Bipartisan bill aims to flag animal abusers before they turn violent against people

Animal cruelty is often seen as a horror in its own right. A new bipartisan bill in Congress argues that it can also be an early warning sign of violence against people, as The Floridian reports.

That is putting fresh attention on a disturbing pattern. People convicted of abusing animals may be more likely to later commit violent crimes against humans.

What happened?

Florida Republican Vern Buchanan and Nevada Democrat Dina Titus are sponsoring the Animal Violence Exposes Real Threat of (AVERT) Future Violence Act, they announced in a press release.

Under the proposal, the Department of Justice would examine the relationship between animal cruelty and violent crime, then recommend ways to stop additional harm.

Another part of the bill would provide $2 million each year in grants for clinicians, police, and animal welfare organizations focused on preventing cruelty and rehabilitating offenders. In the Senate, North Carolina Republican Thom Tillis and Michigan Democrat Gary Peters are introducing a companion measure, The Floridian noted.

"Not surprisingly, deranged individuals who abuse innocent animals are significantly more likely to go on to commit violence against people," Buchanan said in the release.

He also pointed to research showing that "nearly 40 percent of known animal abusers commit crimes against humans as well." Statistics in Buchanan's press release added 70% of people convicted of animal cruelty were also charged with other offenses.

To help study the issue, the FBI has included animal cruelty in its National Incident-Based Reporting System since 2016, the release noted.

Why does it matter?

If lawmakers and law enforcement agencies have better information about how animal abuse overlaps with domestic violence and other violent crime, they may be better able to identify dangerous behavior before it escalates.

That could bring public health and safety benefits while also reducing some of the downstream costs associated with violence, including emergency response, medical care, legal proceedings, and ongoing trauma support for victims.

The bill's grant funding could also expand access to rehabilitation and mental health services, which may help reduce repeat offenses.

Rather than treating animal welfare as separate from public safety, the bill presents the two as closely linked.

"Animal abusers have a significantly higher likelihood of committing acts of interpersonal violence," Titus added in the release. "Despite this, animal abuse continues to be treated as an isolated act rather than an indicator of violent behavior."

This law will address that disconnect. Titus added that the goal is to "make informed legislative decisions that improve public safety, decrease incidents of domestic violence, and protect animals."

What are people saying?

Buchanan argued that animal abuse should be treated as a serious predictor of future danger, saying offenders are "significantly more likely" to commit violence against people.

This bill would dive deeper into the relationship and remove a potential loophole in how authorities look at animal abusers.

"Acts of animal cruelty are often a warning sign of future violence, and we should treat them with the seriousness they deserve," Tillis declared in the release.

Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.