As we we wrote several months ago, the connection between animal abuse and abuse of humans is clear (and obviously only human scum would commit either), and Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin Beckner wants the county to keep tabs on convicted animal abusers in order to keep animals and vulnerable humans alike out of their reach.
“When animals are abused, people are at risk," said veterinarian Betsy Coville, who is advising on the policy, during public comment. "When people are abused, animals are at risk.”
With 6-0 approval from the board Thursday, an ordinance creating a convicted animal abuser registry any member of the public can access is on its way to getting on the books. It's now being drawn up by county staff and will be up for a first reading July 20.
Coville said the statistics tell a horrific story about the connection between domestic and animal abuse.
“Seventy percent of animal abusers also have other criminal records," she said. "Eighty-eight percent of families investigated for physical child abuse also had abused or neglected pets. Ninety-seven percent of domestic violence victims also had abused pets. Animal abuse is a red flag that can help identify those at risk for those at risk for perpetrating violence and those who've been victimized themselves.”
The registry, she said, will “alert the public to the presence of offenders in the community and to provide heightened scrutiny of individuals who may be at risk of re-offense toward animals or people beyond any period of incarceration or probation.”
It would work much like sex offender registries currently do, in that they allow members of the public—from someone who wants to make sure a potential new neighborhood is free from those convicted of such crimes to staff and volunteers at animal adoption facilities vetting potential employees or clients—to access the list.
Commissioner Sandy Murman asked if it was possible to include convicted child abusers on such a list so that they can be barred from working with or adopting animals, to which County Attorney Chip Fletcher said yes.
Back in February, when Beckner first brought the proposal to the board, he had one major critic in Commissioner Stacy White, a staunch conservative concerned about government excess and the lack consistency for such policies among counties.
After all, the state legislature ought to create such a database for all of Florida—not that there's political will to do so in Tallahassee.
This time around, White said, after taking with stakeholders, he changed his mind.
“Commissioner Beckner, when you first brought this forward, I called it bad public policy," he said. "You'll be pleased to know that I had a change in stance. I still have concerns about this from a pure policy perspective, and I do believe that this issue is best addressed on a statewide level, but I have heard the stakeholders loud and clear. We have to start somewhere. We have to tiptoe into this. And perhaps this will allow us to reach the critical mass necessary in order to get the state's attention.”
He added that, come July 20, he “will go into that public hearing with a supportive mindset.”
This article appears in Jun 2-8, 2016.