Updated thoughts on the HSUS Reward
In reviewing the traffic on this blog I have noticed several other blogs linking to one of my original posts about the reward HSUS was offering back when I was a member of the Animal Abuse Control Team. And while I still believe the whole concept of a reward is a scam being perpetrated by HSUS to solicit donations, I see they have employed some new tricks.
What drew my attention to the latest tactics of the Humane Society of the United States were a couple of press releases issued in conjunction with their 2008 Humane Law Enforcement Award ceremony. This year the HSUS recognized the Holland M. Ware Charitable Foundation for donating $200,000 dollars in order to fund the reward program. While the HSUS also recognized Norred & Associates for establishing and running the 877-TIP-HSUS Hotline.
What this means is the HSUS can now advertise that they are offering a reward (for which they are not supplying the money) and providing a hotline (which they neither pay for nor maintain), so that they can later claim they were responsible for an arrest. As they do here:
His story is a lesson in how the resourcefulness and dedication of a small number of people can make a big difference. And it’s a prime example of how The HSUS’s new animal fighting rewards program-offering up to $5,000 for information leading to the conviction of an animal fighter-is paying off.
Unfortunately, when you read what was reported in the local paper, you find out that Derrik Pruit, Chief Deputy with the Prentiss County Sheriff’s Department had this to say:
I’m sad to say that it didn’t initiate over the dog fighting. It initiated over other crimes that led up to this.
Oops!
The bottom line, however, is even if the tip was received through the 877-TIP-HSUS Hotline what does that really have to do with the HSUS? For example, after an arrest was made in Fannin County (GA) it was reported that the information that lead to the arrest came after the local HSUS office:
provided intelligence collected by the Atlanta-based private security firm Norred & Associates to District Attorney Joe Hendricks’ office.
Why not get rid of the middleman? Why couldn’t Norred & Associates call the DA’s office directly? Obviously Norred & Associates is a willing participant in this arrangement. After all, they are the ones providing this service for free, they included the acronym HSUS right in the phone number, and are allowing HSUS to benefit from the free publicity. But to me it just perpetuates the myth that the HSUS itself is doing anything meaningful to combat dog fighting.
For example, last January the HSUS held a press conference at Chicago Police Department Headquarters to announce their reward program (which wasn’t news, since the reward had been around since at least 2000 when I began investigating animal fighting full-time). Yet citizens are instructed to call CrimeStoppers with their tips. So again, the HSUS is taking credit for a program with which they have no involvement.
By the way, I am responsible for CrimeStoppers initially agreeing to provide rewards related to tips about crimes against animals. After my original (unsuccessful) conversation with the HSUS about their reward program, I approached Chicago’s Anti-Cruelty Society about my idea to fund a reward program based on the successful removal of an animal that was suffering (not necessarily a conviction). After which ACS provided the seed money to start the CrimeStoppers program. I personally used the offer of reward money to elicit good information from citizens that enabled me to execute several search warrants, recover dozens of abused animals, and make many arrests. So I’m not against the concept of rewards.
In fact, my sources tell me that the tipster that lead to the Cook County Sheriff’s busting up an in-progress dog fight in November has already received reward money from CrimeStoppers. The good news is, HSUS wasn’t referenced once in the media coverage of this incident.
But back to the main point I am trying to make. In Chicago, throughout Georgia, Florida, Maryland, and many other places across the country, the HSUS is using the good will, time, money and resources of others to toot their own horn. And every time there is an arrest in the news that references the HSUS, their reward program, and/or their tip line, the result is an increase in donations.
But I think Nathan Winograd sums up the overall approach of the HSUS the best:
For HSUS, money appears to be the goal, not a means to the goal of saving animals. And on this score, they succeeded.
January 8th, 2009 at 2:13 am
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January 26th, 2009 at 11:02 pm
People need to know that these animal activist need to stop stomping on people’s rights~ and terrorizing the public…
I was attacked by the HSUS a few years back, they did a botched investigation with tunnel vision as well as creating a case as they went with there letter writing/smear campaigns’ I was only a rescue that was saving pets from the south and relocating them 16 hours away to the north. They said that I was a puppy mill, scammer, and abused animals by shipping and selling sick puppies, they charged me with theft by deception 9 counts totaling 90 year prison term. I like how they turned the table and everything they were and are doing is what they charged me with. needless to say after 2 years and 20,000 thousand dollars in attorney’s fees I was cleared but had been corrursed to take a plea of attempted theft by deception which was 2 years unsupervised probation. The mere disgust that I feel with the law officials that were supposed to protect me from terriost fed me to them.
The SPCA and local law officials as well as the federal law officials my attorney kept telling me that there was money paid to stop my operation so I was put out of business for 2 years. I was inspected by the local s.p.c.a every 3-6 months for 8 years; there surprise visits I came out clean. I got kind of aggravated and told them don’t come back without a warrant.
The lies and deceit as well as theft that the HSUS is in fact the scammer there cash cow needs to be slaughtered. They need to stop taking away human rights, they should be charged with theft when taking someone’s personal property with out compensation its called theft the last time I checked. There giving our rights to the animals. don’t get me wrong I do believe that there needs to be laws to protect the animals and protecting them from the H.S.U.S and peta as well as the animal shelters that destroy wanted adoptable animals in there care. The animals suffer in there care. I feel that the H.S.U.S and activist/terrorist do give a damn for animals but all they want is there pockets to lined with the money that is supposed to go for saving and caring for the pets in the United States not to pay themselves hundreds of thousands of dollars a year for advocating there cause when in fact there only cause is to abolish all animals from the earth. These people need to be stopped and stopped fast. There out of control when they have to attack an animal rescue group.
The H.S.U.S cares nothing about pets and saving there lives they line there pockets with the animal lovers money after tugging at there heart strings. I am trying my best to get the word out and share my story as well as warn the people about there hidden agenda Nathan Winograd is a wonderful person and he is also spreading the word.
they are not above the law nor they should be.
we all need to stick together and make sure that our generations to come have the right to have pets and eat meat.
June 12th, 2009 at 9:35 am
[…] to be the goal, not a means to the goal of saving animals. And on this score, they succeeded. Updated thoughts on the HSUS Reward Don’t forget to read the comments […]
August 5th, 2009 at 10:37 am
Sorry but I don’t share most of these ideas.