County strives to curb cruelty

CANTON — St. Lawrence County lawmakers have created a panel to address what some Potsdam Humane Society members have characterized as a "broken" system to deal with animal cruelty cases.

The group, dubbed the Animal Protection Coalition, will educate animal owners about care, help find places to accept unwanted or abused animals, and report animal cruelty to law enforcement when necessary.

Humane Society representatives in October asked lawmakers to create the group. Legislators voted to create it last month.

"The way cruelty cases are handled in St. Lawrence County involves a lot of different players, all the way from the point a complaint is made, to prosecution, to the point it goes before a local judge to decide an outcome," said Carrie A. Tuttle, Potsdam Humane Society board member. "There are a lot of things broken with the way that process works. A lot of cruelty cases involve repeat offenders."

Sheriff Kevin M. Wells said his office will be involved in the panel.

"It's got potential to be an educational piece to discuss some of the different situations that have come up," he said. "I don't believe there is a high volume of cases in St. Lawrence County, but animal cruelty is a problem in our society. As a law enforcement agency, we take a very dim view of it."

Education should be its main direction, said District Attorney Nicole M. Duvé, who also will participate.

She said there is virtually no difference between the process to prosecute animal cruelty cases and other criminal cases. It takes time, she said, and the accused is afforded the right to have counsel, to file motions, or to have a jury trial if he or she wishes.

"I think it will help increase an understanding of the process by some who aren't very familiar with it," she said. "Those of us who are lawyers and have been involved with such cases understand, but folks on the outside who don't have a lot of day-to-day contact with the court system might be confused about what's supposed to happen or why things happen a certain way."

The panel has not yet met, but Ms. Tuttle said she is encouraged by the support the group has received so far.

"A lot of people have come up to me and said they care about this and want to be involved," Ms. Tuttle said. "I was pleasantly surprised that the Legislature was as supportive as they have been of this issue. I know they have a lot of issues that come before them, and I was really happy they took this seriously."