PA Humane Officers to start carrying guns for defense

[HiredGoon]

Humane officers to start carrying guns for defense
The weapons are not to be used on animals
Sunday, January 11, 2009
By Dan Majors, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has another goal this year: preventing risk to its officers.

With that in mind, the SPCA is authorizing its humane officers to start carrying guns.

"I've had my officers assaulted and at various times threatened," said George Bengal, director of law enforcement for the SPCA. "Bottom line is [the weapons are] just to be used for their protection."

Mr. Bengal, who works out of the Philadelphia area, stressed that the 14 officers employed by the SPCA will not use the weapons on animals. The weapons are "strictly for self-defense" when officers are confronted by hostile people while investigating complaints and serving warrants.

"I think a lot of people have the impression that a lot of our calls are just like a dog without shelter, that type of thing," Mr. Bengal said. "But the majority of the calls now that we're getting are animal-fighting calls, and we're getting search warrants and making arrests.

"Most of the people involved in dog fighting are involved in other criminal activities," he said. "In the last six to seven months, we've recovered numerous drugs and weapons on the people and the property where we're serving search warrants."

One officer was assaulted, and two others were shot at while serving a warrant for a 16-year-old youth who tried to escape from them, Mr. Bengal said.

"We're running into this more and more," he said. "In fact, the last 15 search warrants [we've served], we've recovered drugs and guns."

Reports involving dog-fighting cases have more than doubled since NFL quarterback Michael Vick was arrested in a highly publicized bust in 2007. But those incidents have been concentrated in the Philadelphia area, where most of the SPCA's officers are based.

The two officers most recently hired by the agency already had completed training with weapons, Mr. Bengal said. The rest, he said, will be trained in the weeks ahead.

The SPCA has only one officer in Western Pennsylvania. She works out of the Bedford, Bedford County, area, Mr. Bengal said.

Officers in other branches of animal enforcement, such as numerous humane societies around the state, are permitted to carry guns. But many, including those working with the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society, do not.

"That's an individual choice of each humane society," said Mr. Bengal. Humane societies and animal rescue leagues are separate from the SPCA, he said, although some agencies work together.

Ron Smith, chief officer with the WPHS, said officers with his agency will not carry weapons.

"We've had the option to do that for years if we went through the training, but we've chosen not to. I've been associated with this organization for 36 years, and I never felt a need to carry a weapon," Mr. Smith said. "That's just my principles. If I run into a situation where I need backup, I call the local police.

"I have a bite stick, a baton, to protect myself against vicious animals. But I don't feel there's a need for me to carry a weapon," he said. "I don't get into confrontations. We do go into some areas that we are uncomfortable with, but if a situation's getting out of hand, I step away and bring in the [police]."

Mr. Bengal said the SPCA also calls in police officers when serving warrants.

"But the officers here have to go out on their own," he said. "And we're not always able to have the police available at the immediate time. There's danger no matter where you go, when you do law enforcement work."

[Dredly]

This is actually a duplicate of a thread in General... the Humane Society is a privately run company. they are not officers, they are not police, and they should NOT be serving warrants or investigating ANYTHING.

[/dev/null]

Now wont the Brady Bunch stand behind that.... "only for self defense"? Wait, I have a LTCF and isnt that for self defense... Oh wait, Im "just" a private citizen (who also pays the taxes that these folks derive their livelihood from) so I shouldnt be allowed to own a gun?

Does anyone have any statistics on how often these guys get assulted at gunpoint rescuing dogs and cats? That could make some interesting arguments wiht the Brady bunch.

[mjf]

This is actually a duplicate of a thread in General... the Humane Society is a privately run company. they are not officers, they are not police, and they should NOT be serving warrants or investigating ANYTHING.

Not quite true.

22 Pa.C.S.A. § 3704

Purdon's Pennsylvania Statutes and Consolidated Statutes Currentness
Title 22 Pa.C.S.A. Detectives and Private Police
View the full text of all sections at this level Chapter 37. Humane Society Police Officers
Current Section§ 3704. Appointment by nonprofit corporations


(a) Application for appointment.--A society or association may apply to the court of common pleas in any county for the appointment of an individual as a humane society police officer for that county. The court, upon such application which includes proof of qualification under section 3705 (relating to qualifications for appointment), shall by order appoint such person to be a humane society police officer.

