LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwired - September 27, 2016) - The FBI Tracks Animal Cruelty campaign launched today by nonprofit Last Chance for Animals (LCA) urges law enforcement agencies across the United States to join the FBI's National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), the only national database that tracks crimes against animals. By tracking animal cruelty, the FBI can identify patterns and potentially prevent future crimes from occurring. LCA's campaign is targeted at increasing participation from citizens and law enforcement for the database to succeed.

LCA's FBI Tracks Animal Cruelty campaign, created in collaboration with the FBI and the National Sheriffs' Association (NSA), includes:

• A video featuring interviews with FBI and NSA officials
• A website with an interactive map showing states' NIBRS participation level, along with information on who to contact to encourage participation
• Facts about the link between cruelty to animals and violence against humans

For more details and to view the video, visit FBITracksAnimalCruelty.com

The FBI began recording animal cruelty via the NIBRS system on January 1, 2016. Previously, animal crimes were simply listed as "other," using the outdated Summary Reporting System (SRS). In contrast, the NIBRS system includes four categories of animal cruelty: gross neglect, torture, organized abuse (such as dogfighting and cockfighting), and sexual abuse (bestiality). Animal cruelty crimes are now listed in the database as Group A offenses, which is the same category as arson, rape and murder.

Currently, just one-third of the country's law enforcement agencies participate in NIBRS, so most animal cruelty is still not being tracked. Some of the most populous states in the U.S. -- including New York, California and Florida -- do not participate in NIBRS at all.

"People who torture and kill animals are very prone to violence against people," said LCA Founder and President Chris DeRose. "The FBI database will help track down animal abusers before their behavior worsens -- but the system will only work if all law enforcement agencies participate, which is what LCA's campaign is going to achieve."

Last Chance for Animals (LCA) is an international non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating animal exploitation through education, investigations, legislation, and public awareness campaigns. Since its formation in 1984, LCA has succeeded as one of the nation's pioneer animal advocacy organizations. LCA's Sam Simon Special Investigations Unit documents abuse in research labs, puppy mills, factory farms, and the entertainment industry, and works with prosecutors to enforce animal cruelty laws. LCA's educational and outreach programs have empowered the public to make positive changes for the animals in their own communities. For more information, please visit http://www.lcanimal.org/

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Embedded Video Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkspj6D1tRs