Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson is supporting a proposed change in Missouri law that would add animal control officers as mandatory reporters of child and elder abuse, saying it would serve as a tool to combat the rise in domestic violence homicides.
So far this year, 12 homicides in Kansas City are attributed to domestic violence, matching the total set last year, which is an “alarming rise,” according to Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves.
Animal abuse cases, often charged as a misdemeanor or lower-level felony, can be used proactively by prosecutors as a means to intervene with someone with a history of abuse and hopefully protect people in the home, Johnson said. That could happen even if the alleged abuser isn’t charged with domestic violence, but instead with animal abuse, she said.
“Paying attention to this sliver of cases really empowers us and enables us, if we do it right, to get out in front of the traumatic instances that we have seen happen this year and have taken over our criminal apparatus this year,” Johnson said.
Missouri House Bill 1298, which is still pending in the Legislature, would add animal control officers and animal humane investigators to the list of mandatory reporters of child or elder abuse. Considered a “cross-reporting law,” it would allow sharing information about vulnerable people across professions, a list that already includes, among others, teachers, adult day care workers, firefighters, and hospital and clinic providers.
Animal abuse is seen as a “predictor crime” that can lead to child, elder or domestic violence. A 2021 study found that 80% of people living with a suspect who had a history of pet abuse feared they would eventually be killed by them.
Requiring animal control officers to report suspected abuse or neglect offers a better chance of catching suspected violence before it happens, said Claire E. Wyatt, a Jackson County assistant prosecuting attorney.
“We know that animal control officers have sometimes 10 times the amount of contact with the public as law enforcement,” Wyatt said. “They’re inside of people’s homes a lot more than law enforcement, so they’re able to see things behind closed doors more than other sworn officers in our community.”
Wyatt and another Jackson County assistant prosecuting attorney, Devon N. Tarantino, testified in support of the bill at a legislative hearing in Jefferson City on March 4.
The bill was written by the Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation. So far, the only opposition to the plan was from several breeders. Missouri has been No. 1 on the list of worst states for abusive dog breeders for a decade, according to the Humane Society of the United States.
The cycle of control often used by an abusive partner includes the victim’s pet, Tarantino said. If animal control officers are called to a home with both types of abuse, police and advocates may have a chance to offer opportunities to help.
“Getting in there is so important and getting resources on hand and giving them an opportunity to say, ‘Hey, we’re here to help, what do you need, what can we do for you?’ That’s just huge,” Tarantino said. “I think it will save lives.”