(b) Oath.--Every individual appointed as a humane society police officer pursuant to this chapter shall, before entering upon the duties of the office, take and subscribe to the oath required by Article VI of the Constitution of Pennsylvania.

[mjf]

And of course state nonprofits can have police too!

Title 22 Pa.C.S.A. Detectives and Private Police
View the full text of all sections at this level Chapter 5. Private Police
Current Section§ 501. Appointment by nonprofit corporations


(a) Appointment authorized.--Any nonprofit corporation, as defined in 15 Pa.C.S. Pt. II Subpt. C (relating to nonprofit corporations) [FN1] maintaining a cemetery or any buildings or grounds open to the public, or organized for the prevention of cruelty to children or aged persons, or one or more of such purposes, may apply to the court of common pleas of the county of the registered office of the corporation for the appointment of such persons as the corporation may designate to act as policemen for the corporation. The court, upon such application, may by order appoint such persons, or as many of them as it may deem proper and necessary, to be such policemen.

(b) Oath of office.--Every policeman so appointed shall, before entering upon the duties of his office, take and subscribe the oath required by the sixth article of the Constitution of Pennsylvania. Such oath, together with the decree and order of the court, shall be recorded by the recorder of deeds of each county in which it is intended that such policemen shall act.

(c) Powers.--Such policemen, so appointed, shall severally possess and exercise all the powers of a police officer in this Commonwealth, in and upon, and in the immediate and adjacent vicinity of, the property of the corporation. Policemen so appointed for a corporation organized for the prevention of cruelty to children or aged persons, or one or more of such purposes, shall severally possess and exercise all the powers of a police officer in any county in which they may be directed by the corporation to act, and are hereby authorized to arrest persons for the commission of any offense of cruelty to children or aged persons. The keepers of jails and other places of detention in any county of this Commonwealth shall receive all persons arrested by such policemen for purposes of detention until they are dealt with according to law. Every policeman appointed under this section, when on duty, shall wear a metallic shield with the words “special officer” and the name of the corporation for which appointed inscribed thereon.

(d) Compensation.--The compensation of such policemen shall be paid by the corporation for which the policemen are appointed, as may be agreed upon between the corporation and such policemen.

(e) Termination of appointment.--When any corporation shall no longer require the services of any policeman, it shall file a notice to that effect, under its corporate seal, in the office of each recorder of deeds where the court decree and order of appointment of such policeman were recorded. The recorder of deeds shall note this information upon the margin of the record where the court decree and order were recorded, and thereupon the powers of such policeman shall terminate. It shall be the duty of the recorder of deeds to notify the clerk of the court by which such policeman was appointed of the termination of such appointment in such county.

None of this would qualify you under leosa though.

[djturnz]

I've heard that Adams County has been carrying for a couple years now.

[JerryBaby]

Good. I am glad. They should be able to protect themselves if need be. And you have no idea how many weapons these dog-fighters have... an arsenal.

[Swarner793]

I've heard that Adams County has been carrying for a couple years now.

Ditto for Lycoming County. Larry Woltz has carried as long as I can remember.

Be safe (and humane).

Scott

[knight0334]

SPCA officers in other states are armed, and with good reason too. Some pet/animal owners get down right hostile even if they are guilty of mistreating an animal.

Poodle Cop positions are pretty tough in some areas, probably more dangerous than a street cop's position in 'dah hood.

I'm not normally for empowering bleeding heart campaign organizations, but the SPCA isn't as bad as those PETA and other whackjobs. They are definitely in a dangerous line of work. Some pet owners will come out shooting just to keep dog on a chain embedded in its neck instead of letting the Poodle Cop take it and accept a fine.

[Dredly]

Don't get me wrong, I have no issue with them carrying as I believe everyone has the right to be armed.

What I don't like is some private company serving warrants on citizens and then deciding based off their opinion whether an animal is mistreated or not. They should NEVER serve warrants, they should NEVER kick in a door, they should NEVER even be allowed to trespass without a LEO with them...