Members of the Baltimore City Council voted Wednesday to advance a bill that would revive a city commission dedicated to anti-animal abuse efforts.
The commission, which once helped the city prosecute animal abuse cases, hasn’t met since before the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill, if passed, would retool the group and mandate it meet at least twice a year, according to the first draft of the legislation.
Those who helped build the commission have long lamented its gradual dissolution, saying it has hindered oversight of a critical city function. They also accused the Baltimore Police Department of failing to investigate “the vast majority” of cases being referred to them.
“Like a leaky roof, when you ignore a problem, it gets bigger,” said Caroline A. Griffin, an attorney and past commission chair who runs a nonprofit called Show Your Soft Side.
Griffin said that in addition to helping animal control officers serve administrative warrants, the Baltimore City Sheriff’s Office has taken over some animal abuse investigations due to police “inaction.”
“That’s not the sheriff’s job,” Griffin told City Council members, “but he is handling these cases.”
Police spokeswoman Lindsey Eldridge pushed back in a Wednesday evening statement, calling Griffin’s allegations “completely false.”
The division of the force devoted to animal abuse has investigated more than 80 cases this year, she said, and works collaboratively with other city agencies. The sheriff’s office, she added, has picked up cases “independently” of the police department — not because it had been asked.
She added that the animal abuse division has introduced “new measures” to enhance its capacity but did not specify what that included.
Griffin also faulted Mayor Brandon Scott, who once served on the commission, of “ignoring” the commission during his nearly four-year term and called on his administration to ensure that cases are “thoroughly investigated.” She described the two-meetings-a-year schedule “window dressings” and referred to the animal control division and the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter as “chronically underfunded.”
Jennifer Brause, the executive director of BARCS — the state’s largest companion animal shelter — said the commission brought people together to discuss resource allocation, best practices and specific cases. She said even though she helped found the commission, she had been unaware of the city’s desire to reinvigorate it until “two days ago.”
She asked council members to consider the purpose of the commission and whether the bill addressed that mission.
In the latest bill draft, the commission — which would operate on a volunteer basis — would contain seven members, down from 15 in past years. Those members would include representatives from animal rescue groups or advocacy organizations and at least one member of the City Council. There would also be eight ex-officio members, including the mayor, the City Council president, the sheriff and the police and health commissioners.
Without more support from the mayor’s office, Griffin, the former chair, said the commission would serve as an “exercise in futility.”
Baltimore created a task force dedicated to animal welfare in 2009, after a dog named Phoenix was set on fire in West Baltimore. That task force, started under then-Mayor Sheila Dixon, went on to become a commission charged with providing guidance and policy recommendations to the city.
After that, Baltimore rose to prominence in animal welfare circles as a leader in curtailing and prosecuting animal abuse. Supporters of the work say evidence linking animal abuse with other crimes against people — including domestic violence and elder and child abuse — has been well documented. Investing in animal welfare, they say, can help law enforcement intervene in some cases early and prevent violence.
“We support any initiative to take these crimes seriously,” Griffin said. Members of the Health, Environment and Technology Committee all voted in favor of calling the measure up for a full council vote.
