Almost two-thirds of US households have not less than a petand just about all see their pet as Family member.

Unfortunately, in households where violence occurs, pets may also grow to be victims of those injuries. Research studies consistently support the link between animal cruelty and interpersonal violence.

The domestic violence link defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as abuse or aggression by a current or former spouse or partnerexpands on this context. Animal cruelty shouldn’t be only a recognized factor that predicts the injury of a life partner, but it will probably even be used to perpetrate this violence.

Animal cruelty is used as a weapon when a partner threatens to harm or actually harms a pet as a way to control their partner. This tactic is effective. Victims of domestic violence commonly cite fear for his or her pet's safety as the first reason they don’t leave an abusive situation.

Advocacy groups have used evidence of the link to domestic violence to suggest Policy changes to guard people and their pets who’re in danger from an intimate partner. Based on these efforts, 40 state parliaments have passed laws that expand the scope of protection orders, Court orders that legally prevent or restrict the perpetrator’s contactTo include pets within the circle of those protected.

State legislatures also take evidence of animal cruelty into consideration to guard people. Protective orders in cases of utmost risks or “Red Flag” laws allow the temporary removal of firearms from a dangerous situation by which someone could harm themselves or others. At least 4 states – Colorado, Connecticut, New Jersey And Oregon – specifically cite a history of animal cruelty as a reason why an extreme risk protection order could possibly be issued.

At the federal level, Congress passed the Pet and Women Safety – or PAWS – Act to fund emergency shelters for people and their pets fleeing domestic violence. In 2022, Congress increased the budget for this program to 3 million US dollars.

Despite these measures to guard animal and human victims of domestic violence, we all know little about these cases and whether the police are called or whether arrests are made.

Only about half of the cases of violence in relationships – whether it’s animal cruelty or not – are reported to the police.

Victims of domestic violence have many reasons for not contacting the police. Some are afraid that the police is not going to consider them or is not going to give you the chance to stop the violence. Others are financially depending on their abuser or think that it’s a personal matter that’s not one of the police's business.

“Intentional cruelty”, not neglect

I’m a criminologist and have examined victims of violent crimeincluding domestic violence, for over 20 years. To investigate these cases of domestic violence and animal cruelty involving the police, my colleague, psychologist Mary Lou Randour, and I analyzed newly available data from the FBI. The FBI collects details on over 50 varieties of crimes from police departments across the United States and recently Animal cruelty to this list of crimes.

We used these data to look at intimate partner violence that occurred alongside animal cruelty. In such cases 85% of animal cruelty was intentional cruelty fairly than neglect. This result’s consistent with the belief that animal abusers use violence against pets as a weapon to manage their partner.

We also compared two groups of domestic violence cases where the police were called. One group involved domestic violence and animal cruelty. The second group included domestic violence and one other sort of crime, similar to arson, vandalism, or automobile theft.

Both groups of cases showed similar characteristics. two thirds of cases involved current dating partners in comparison with current spouses or former partners. In addition, most cases involved female victims with male perpetrators.

Arrests were the foremost difference between the 2 groups. Nearly two-thirds of domestic violence cases involving animal cruelty resulted in an arrest, in comparison with just over half of domestic violence cases involving one other crime.

It is vital to grasp this nearly 10 percentage point difference in arrests related to animal cruelty.

Arrests can serve necessary functions, including the immediate removal of a dangerous, violent offender from the situation. Arrests also provide evidence of a pattern of violence for interventions similar to Hazard risk assessments. Danger Risk Assessments consist of a series of questions utilized by health professionals, attorneys, and law enforcement to discover victims at highest risk of fatal or near-fatal intimate partner violence and refer them to immediate help and safety.

Extend laws to pets

Although we cannot explain this pattern from our data, we will suggest two ways by which animal cruelty might influence the choice to arrest.

Victims of domestic violence usually tend to request an arrest when their pet is injured or threatened than in other situations. Incidents involving violence against a partner and a pet may also end in an arrest as a result of their nature. Previous research points out that intimate partner violence related to animal cruelty is more serious than other types of violence.

Our work highlights the importance of laws that reach domestic violence protections to pets. It also highlights the necessary opportunity for law enforcement officials called to such incidents to attach victims with support services. To effectively support victims and their pets, police have to be informed about available pet-friendly services, including pet-friendly accommodation options.

