FBI Creates New Animal Cruelty Taskforce: Mandates Annual Reporting on Dogfighting and Crush Video Cases

The FBI Animal Cruelty Taskforce Act of 2025 is straightforward: it creates a dedicated team within the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to tackle the worst kinds of animal abuse. Specifically, the bill mandates the creation of the Animal Cruelty Crimes Taskforce to investigate and enforce federal laws against serious offenses like dogfighting, cockfighting, and the production or distribution of "crush videos" (Section 2). This isn't just a memo saying the FBI should care more; it’s setting up a specialized unit with a defined mission under the Department of Justice’s authority.

Putting Federal Muscle on Severe Abuse Cases

For most people, animal cruelty is a local crime handled by local police or county sheriffs. But when we talk about organized dogfighting rings or the trafficking of illegal animal abuse materials, the crimes often cross state lines—that’s where federal jurisdiction kicks in. This new Taskforce is designed to bring focused federal resources to these complex, interstate cases. Think of it as upgrading the tools available for the worst offenders. Instead of relying on local departments juggling multiple priorities, the FBI will now have agents specifically trained and tasked with dismantling these criminal enterprises. This means higher-level investigations that can follow the money and the organizers across the country.

Training the Local Beat Cop

One of the most practical parts of this bill is the requirement for the Taskforce to develop training materials for local law enforcement (Section 2). Investigating animal fighting can be tricky; evidence collection, understanding the laws, and handling the animals themselves require specific knowledge. By creating these training guides, the FBI is essentially sharing its expertise with the officers who are often the first on the scene. For the average person, this means that when a neighbor reports suspicious activity that might involve animal fighting, the local police force will be better equipped to handle the initial investigation and build a solid case that can hold up in court.

Annual Scorecards and Interagency Teamwork

The Taskforce isn’t going to be operating in a silo. The law requires them to coordinate their efforts with a host of other agencies, including the Department of Agriculture (USDA), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the U.S. Marshals Service. This coordination is key, especially for cases involving the transport of fighting animals or the illegal import/export of materials. Furthermore, the bill includes a strong accountability measure: the Taskforce must submit an annual report to Congress (Section 2). This report must detail not only the number of criminal charges filed and convictions secured, broken down by state and specific law, but also all the investigations they pursued but ultimately decided not to charge. This mandated transparency gives Congress—and the public—a clear metric on how effectively the new Taskforce is operating, ensuring that this new federal effort stays focused on its core mission.