Members of the Attorney General’s Animal Cruelty Task Force were invited to make a presentation to a class of 30 law enforcement cadets from all over New Mexico at the New Mexico Department of Public Safety Law Enforcement Academy in Santa Fe, on January 8.
Training the class on animal fighting and animal cruelty were presenters: Heather Ferguson, Cruelty Campaigns Director for APNM; Forensic Veterinarian Patricia Feeser, DVM; and Robyn Gojkovich, special investigator for the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Department, with Detective Amy Dudewicz of the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department.
“This type of academy training is so important because many times, these graduates will be the first responders to calls,” Ferguson states. “We gave them the tools they’ll need to begin their investigations of animal cruelty cases.” The cadets were instructed regarding evidence to look for in the investigation of a dog fighting or cockfighting operation, the handling of live evidence, state and federal statutes that cover animal fighting and animal cruelty, and the resources available to assist them in the field, Ferguson stated.
The Animal Cruelty Task Force is invited to make the animal fighting/animal cruelty presentation to a new class of law enforcement cadets during its spring training.
The Animal Cruelty Task Force is grateful to New Mexico law enforcement officers for taking crimes against animals seriously, and working to keep whole communities safe.