In addition, our work demonstrates the necessity to encourage cooperation between police and animal welfare agencies. Animal welfare officers are the primary responders to animal cruelty. Just as police can detect animal cruelty when responding to domestic violence, animal welfare officers can find evidence of interpersonal violence. Established partnerships between police and animal welfare agencies can ensure the protection of each human and animal victims.

If you or someone is experiencing domestic violence or needs help finding a pet-friendly shelter, national resources can be found at National hotline for domestic violence cases And Safe havens for pets.

By FABIOLA SÁNCHEZ

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Concerns were expressed all over the world Sunday over the rising variety of arrests in Venezuela following last weekend's disputed elections.

Pope Francis said in his traditional Sunday address on the Vatican that Venezuela was “experiencing a critical situation,” adding: “I appeal to all parties to seek the truth and avoid any form of violence.”

The remarks got here hours after Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced on Saturday that The government has arrested 2,000 opponentsAt a rally within the Venezuelan capital Caracas, Maduro promised to arrest and imprison more people.

US Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer said on Sunday on the CBS program “Face the Nation” that the Biden administration was concerned the arrests could trigger wider unrest.

“We are concerned about the prospect of instability if such detentions continue,” Finer said.

And in an announcement, the leaders of several European countries, including France, Spain, Germany and Italy, said: “The rights of all Venezuelans, especially political leaders, must be respected during this process. We strongly condemn any arrests or threats against them.”

The authorities said President Nicolas Maduro the winner of last Sunday’s election, but has not yet Voting results to prove that he won. The opposition claims to have vote counts that prove their victory.

An Associated Press Analysis of Friday’s ballots The data published by the opposition coalition show that its candidate Edmundo González received significantly more votes than claimed by the federal government, which raises serious doubts concerning the official statement that Maduro won.

Both González, a former diplomat and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado — who were barred from running by the federal government — have gone into hiding for fear of being arrested or killed. Maduro and his cadres have threatened to imprison them each.

The government arrested a whole bunch of opposition supporters who took to the streets in the times following the controversial election.

Machado defied the threats and spoke at a big opposition rally in Caracas on Saturday, but was then taken away on the back of a motorbike.

“After six days of brutal repression, they thought they could silence us, intimidate us or paralyze us,” Machado said on the rally. “The presence of each and every one of you here today represents the best that Venezuela has to offer.”

A couple of hours later, Maduro again threatened to arrest González for failing to attend a gathering of the Electoral Council to which he had been summoned. The council, like most parts of the Venezuelan government, is totally controlled by Maduro.

“You will face serious legal consequences for disregarding the Constitution, the courts and the law,” Maduro said of González.

Maduro also announced that he would proceed to take a tough line against his opponents. 2,000 of them have already been arrested, it was said.

“This time there will be no pardon, this time there will be Tocorón,” he said, referring to a notorious prison.

On Friday, masked attackers searched the opposition headquarters on Friday, took documents and ransacked the premises.

In his long, rambling speech, Maduro made threats but in addition called for reconciliation and peace. He claimed that “in Venezuela there is room for everyone” and called the country “the blessed land of unlimited opportunities.”

Venezuela is at the highest of the the most important proven oil reserves on this planet and was once essentially the most developed economy in Latin America, but after Maduro took office in 2013, the country fell right into a free fall marked by hyperinflation of 130,000 percent and widespread shortages. More than 7.7 million Venezuelans have fled the country since 2014, the most important exodus within the recent history of Latin America.

US oil sanctions have only exacerbated the misery, and the Biden administration – which had eased those restrictions – is now more likely to tighten them again unless Maduro agrees a sort of transition.

Late Friday evening, Venezuela’s Supreme Court declared the Supreme Court, ordered the Maduro-controlled National Electoral Council to release the precinct ballots inside three days. Several governments, including close Maduro allies within the region, called on Venezuelan electoral authorities to release the precinct results, as they’ve done after previous elections.

The AP processed nearly 24,000 images of ballots showing the outcomes from 79 percent of voting machines.

According to the calculations, González received 6.89 million votes, almost half 1,000,000 greater than Maduro won based on government figures. The counts also show that Maduro received 3.13 million votes based on the published ballots.

Brazil, Colombia and Mexico have already made quite a few diplomatic efforts to influence Maduro to permit an impartial review of the election. On Thursday, the governments of the three countries released a joint statement calling on Venezuelan electoral authorities to “move forward expeditiously and make detailed electoral data public.”

