Training

Dogfighting Toolkit for Law Enforcement

The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Policing Services and the ASPCA have partnered to develop The Dogfighting Toolkit for Law Enforcement, an invaluable resource aimed at assisting law enforcement agencies in addressing dogfighting.

The toolkit, including a 96-page illustrated manual, is available free of charge from the Department of Justice to law enforcement agencies, investigators, prosecutors, animal control officers, veterinarians, and interested community partners. Order The Dogfighting Toolkit for Law Enforcement.

Online Courses

The ASPCA's anti-cruelty e-learning program includes the following self-paced, free online courses (* Notes that the course has been approved for Certified Animal Welfare Administrator (CAWA) continuing education (CE)):

Combating Dogfighting*

Underwritten by the US Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) and developed as an accompaniment to The Dogfighting Toolkit for Law Enforcement, Combating Dogfighting teaches you how to detect, investigate, and take action against dogfighting within your jurisdiction.

Combating Dogfighting was developed by ASPCA anti-cruelty experts Randall Lockwood, PhD (Senior Vice President, Forensic Sciences and Anti-Cruelty Projects), and Stacy Wolf, Esq.( Vice President & Chief Legal Counsel, Humane Law Enforcement). The course runs less than two hours and includes:

• Part One, Understanding Dogfighting, contains a comprehensive overview of dogfighting in the United States.
• Part Two, Investigating and Responding to Dogfighting, contains information and resources to help you detect and take action against dogfighting, including successfully prosecuting dogfighting in your community.
  

Investigating Animal Abuse for Law Enforcement*

• Animal abuse and community policing
• Evidence collection and preservation
• Officer safety

Officer Safety - Dog Bite Prevention

This 25-minute tutorial covers recognizing forms of canine aggression, basics of canine communication, and dog bite prevention. The tutorial is based on one lesson from the 3-hour online course Investigating Animal Abuse for Law Enforcement which was developed with the Illinois Regional Institute of Community Policing (now the Center for Public Safety and Justice).

Technical Tips

The courses play best in the Firefox browser. If you must use Internet Explorer 7.0 or earlier, you'll need to apply a Microsoft patch. If you have difficulty loading the courses, you may need to upgrade the free Flash Player on your computer.

Photo courtesy of Respect A Bull, Leslie Hallberg & Michelle Godecke