| Brute Force: Animal Police and the Challenge of Cruelty Contributor(s): Arluke, Arnold (Author) |
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ISBN: 1557534500 ISBN-13: 9781557534507 Publisher: Purdue University Press OUR PRICE: $18.95 Product Type: Paperback Published: May 2007 Annotation: "Brute Force" looks at people having the most contact with everyday animal abuse- humane law enforcement officers who are charged with enforcing anti-cruelty statutes. The author spent one year studying 30 "animal cops" and dispatchers in two large cities. They see themselves as a power for the helpless, a voice for the mute. On-the-job experience changes this view. Rather than "fighting the good fight" against egregious cases of cruelty, they are overwhelmed with complaints that are ambiguous and must be "stretched" to qualify as legally defined abuse or with complaints-- barking dogs or "thin" pets-- that are used in interpersonal disputes to get neighbors or spouses into trouble. Even more discouraging to officers are clear-cut and extreme cases of cruelty that do not lead to guilty verdicts or stiff penalties in court. Resulting cynicism is aggravated when rookies realize that they are seen as second-rate "wannabe" cops or closet animal "extremists." With little legitimate authority to enforce the law, animal cops become humane educators who try to make people into responsible pet owners. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Law | Criminal Law - General - Nature | Animal Rights - Social Science | Criminology |
| Dewey: 363.259 |
| Physical Information: 0.53" H x 6.44" W x 8.92" (0.69 lbs) 175 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Brute Force looks at people having the most contact with everyday animal abuse- humane law enforcement officers who are charged with enforcing anti-cruelty statutes. The author spent one year studying 30 animal cops and dispatchers in two large cities. They see themselves as a power for the helpless, a voice for the mute. On-the-job experience changes this view. Rather than fighting the good fight against egregious cases of cruelty, they are overwhelmed with complaints that are ambiguous and must be stretched to qualify as legally defined abuse or with complaints"barking dogs or thin pets"that are used in interpersonal disputes to get neighbors or spouses into trouble. Even more discouraging to officers are clear-cut and extreme cases of cruelty that do not lead to guilty verdicts or stiff penalties in court. Resulting cynicism is aggravated when rookies realize that they are seen as second-rate wannabe cops or closet animal extremists. With little legitimate authority to enforce the law, animal cops become humane educators who try to make people into responsible pet owners. |
Contributor Bio(s): Arluke, Arnold: - Arnold Arluke is the co-author of Regarding Animals, which won the Charles Horton Cooley Book Award, and Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction. He is also the associate editor of Society and Animals, and co-editor of Temple University's series in Animals, Culture and History. Since joining the Northeastern faculty, he has developed a reputation for bringing enthusiasm to the classroom and making learning enjoyable and has won the University's outstanding teaching award. |