Originally published: August 4, 2024 at 11:31 am

Sideshows on the Peninsula and within the South Bay sparked large police deployments, and there have been reports of unruly crowds allegedly throwing objects at passing cars and, in a single case, trampling on and smashing a patrol automotive.

In San Jose, officers were called to Winchester Boulevard on the west side of Santana Row shortly before 7 p.m. Saturday after a spectator was allegedly struck by a vehicle participating in a sideshow, in response to police and witness video.

A press release released Sunday by Paul Joseph, deputy chief of the San Jose Police Department, said a reserve police officer was attempting to succeed in the injured person when “his patrol car was overrun by bystanders who prevented him from rendering aid.”

The witness video that circulating on social mediashows several people punching and kicking the SUV because it backed away from the scene. A person wearing a ski mask jumped onto the hood of the vehicle and stomped and kicked the windshield.

Joseph said investigators are working to discover the individuals who attacked the vehicle that left the officer with minor injuries. No arrests were made immediately, partly because the gang dispersed before more officers arrived.

“This behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated in our city,” Joseph said. “Rest assured that we will make every effort to identify and arrest everyone involved.”

In San Mateo County, the presence of tons of of spectators prompted a response by the sheriff's office, in addition to the California Highway Patrol and Redwood City police, to the intersection of Woodside Road and Alameda de las Pulgas, near Woodside High School within the unincorporated community of Redwood City.

Participants and spectators began to go away the realm as crowds of law enforcement officers arrived around 3:30 p.m. Two men who were unlucky enough to draw the eye of sheriff's officers were chased to an Arco gas station on the corner of Woodside Road and Santa Clara Avenue.

One of the boys attempted to cover by moving into a gas station attendant's vehicle, but was caught and arrested together with the second man. The sheriff's office identified them as 23 and 22 years old and from San Francisco. They were taken to jail on suspicion of resisting arrest.

Anyone with information concerning the San Mateo County sideshow can contact Sheriff Sergeant Doug Richardson at drichardson@smcgov.org or 650-363-4911. Tips may be submitted anonymously to the sheriff's office at 800-547-2700.

The first robbery occurred around 1:30 p.m. Saturday within the 700 block of Old County Road in Belmont, Palo Alto police said in a news release. No weapons were used, however the victim – a girl in her 40s – suffered minor injuries.

The second robbery occurred 45 minutes later within the 800 block of Ilima Court in Palo Alto. This time, the robbers apparently pointed a gun on the victim – a person in his 60s – and grabbed his mail key, in line with police. He wasn't hurt.

Witnesses reported the second robbery to police. The robbers and their automotive — a black 2013 Infiniti G37 — matched Belmont police descriptions, police said.

Officers discovered the Infiniti was traveling north on El Camino Real from Matadero Avenue. According to police, the automotive sped away from them but crashed right into a tree within the 3100 block of Hansen Way.

The occupants fled the automotive, police said, adding that they were arrested nearby a short while later. Both were treated on the scene for minor injuries sustained within the collision.

According to police, officers searched the Infiniti, which had been reported stolen in Alameda on May 1, and located two sets of mail keys. Additionally, officers found a pair of realistic-looking replica handguns – one contained in the automotive and one on the bottom outside the automotive.

Police said the 19-year-old man was booked into the Santa Clara County Jail on charges of robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, committing a felony while on bail for multiple firearms-related violations and resisting arrest.

The 17-year-old was booked into the county juvenile prison on the identical charges in addition to vehicle theft and evading.

Investigators in Palo Alto are investigating whether the duo robbed one other mail carrier in December. This case stays unsolved.

Anyone with information concerning the case can contact police at 650-329-2413; Those wishing to stay anonymous can call or text 650-383-8984 or email paloalto@tipnow.org.

Columbia University canceled in-person classes on Monday and latest demonstrations broke out on other campuses across the U.S. as tensions proceed to rise over Israel's war in Gaza.

Protesters gathered throughout the weekend on the campus of the Ivy League school in New York City, where police last week arrested greater than 100 pro-Palestinian protesters who had arrange an encampment.

Since those arrests, pro-Palestinian protesters have arrange camps on other campuses across the country, including on the University of Michigan, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Yale University, where several dozen protesters were arrested Monday morning after officials said they’d surrendered abandoned despite warnings.

The developments got here hours before the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Passover on Monday evening.

