Officers Ramon Muniz and Kim Lormans of the Los Angeles Police Department Animal Cruelty Task Force walk through the North Central Animal Shelter dog kennels looking for animals that might have been fighting or abused. (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Muniz lets a dog at the shelter smell his hand. His five-member task force, created by the L.A. City Council in 2005, is part of the citys crackdown on animal abuse. (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)
The LAPD backed the creation of the task force, citing studies that said animal abusers were often involved in other crimes, such as drug trafficking, child abuse and domestic violence. The district attorneys office recently selected specially trained prosecutors to handle animal-related cases. (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Lormans leans in for a closer look. LAPD Det. Susan Brumagin, who works with the task force, said suspects often react with surprise, not remorse: None of the people we arrest think they could go to prison for hurting a dog or a cat. (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)
