Richmond's animal cruelty registry goes live. Henrico to follow
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Richmond and Henrico are among the first and only localities in Virginia to establish animal cruelty registries.
Why it matters: The goal is to give shelters and adoption agencies another tool to prevent pets from ending up in unsafe homes.
State of play: A state law that went into effect last year allows localities to create public animal cruelty registries that include:
- People convicted of felony animal cruelty offenses, like animal fighting and killing, poisoning or permanently injuring animals.
- Their name, address, what they did and conviction date.
The latest: Henrico's Board of Supervisors voted last week to establish theirs, which will be run by county police.
- Richmond Animal Care & Control (RACC) launched the city's version in November and maintains the list, director Christie Chipps Peters tells Axios.
- Peters says RACC didn't go through City Council for approval because state code allows them to launch it directly.
How it works: Henrico officials will give people a heads-up before adding them to the registry. RACC won't, says Peters.
- For Henrico, anyone convicted of felony animal cruelty offenses on or after July 1, 2024, when the law took effect, will be included.
- In Richmond, RACC's internal database goes back to 2005 and staff are reviewing older paper files to "add to the list as we find felony convictions," Peters says.
The intrigue: Neither registry will include photos — a decision that split Henrico supervisors.
- Supporters said booking photos would help shelters quickly verify identities.
- Opponents said mugshots have contributed to racial and socioeconomic biases and aren't listed in state law as allowable information.
By the numbers: The Henrico Citizen reports that five county residents meet the criteria. Another 10 cases are pending.
- Richmond's registry lists 10 people, but one entry's name and address is redacted because the person is underage.
Of note: Those on a registry can request removal if it's been 15 years since their conviction — and they've had no additional animal cruelty felonies since, per state law.
What's next: RACC is pushing to amend the state code this legislative session to include misdemeanor convictions, noting that "the vast majority" of felony cruelty cases are reduced to misdemeanors in court, Peters says.
- "The crime is still awful and deserves to be represented publicly as such," Peters tells Axios.
What we're watching: Hanover and Chesterfield might also be considering their own animal cruelty registry, WWBT reports.