Humane Law Enforcement Division

We are committed to protecting animals from abuse. The Schenectady County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was formed in 2007.  We are there to help those who cannot speak for themselves. The SPCA is dedicated to serving Schenectady County and surrounding communities.  Our Law Enforcement Division is responsible for the administration and operation of all SPCA enforcement actions.

Division volunteers are responsible for patrol, emergency response, investigation, and enforcement of animal welfare laws at the federal, state and local levels. Our Peace Officers may also effect arrests, pursuant to their special duties, in the event that they observe any crime (not just animal cruelty crimes). We respond to all animal neglect and abuse complaints, initiate and complete thorough investigations, and arrest and prosecute violators of any animal welfare related laws. The Schenectady County SPCA Humane Law Enforcement Division consists of an all volunteer animal cruelty investigation and enforcement team with full arrest authority pursuant to New York State Agriculture & Markets Law to enforce animal welfare laws. Our Investigators are New York State Peace Officers, are trained according to NYS Department of Criminal Justice guidelines and also receive Firearms, Aerosol Subject Restraint, Asp Baton, and Tactical Handcuffing training.

Chief of Department Mathew B. Tully is our Chief Humane Law Enforcement Officer and Chairmen of the Board of Directors of the organization. Mat is a retired Federal Law Enforcement Officer who brings a wealth of law enforcement experience and a lifelong dedication to animal welfare. Before becoming the Chief of the Schenectady County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, he worked for many years as a Peace Officer with the Suffolk County SPCA on Long Island (He and his wife responded with the Suffolk County SPCA to the World Trade Center after 9-11-01 to help care for the many working dogs involved in the search and later recovery of bodies - he is one of the few SPCA officers in upstate New York with experience in mass casualty events and their impact on animals) then for many more years he volunteered as a Peace Officer with the Columbia-Greene SPCA in the Hudson Valley.

Mat is supported by a group of dedicated volunteers who come from many different backgrounds and all are dedicated to our mission of preventing cruelty to animals. Our volunteers receive extensive training in the law, educating the public, identifying animal cruelty, prosecuting animal cruelty cases and court room procedure.

All of our Peace Officers are required to undergo an extensive initial training program (270 hours) that is one of the most intensive and lengthy programs in  New York State.  The training consists of the following (plus every year our officers have "in service" training to stay proficient in the law, firearms, baton, and "pepper spray" use):

Ethics in the Law Enforcement Profession Constitutional Law Penal Law Article 35 - Justification-Use of Force/Deadly Physical Force Penal Law §265.20

Power of a Peace Officer to possess a firearm not owned by the peace officer Penal Law Articles relating to the agency's specific mission

-Powers of a Peace Officer

-Laws of Arrest Search and Seizure Rules of Evidence Accusatory Instruments

-Court Structure and Procedure Court Testimony

-Civil Law Preliminary Investigations

-Crime Scene Search and Evidence Collection

-Miranda Warning Eyewitness Identifications

-Interview and Interrogation Statements and Confessions

-Agency Arrest and Custody Procedures

-Report Writing

-Conflict Resolution

-Animal Cruelty Laws Animal Licensing Laws Vehicle and Traffic Laws

-Misc. criminal statutes not in the Penal Law

-Use of Force doctrine

-Agency report writing

-Agency policies and procedures

-Special Deputy Sheriff rules and regulations

-Radio procedures and policies Emergency Vehicle Operations (lights and sirens policy)

-Mutual aid to other law enforcement agencies policies and procedures

-Firearms Training (handgun, shotgun, and rifle)

-Baton Training Introduction and Overview of OC Spray Devices

-Criteria for the Selection of OC Spray Products Operation Guidelines for OC Spray Products

-Final Examination Supervised Field Training

 

New York State Animal Cruelty Laws

Who we are, what powers we have, and what we can’t do

Click here to download the Schenectady SPCA Volunteer Application

 

Schenectady County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

P.O. Box 9516
Niskayuna, New York 12309
info@SchenectadySPCA.org