Beginning in 2016, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will collect and publish animal cruelty crime statics. Some animal welfare advocates believe this will improve the way local law enforcement jurisdictions respond to animal cruelty crimes.

A written statement from the FBI indicates that, beginning next month, the agency will add an animal cruelty offense to its National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS), which collects data on incidents and arrests from local law enforcement agencies’ record management systems. Agencies can then use the data to track the incidence of crimes and to assign personnel accordingly.

Under the system, animal cruelty will be classified as a Group A offense (those for which extensive crime data are collected; other Group A offenses include arson, embezzlement, and homicide, among others) and a crime against society, the FBI’s statement said. The bureau will collect data on four types of abuse: simple and gross neglect; intentional abuse and torture; organized abuse, such as dog and cock fighting; and animal sexual abuse. The system definition does not include proper maintenance of animals for show or sport or the use of animals for food or lawful hunting, fishing, or trapping, the statement said.

Both The Animal Welfare Institute and the National Sheriff’s Association submitted proposals calling for the addition of animal cruelty as a separate criminal offense. The National Sheriff’s Association Deputy Executive Director John Thompson said the addition will be far-reaching