Columbia President Minouche Shafik said in a message to the college community Monday that she was “deeply saddened” by what happened on campus.

“To defuse the resentment and give us all an opportunity to consider next steps, I am announcing that all classes on Monday will be held virtually,” Shafik wrote. She said faculty and staff should work remotely when possible and students who don’t live to tell the tale campus should stay away.

Protests have erupted on many university campuses since Hamas' deadly attack on southern Israel on October 7, through which militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took about 250 hostages. In response, Israel has killed greater than 34,000 Palestinians within the Gaza Strip, in keeping with the local health ministry. The Health Ministry doesn’t distinguish between combatants and non-combatants but says not less than two-thirds of the dead were children and girls.

The demonstrations on US campuses have tested the road between free speech and inclusivity. They have also stoked tensions, with some Muslim students and their allies calling on schools to sentence Israel's attack on Gaza, and a few Jewish students saying they not feel supported or secure on campus as anti-Semitic sentiment runs high.

Prahlad Iyengar, an MIT graduate student studying electrical engineering, was amongst about two dozen students who arrange a camp with greater than a dozen tents on campus Sunday evening to call for a ceasefire and protest what they called “MIT’s complicity in what happened” refers to genocide in Gaza.”

“MIT has not even called for a ceasefire, and that is a demand we certainly have,” he said.

Iyengar also said the college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, issued confusing rules for protests.

“We are here to show that we reserve the right to protest. It is an essential part of life on a college campus,” he said, adding that they’ve received support from each graduate and undergraduate students.

On Sunday, Elie Buechler, rabbi of the Orthodox Union's Jewish Learning Initiative at Columbia, sent a WhatsApp message to almost 300 Jewish students recommending they go home until it was safer for them on campus.

Nicholas Baum, a 19-year-old Jewish college freshman who lives at a Jewish theological seminary two blocks from Columbia's Morningside Heights campus, said protesters over the weekend were “calling on Hamas to blow away Tel Aviv and Israel.” He said a number of the protesters who shouted anti-Semitic slurs weren’t students.

“Jews are afraid of Columbia. It's that simple. There has been so much denigration of Zionism, and that has extended to the denigration of Judaism as well,” he said.

The protest camp emerged in Columbia on Wednesday, the identical day Shafik faced intense criticism at a congressional hearing from Republicans who said she had not done enough to combat anti-Semitism. Two other Ivy League presidents resigned months ago after widely criticized testimony before the identical committee.

In her statement on Monday, Shafik said the Middle East conflict was terrible and she or he understood that many were in deep moral distress.

“But we cannot allow one group to dictate terms and attempt to disrupt key milestones like graduation to advance their point of view,” Shafik wrote.

In the approaching days, a working group of deans, school administrators and teachers will try to search out an answer to the university crisis, noted Shafik, who didn’t say when in-person classes will resume.

Several Columbia College and Barnard College students said they were suspended for his or her participation in last week's protests, including Barnard student Isra Hirsi, the daughter of Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar.

At Yale, cops arrested about 45 protesters and charged them with trespassing, said Officer Christian Bruckhart, a New Haven police spokesman. All were released on a promise to look in court later, he said.

Protesters arrange tents in Beinecke Plaza on Friday and demonstrated over the weekend, calling on Yale to stop all investments in defense firms that do business with Israel.

Nadine Cubeisy, a Yale student and one in every of the organizers of the protest, said the protesters were calling for Yale to divest from defense contractors since it was troubling that “this university that I'm going to attend, that I'm contributing to, and that's mine.” Friends donate money for the usage of that cash to finance violence.”

“Constructing structures, ignoring orders from university officials, remaining on campus areas beyond permitted hours, and other actions that violate university policies and guidelines pose safety risks and hinder the work of our university,” he said.

School officials said they spoke with protesters over several hours and gave them until the tip of the weekend to go away Beinecke Plaza. They said they warned protesters again Monday morning, telling them they might face arrest and disciplinary motion, including suspension, before police moved in.

A big group of protesters gathered at Yale after Monday's arrests and blocked a street near campus, said Bruckhart, the police spokesman. There were no reports of violence or injuries.

Last week, the University of Southern California took the weird step of canceling a planned commencement speech by its 2024 valedictorian, who had publicly supported the Palestinians. The university cited security concerns in a choice that was praised by some pro-Israel groups but criticized by free speech advocates.

Associated Press writers Steve LeBlanc and Susan Haigh contributed to this report.