The people who answer calls and investigate cases of animal cruelty in the District of Columbia aren’t police, but they are involved in enforcing laws regarding the treatment of animals.
And they have a tough — and sometimes dangerous — job.
“The thing that keeps me up at night is the safety of my team,” said Chris Schindler, senior vice president of animal welfare, field response and rescue at the Humane Rescue Alliance.
“We do all of our own investigations and all of our own forensics and things like that,” Schindler said, adding that they do not, however, carry weapons or firearms. That’s why they often work closely with D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department, as they did Wednesday when executing a warrant at a home on Hanna Street in Southeast.
Three MPD officers were shot in that case, and Schindler told WTOP that the Humane Rescue Alliance is “just incredibly grateful to the Metropolitan Police officers” that help protect staff every day.
Schindler said Thursday that he was also grateful to hear that the three officers had been released from the hospital and were reportedly doing well.
“We’re fortunate to have a really great relationship with Metropolitan Police,” he said. “These are really solid partners of ours that we care deeply about, too.”
A member of the HRA team, field services director Daniel D’Eramo was also on the scene of Wednesday’s shooting. D’Eramo was not hurt.
“I can’t say enough how proud I am of the officers I have that go out and do this work every day,” Schindler said.
In Wednesday’s case, 31 dogs were removed from the home and are now in the care of the Humane Rescue Alliance.
“They had a very traumatic day,” Schindler said of the 20 adult dogs and 11 puppies found. “So, we’re letting them decompress [and are] addressing any medical needs,” while investigations into the case continues, he said.
Schindler said the six Humane Law Enforcement Officers at HRA are trained to deal with a variety of circumstances.
“The reality is, we often see really hard things,” but not all of the work is grim, Schindler said. “We provide a lot of help and assistance, whether it be pet food or medical care.”
He explained that the goal is to help people provide appropriate care for their pets, adding that they “get to rescue animals that have been subjected to abuse and see them flourish” once they get the care they need.
Schindler said the difference between Animal Control and the HRA’s Humane Law Enforcement Officers is that Animal Control’s staff are like “the first responders” to animal-related calls involving “wildlife, domestic animals (and) dog bites.”
Schindler said while Animal Control is the right department to call for dogs running loose, for example, the first call if you suspect animal cruelty would be to HRA’s Humane Law Enforcement Officers at 202-723-5730.
“And that’s 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,” Schindler said.
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