New Suffolk District Attorney's office unit to focus on animal abuse, environmental crimes

Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said Thursday he has formed a new unit within his office to prosecute animal abuse and environmental crimes.

Assistant District Attorney Jed Painter, who previously worked as the chief of animal crimes in the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office for 11 years, will lead the newly-formed Biological, Environmental and Animal Safety Team, or BEAST, Tierney said.

Painter will oversee a team of nine other prosecutors, who will be required to meet with animal victims and personally contribute to environmental projects on Long Island as part of the office’s pro bono work. The prosecutors have received specialized training with the New York State Animal Protection Federation and ASPCA at the New York State Police Academy in Albany.

“I’m very proud of this initiative,” Tierney said in a statement. “The abuse of animals in Suffolk County will not be tolerated and we are going to ensure that individuals charged with environmental offenses will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Painter, in an interview, said the unit’s work will center on agriculture and markets law, which covers crimes such as animal cruelty offenses like dog fighting; and environmental conservation law, which includes illegal hunting, overfishing and illegal exotic animal possession. Animals are often victims of environmental crimes, making the two areas of law a natural fit to be housed in the same unit, Painter said.

“The district attorney puts . . . [crimes against animals] on the same level; it’s a hell of a good message,” said Painter. “This is a serious thing. When a dog is stabbed, some people say, ‘thank goodness they were caught now; this is a gateway crime to other things’ . . . these are awful in and of themselves.”

Painter said in the first four months in the office, prosecutors have received a lot of complaints from the public about alleged pollution as well as allegations of fraud by debris disposal and remediation companies.

Libby Post, executive director of the New York State Animal Protection Federation, said in a statement: “The Federation commends Suffolk County DA Tierney for taking this unprecedented step forward in combating animal abuse in Suffolk County. We need more district attorneys to take animal crimes more seriously and the establishment of the Biological, Environmental and Animal Safety Team, with an apt acronym of BEAST, will show other DAs across New York what they can do. We know that crimes against animals are gateway crimes that too often include domestic violence.”

Joanne Yohannan, senior vice president of operations at the North Shore Animal League America, said: “We applaud any mandate that keeps the prosecution in animal crimes cases connected to their victim as well as the shelter staff while the case is pending. We know, all too well, the impact and toll these cases take on an entire animal welfare organization and the importance of staying connected.”

Suffolk County residents can contact BEAST directly at BEAST@suffolkcountyny.gov. to report suspected crimes.

By Nicole Fuller

nicole.fuller@newsday.com@NicoleFuller

Nicole Fuller is Newsday's senior criminal justice reporter. She began working at Newsday in 2012 and previously covered local government.