Hotline Number: (602) 876-1681
Email: animal_cruelty@mcso.maricopa.gov

The Sheriff's Office formed the A.C.E. Posse (Animal Cruelty Enforcement) in the wake of the brutal and ritualistic slaying of several cats in the Ahwatukee area in 1998. As the cases of animal cruelty increased in number, Sheriff Arpaio formed the Animal Cruelty Unit in January 2000. This unit consists of one Sergeant, 4 Detectives, one civilian investigator and an Administrative Assistant. The Unit is on call 24 hours a day. A hotline (602) 876-1681 records complaints after hours. In an emergency, 911 should be called for immediate help.

This Unit responds to calls all over Maricopa County dealing with everything from complaints of no food and no water, to animals being starved, beaten, tortured and even killed by suspects.

Many of the Unit's calls can be handled with education; some people just don't understand that animals have specific needs just as humans do. The law requires them to be provided with water, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, food daily and shelter from the weather and medical care when needed. Animals have many rights that people just aren't aware of and the owner or caretakers can be held responsible if they are not properly taken care of.

The objective of this Unit is not to take peoples' animals away but to insure the safety of each and every animal in Maricopa County to the best of their ability. So many of the calls we receive require education, people just don't understand the needs of animals. There are also so many cultures here in Maricopa County, with different beliefs; they just need to be educated on what is legally permissible.

Although the Unit responds to many cases involving education only, they also see their fair share of truly abusive situations. People who have abandoned their animals when they move because they "can't take them where they are moving" or just out of pure ignorance, leave them behind. If the neighbors don't see and call someone, the animals starve to death. We have picked up animals that have been left behind and never been able to find the owners to prosecute; it makes for a very depressing situation. To keep them going, investigators think of the ones that they have been able to help, that's the little push they need to continue their work.

With the number of cases the sheriff's office receives each week, it's important for the public to know that if they feel like an animal is in a life or death situation it is best to call their local police department first. If they need our assistance, they can, and will notify us. Although our investigators try to respond within a forty-eight hour period, they must prioritize. If we happen to get a case involving several animals, the full Unit may respond to the scene, which could take several hours, as the scene must be secured, evidence gathered and photos taken just like any other crime scene. It is reasons like this that make it so important that people call in true cruelty cases. Animal Cruelty is a serious crime and should be dealt with accordingly.

When it is necessary for the Animal Cruelty Unit to seize animals, they are housed at the M.A.S.H. Unit downtown. Before being transported to M.A.S.H., the animals are taken to a veterinarian for full evaluation and treatment if necessary to insure the safety of all animals we house. The M.A.S.H. Unit is part of the Inmate Programs Division which is overseen by Sgt. Beckley and employs detention officers who oversee female inmates caring for the animals. This includes cleaning their living quarters, feeding and watering, playing with and exercising them and providing any medical needs they may have. All of our animals are spayed or neutered and have begun their series of shots if they are young, and older animals have completed their shot series before being adopted. Those wishing to adopt any of the animals can check out the M.A.S.H. link for further information and contact numbers.

The animals that are seized are held as evidence and eventually either adopted out to good homes or if the courts determine, returned to the owner. In most situations, the owner either surrenders the animal(s) to the Unit or the courts order that the animals be placed up for adoption. Most of the animals seized are very frightened and within a few days of constant love and companionship, learn to trust humans again and become very well natured. We have housed dogs, cats, guinea pigs, turkeys, chickens, rabbits, ducks, hamsters, and goats.

Our Administrative Assistant has answered as many as eighty calls or more a day, sometimes referring them to other agencies because they are not cruelty issues but they contain issues that can be dealt with by other agencies. The most important thing to remember when calling the Animal Cruelty Hotline is that we deal strictly in criminal issues, we are not a rescue. If they aren't breaking the law, we can educate them but we cannot enforce anything but the law. People often feel we can just go and "take the animal away". It's not that easy. Our Unit must investigate, get search warrants and have probable cause, just like any other type of criminal arrest. When we receive calls for stranded animals, animals in canals, or similar situations, we will respond if an Investigator is available. If not, we will try to notify the proper authorities or direct the caller to someone who can help.

Our Unit has responded to requests from other police agencies, Arizona Livestock, Animal Care and Control and other agencies that have called for assistance. We are all in this for the same reason, to insure the safety of animals. It takes people working together and the calls to make the public aware that animal cruelty will not be tolerated in Maricopa County.

Our recorded hotline is available twenty-four hours seven days a week. We need callers to leave details of the complaint, complete address, including city and major cross streets and if you wish, a name and number where someone can reach you if there is any information you may have left out. Normal office hours are Monday through Saturday from 7:00 AM until 5:00 PM.

We encourage people to call the hotline at (602) 876-1681 or send us an e-mail with questions, concerns or complaints. You can request to remain anonymous when you file a complaint. We would like to encourage your feed back, comments and ideas in order that we may help bring an end to animal abuse in Maricopa County.