Animal cruelty tips now accepted through anonymous Crime Stoppers hotline
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — Hoping to reach people hesitant to report animal cruelty tips, a new partnership allows anyone in Southern Colorado to use the anonymous Pikes Peak Crime Stoppers 24/7 tip line at 719-634-7867 to call in suspected crimes against animals.
Crime Stoppers is able to reward callers whose tip leads to an arrest and conviction.
“We also want to be able to reward individuals who are stepping up,” said Jamie Norris, Director of Animal Law Enforcement at the Humane Society for the Pikes Peak Region.
The hotline is made possible through a partnership between the humane society, Crime Stoppers, and El Paso County District Attorney Michael Allen. Allen committed to creating an animal cruelty task force after taking office in January 2021.
“There’s an undeniable link between people who are willing to commit crimes on animals with their willingness to also commit crimes against people,” said Allen.
The humane society expects that more neighbors and witnesses will come forward with animal cruelty tips now that callers can be anonymous.
“We had a recent situation with a dog that we impounded on a cruelty case,” said Norris. “When we got out there, the dog had extensive injuries and we had several residents come forward and say they’ve seen things, but they were nervous to get involved.”
Local partners also hope it clears up any confusion about who to call.
“It’s creating an animal cruelty hotline for everything from Pueblo all the way through the Springs up to Douglas County,” said HSPPR President and CEO Duane Adams. “It doesn’t matter where you are. Report it to Crime Stoppers.”
According to the Crime Stoppers website, the hotline and rewards system was originally taxpayer-funded. However, Pikes Peak Crime Stoppers now operates as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. It's staffed almost entirely by volunteers and is supported by donations from individuals and businesses.
People can also submit animal cruelty tips anonymously online.
