Animal abuse cases in Boston and the rest of Suffolk County will be handled by a new task force announced Wednesday in an effort to more effectively bring justice to abusers amid a rise in such cases.
Massachusetts had animal cruelty cases jump 70% between 2019 and 2022, the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office said, citing a review of trial court records, while in 2023 alone, the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals investigated 684 allegations of animal abuse.
"Sadly, too many animals and pets end up getting hurt through malicious intent or conscious neglect. This task force will improve our ability to investigate, charge and prosecute these cases and, hopefully, reduce them," District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in a statement.
The Suffolk County Animal Cruelty Task Force will involve police and animal control from Boston, Chelsea, Winthrop and Revere; state troopers and environmental police; the Animal Rescue League of Boston; the MSPCA; and the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture, the DA's office said. Through the task force, they will coordinate on investigations and advocate for legislative changes to better protect animals.
Seventeen people in Suffolk County, including one youth, were charged with animal cruelty last year, according to the district attorney's office, which shared high-profile cases.
They included a firefighter who ran a dog training and boarding facility in South Boston where three dogs allegedly lost significant amounts of weight or were injured, as well as a man in Revere accused of fatally stabbing his dog and assaulting his roommate.
The task force will also offer educational and counseling services in appropriate situations.
“We don't want to take pets from people, we want to help provide resources to keep people together," said Edard Schettino, president and CEO of The Animal Rescue League.
These are much-needed resources after the increase in cruelty cases observed during the pandemic.
“I think some of the people who adopted pets probably shouldn't have or were called back to work or found themselves in a situation where they didn't expect certain financial hardships,' said MSPCA President Neal Litvack.
