The Dallas Police Department’s Animal Cruelty Unit told the Public Safety Committee on Jan. 14 that it opened in 2018 and is currently staffed with one supervisor, one sergeant and five detectives who handle citizen complaints and cruelty investigations across the city.

Deputy Chief Patricia Moore and her colleagues outlined the unit’s responsibilities — including cruelty to companion animals, attacks on service animals, livestock cruelty, dogfighting and cockfighting investigations — and reviewed interagency responses with Dallas Animal Services and nonprofit partners such as Operation Kindness.

Operation Kindness on costs: Ed Jamieson of Operation Kindness (joining by phone) said his organization provides veterinary forensic examinations and related services to support prosecutions and that the forensic work alone cost “a little bit north of $500,000” for calendar year 2024.

Why the numbers differ: Council members asked why animal intake and related service numbers appear larger than the number of criminal cruelty charges reported in NIBRS. Dallas Animal Services and department leaders explained that a single criminal case can involve multiple animals (for example, a cockfighting seizure can include hundreds of birds) so animal intake counts are often much higher than case counts. The unit cited a large cockfighting seizure in 2023 that involved roughly 1,500 roosters and multiple follow‑up actions.

Enforcement and partnerships: The unit emphasized partnerships that provide sheltering and forensic services, including a memorandum of understanding with Operation Kindness; the department said there is no monetary payment to Operation Kindness under the current arrangement, despite Operation Kindness incurring forensic costs. Council members asked whether briefings were shared with the Dallas Animal Advisory Commission; unit staff said they had not yet presented there and would follow up.

Ending: Council members thanked the unit and nonprofit partners and asked for follow‑up on public communications with the Animal Advisory Commission and updates on any major ongoing investigations (for example, the Jan. 3 pet‑shop incident was noted as under further investigation).