HENRICO COUNTY, Va. β Henrico County unanimously approved the creation of an animal cruelty registry Tuesday, becoming the second locality in Central Virginia to establish a public database tracking people convicted of serious crimes against animals.
The registry aims to prevent convicted animal abusers from buying or adopting new pets. Richmond launched its registry last month and officials hope more jurisdictions will follow suit.
"They're still paving new ground and we're still making it harder for folks who really should not be adopting additional animals due to their court sentence," said Supervisor Dan Schmitt during Tuesday's board meeting.
Under the approved ordinance, anyone convicted of felony animal cruelty charges on or after July 1, 2024, will have their name added to the registry. Five people are currently eligible for inclusion.
The database will include names and case information but will not feature booking photos. Supervisors removed that requirement from an earlier version after debate.
"I do believe it would help to identify the individual most quickly and easily for the person who is conducting the adoption at any site," Schmitt said.
Supervisor Nelson disagreed, stating booking photos "have historically been used to be biased tools against people of color."
People listed on the registry will be notified of their inclusion and can petition to have their names removed 15 years after conviction if they haven't reoffended on the same charges.
Richmond Animal Care and Control manages Richmond's registry. Executive Director Christie Chipps-Peters testified in court Wednesday on cases that could add more names to Richmond's list.
"Every Wednesday we have, I mean, 20 to 30 cases that we are working. So it's a continuous volume," Chipps-Peters said.
Chipps-Peters hopes more counties and cities will create their own registries to form a statewide network protecting animals.
"When we have people that sort of skip to different jurisdictions and do the same thing, now we have one stop where we can just go and check and look and see as long as they have it posted, and we can utilize that information to make sure those people are being held accountable and aren't harming animals in another place," Chipps-Peters said.
Currently, the registries can only include people convicted of felony animal abuse. Peters hopes the state will allow them to add misdemeanors in the future.
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