Police Finding That Criminal Security Is a Croc

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — When Det. Victor Mendes busted into a suspected drug house recently, he figured he’d find cocaine and cash. He didn’t expect the alligator on guard.

“It’s the new status thing,” said Mendes, a member of the New Bedford police narcotics squad. “They use the things as weapons, to intimidate.”

In the last three months, police in this port city have crossed paths with four alligators or caimans--relatives of alligators and crocodiles.

In Lakewood, Colo., last year, officers had to wrestle a 4-footer named “Sweetie” while evicting a tenant. In Connecticut, a pet store owner became a temporary zookeeper during a spate of reptile abandonments. And in San Francisco, a caiman famous for “ferocious leaping attacks” was stolen from a zoo.

The big reptiles have been illegal in Massachusetts since the early 1970s. But federal wildlife authorities said each state makes its own law on reptile ownership.

Criminals might just like the fact that the animals are illegal.

“They’ve graduated from pit bulls to alligators,” Mendes said.

Most officials interviewed agreed that caimans, which can reach 6 feet in length, provide owners with more bark than bite. The animals, if not starved or provoked, usually won’t hurt strangers.

“You can’t train a caiman to attack,” said Susan Littlefield, public health veterinarian for Rhode Island, where the animals can be purchased at pet stores for $60. “I’d rather face one than a Rottweiler.”

But she said the animals are not ideal pets and do not belong cooped up in kiddie pools. Owning one in Massachusetts can bring a $100 fine and 30 days in jail.

Sgt. Robert Mercon of the Massachusetts environmental police said larger ones are often shot to death by their owners. One of the most popular ways to kill smaller caimans is the stuff of urban legend.

“Lots of people flush them,” Mercon said, adding that the animals are usually killed by sewer waste. “You hear about alligators in the sewers--it isn’t impossible.”

Though Mercon owned a few when it was legal in Massachusetts, he believes the ban makes sense.

“They grow too quickly, they get too big and they get too vicious,” said Mercon, whose own menagerie includes five snakes and 15 turtles. “And they have very sharp teeth.”

On the other hand, he said, “You don’t have to take them for walks, [and] they don’t get fleas.”