Animal Cruelty Case Specialist

Term of Employment: Full-Time, Exempt

Reports To: Criminal Justice Program Managing Attorney

Union: Bargaining Unit Position, Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU)

Location: Remote (U.S. Based)

Who we are

The Animal Legal Defense Fund’s mission is to protect the lives and advance the interests of animals through the legal system. The Animal Legal Defense Fund accomplishes this mission by filing high-impact lawsuits to protect animals from harm, providing free legal assistance and training to prosecutors to assure that animal abusers are held accountable for their crimes, supporting tough animal protection legislation and fighting legislation harmful to animals, gathering data about and advocating for effective regulation of animal exploitative industries and providing resources and opportunities to law students and professionals to advance the emerging field of animal law.

Role Description:

The Criminal Justice Program (CJP) Animal Cruelty Case Specialist position furthers the mission of the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) to protect the lives and advance the interests of animals through the legal system, by providing prosecutors, law enforcement, animal control, veterinarians, and animal rescues with essential operational and forensic support on criminal animal cruelty cases and encouraging the investigation and prosecution of animal crimes to ensure justice for animal victims. The CJP Animal Cruelty Case Specialist triages all incoming reports of animal cruelty and maintains the active case database. The Animal Cruelty Case Specialist applies their experience and expertise to in-depth case-related research and to the training of key stakeholders. This position acts as a liaison across ALDF’s programs to disseminate approved case response information in a timely and responsible manner. The Animal Cruelty Case Specialist is accountable for the day-to-day management of their assigned cases and projects.

How You Will Make a Difference:

Case Support

Receive reports of animal cruelty and requests for case assistance from professional stakeholders, the Administrative Manager, and other sources. Provide initial responses and triage via phone or email. Exercise discretion in analyzing and recommending which cases CJP chooses to pursue, including communicating efficiently with complainants and advocates by phone and email; gathering relevant facts (through eyewitness accounts, media reports, and other sources as needed) for potential criminal cruelty cases; and identifying, after thorough independent analysis, those cases warranting further investigation and/or veterinary forensics. Generate and categorize cases, and work with Managing Attorneys to assign cases to CJP staff according to department protocols. Ensure that complete and accurate case information is relayed in a timely fashion to the appropriate team members. Input and access information using automated systems, make entries into automated record files, seek to maximize use of automated systems available to CJP to further efficiency and accuracy in case response and record keeping. Maintain and organize all case-related records and documentation in a timely, logical, and confidential manner. Ensure that electronic logs of all legal cases are accurate and current. Review case notes to maintain consistent and timely response in all cases. Conduct internet research on potential/active cases (i.e. Facebook, social media, news sources, and company websites). Provide basic assistance in research projects, special reports, and case information gathering. Prepare materials for meetings, court proceedings, and case discovery. Follow up with professional stakeholders on case outcomes/resolutions where possible. Create and maintain a system for tracking date and time of upcoming court proceedings related to CJP-assisted cases. Manage CJP grant processing for expert witnesses, forensic testing, and costs of care in criminal cases, coordinating with internal and external individuals as needed. Inform and assist law enforcement, animal control, veterinarians, and animal rescues on animal cruelty case investigations and case strategies, including reviewing and advising on interview tactics, department policies and procedures, veterinary exams and reports, protective custody foster care programs and related agreements, and large-scale animal rescue implementation. Participate in deployment to crime scenes and rescues as needed, exercising discretion in both the decision to travel on-site and the orchestration of such activities. Assist with hands-on scene processing for animal cruelty cases, including identifying, collecting and packaging evidence; assisting with logistics and operational expertise; and assisting with other aspects of search and seizure operations and animal rescue support. Provide support as requested to CJP Case Response Unit. External Relationship Building and Outreach

Build strategic relationships with prosecutors, law enforcement, animal control, veterinarians, and animal rescues to facilitate agency assistance in forensics, crime scene processing, and veterinary medicine. Schedule and conduct outreach and training presentations for various disciplines, including but not limited to law enforcement agencies, veterinarians, prosecutors, animal shelters and rescues, and social service agencies. Internal Relationship Building

Proactively maintain intradepartmental relationships and act as a liaison to other programs. Create and maintain system for sharing information about CJP case work and outcomes across departments and facilitate the sharing of information approved for public-facing materials. Provide in-house expertise for staff on questions concerning Criminal Justice Program cases, animal cruelty cases in general, criminal investigation, veterinary forensics, animal rescue and sheltering. Please note, this job description is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties and responsibilities of the position, which are subject to change in order to best advance ALDF’s strategic objectives and mission.

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