“This is a first,” said Officer Carol Morrison. “It’s unbelievable anybody would do this to kittens.”
#1- You don’t get out much do you, Carol?
#2- Stop calling these jumped-up members of private organizations “Officers”. They aren’t “Officers”. They just pretend to be ones in real life.
In Pennsylvania, as in most states, there is a provision in the law for the appointment of specialized animal welfare officers. http://equineprotectionnetwork.com/cruelty/hspo.htm They are police officers, appointed by legal authority just like other law enforcement officers. Depending on the state or county, they may have authority to arrest people, and in all jurisdictions they have authority to seize animals from private property under specified circumstances. Make sure you know what you’re talking about if you try to interfere with one these officers by claiming they have no legal authority.
In PA Humane Society/Animal Control officers ARE real cops with full arrest powers when it comes to animal cruelty or neglect. County Humane Societies are arms of the county or municipal government.
There are often other shelters like Animal Friends and such that aren’t part of the official structure and operate as non-profit organizations.