(Orange) – Orange County Animal Care Services (ACS) wins a $1,000 prize in the first ever American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and Friskies^® Pet Protectors Contest. ACS was instrumental in creating a PowerPoint presentation to educate local law enforcement on the importance of responding to animal cruelty calls and following through with investigations.

While ACS officers are often first to the scene when responding to animal cruelty complaint calls, they rely on local Police Departments and Deputy District Attorneys to obtain a successful prosecution and conviction of a cruelty suspect since they do not have the powers of arrest.

To strengthen the communication and responsiveness of local law enforcement, ACS created an educational presentation on animal cruelty, which included topics on past cruelty case investigations and suggestions for more successful prosecutions. The PowerPoint presentation has been given to several police agencies and numerous District Attorneys, resulting in a marked improvement in the outcome of animal cruelty cases and investigations in Orange County.

The Pet Protectors contest was held during Animal Cruelty Month in April 2002 to identify outstanding animal cruelty prevention programs that can serve as models for animal protection organizations around the country. In addition to prizes, winners of the contest will have their programs listed as references in the Petfinder.com Library for view by Animal Welfare Professionals.

For more information about ACS or steps on how to report animal cruelty in your area, call (714) 935-6301 or visit the ACS Web site at www.ocpetinfo.com.