for them. In the past several months, Charleston Animal Society has seen more than 20 cases of suspected cruelty, including a kitten shot in the spine, dogs killed, stolen and beaten and other animals who may be victims of neglect. Last year, Charleston Animal Society provided support in 292 cases of cruelty.
South Carolina has no required training or certification for animal control officers and Charleston Animal Society is committed to raising the standard of care for animals throughout our state. The training was provided by Colorado State University and Code 3 Associates to animal professionals and animal control officers from around the country.
Local agencies including the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, City of Charleston Police Department, and Mt. Pleasant Police Department all sent personnel for training, along with Charleston Animal Society.
“With the completion of this training, animal control officers in our state will now have the most advanced training available to combat animal cruelty wherever it presents itself,” said Charleston
Animal Society’s Vice-President of Operations and Strategy Aldwin Roman, CAWA. “The animals in our state will now have a new line of defense to protect them from harm.”
Unlike crimes against humans, victims in animal abuse cases aren’t able to speak. So, through training like this, certified animal cruelty investigators can piece together what happened, helping police and prosecutors pursue stronger cases in court.
The training included hands-on experience, including “body scoring.” That’s the procedure used to check an animal’s body weight to determine if the animal is underweight and possibly being neglected. Code 3 Associates is one of the leading training organizations in the country for animal welfare, teaching over 800 students every year.
South Carolina has no required training or certification for animal control officers and Charleston Animal Society is committed to raising the standard of care for animals throughout our state. The training was provided by Colorado State University and Code 3 Associates to animal professionals and animal control officers from around the country.
Local agencies including the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, City of Charleston Police Department, and Mt. Pleasant Police Department all sent personnel for training, along with Charleston Animal Society.
“With the completion of this training, animal control officers in our state will now have the most advanced training available to combat animal cruelty wherever it presents itself,” said Charleston
