Under the bill introduced last week by California Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez (D-Shafter), anyone convicted of felony animal abuse would have to register with local law enforcement and provide personal information, including a picture and home address, to be listed on a website, similar to the current registries for sex offenders.
If approved, the database would become the first of its kind nationwide.
Burbank Police Capt. Janice Lowers, who oversees the Burbank Animal Shelter, said that while local cases of animal cruelty were fairly isolated, she endorsed the creation of an online registry as one more way for officials to ensure they are releasing their animals to safe environments.
“We like to think they are going to the best possible homes, but we really don’t have any way of knowing that, in all honesty,” she said. “It would be one more thing to be a help.”
Supporters say the registry would help to prevent repeat incidents of the worst animal cruelty, including torture, mutilation and intentional killings.
“We think this is just the next step in making sure California is at the forefront of animal protection,” Florez said in a news conference announcing the bill.
He was joined by representatives from the Animal Legal Defense Fund, a California-based animal rights organization.
Representatives from the Glendale Humane Society could not be reached for comment.
Ricky Whitman, a spokeswoman for the Pasadena Humane Society, said animal abuse in the shelter’s service area, which includes Glendale and La Cañada Flintridge, has decreased in response to more investigations and better public reporting. A public database could help continue that downward trend, she said.
“We certainly support this and would think this registry would be an excellent idea,” Whitman said.
