Mahatma Gandhi recognized that a society’s moral progress can be judged by the way people treat animals and that “the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man.” Unfortunately, Mayor Brandon Scott and the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) have turned a blind eye to the suffering of dogs and cats in Baltimore.

Despite holding office for nearly four years, Scott has never appointed a single member to his Anti-Animal Abuse Advisory Commission, which has not held a meeting in years. It is a conspicuous fall from grace, as Baltimore garnered positive publicity in 2010 when it created the first such permanent commission in the country.

While the commission lacked power, it nevertheless brought oversight and awareness to the scourge of animal cruelty in Baltimore. It also brought recalcitrant stakeholders to the table, such as BPD.

In the “better late than never” department, the mayor and City Council have introduced a bill to revisit the ordinance governing the defunct commission. The bill evidences a continued lack of resolve and proposes that the commission meet a minimum of twice a year, which is wholly inadequate given the lack of investigations into these crimes.

While the commission was dormant, BPD deferred its responsibilities to the Baltimore Health Department Office of Animal Control. BPD and Animal Control were partners, but BPD no longer backs up its fellow unarmed animal enforcement officers (AEOs) at Animal Control, as police officers no longer accompany AEOs into homes when the latter serve administrative warrants. These can be volatile encounters, particularly when AEOs seize animals.

Despite holding office for less than two years, Baltimore City Sheriff Sam Cogen has filled the void left by BPD. In a highly publicized case, sheriff’s deputies accompanied Animal Control when they seized 83 dogs from a rowhome in May. The Sheriff’s Office recently filed 178 animal cruelty charges in the case.

BPD has retreated further — animal cruelty investigations have declined, and the City Health Department tells me BPD has filed animal abuse charges in only 11 cases referred to them by Animal Control, representing just 16.9% of the referrals.

The BPD is seemingly unaware of guidance from the Maryland Court of Appeals, which has recognized something the rest of us know intuitively: that the withholding of food, water or veterinary care can constitute torture under Maryland’s aggravated animal cruelty statute. These cases warrant investigation.

It is troubling that the BPD has reneged on its own policy from 2017, which provides that “all cases of animal abuse, cruelty and/or neglect shall be thoroughly investigated and documented.”

Agencies that take animal cruelty seriously are more effective at protecting people. The BPD’s own policy acknowledges that “there is a direct correlation between the abuse of animals and the potential for future violence against people.”

BPD’s inaction is curious, particularly when it is struggling to improve its reputation with the public. Animal protection is a priority for Baltimore citizens, as evidenced by the outpouring of public comments in response to a consultant’s recommendation that BPD disband its animal abuse unit in 2019.

The City Council will have an opportunity to address these issues on September 11 when it meets to discuss the commission. It is a start for a city known for taking one step forward and three steps back. Our leaders must recognize, however, that a revived volunteer commission will not be a panacea. The problems demand a deeper dive, as there has been a lack of accountability at BPD, and the city’s animal shelter, Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter, remains grossly underfunded. Additional resources should be allocated to the Baltimore Sheriff’s Office as well.

Our treatment of animals remains a litmus test of our moral progress. While the public and other city agencies take these crimes seriously, Mayor Scott and the BPD have failed to do so and must step up to the plate.

Caroline A. Griffin (cag@carolineagriffin.com) is the former chair of the Baltimore mayor’s Anti-Animal Abuse Advisory Commission.