Protecting animals and working with our community to prevent cruelty is what our dedicated field services team does day in and day out, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. We believe that every animal matters—regardless of breed, size, age, or any other factor. Recently, one case surrounding one small reptile proved just that.  

In December, our Animal Care & Control Officers were assisting Metropolitan Police Department Officers with a search warrant at the home of Darnell Jones, 34, in Washington, DC, when they came across a snake. The snake was extremely underweight and appeared to be having difficulty shedding her skin which is indicative of significant husbandry and care issues. The subsequent investigation by Humane Law Enforcement Officer Michael Triebwasser revealed that the snake had been underweight for seven months and had never at any point during that time been taken to a veterinarian for proper care.

Great news for Alexandria Law Enforcement!

The Alexandria Sheriff’s Office K-9 team took second place overall in explosives detection at a national competition last week.

Sherman, a six-year-old Labrador retriever and his partner, Deputy John O’Hara, competed at the United States Police Canine Association’s National Detector Dog Field Trial against 80 K-9 teams from across the country from Sunday, May 20 through Wednesday, May 23, in Lakeland, Florida.

The explosives trials consisted of an odor recognition test, searches of three areas, and five vehicles full of hidden explosives.

2011 has been another busy year for our field services team, comprised of our Humane Law Enforcement (HLE) and Animal Care and Control Officers. To date, our field services division has responded to nearly 15,000 new calls, including over 1,300 cases of animal cruelty and neglect investigated by our HLE officers.