Chesapeake City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to implement the region’s first animal cruelty registry. The registry will be a public database designed to track people convicted of felony animal abuse crimes and help protect animals from being placed with dangerous owners.
The registry proposal, championed by Councilwoman Amanda Newins, will create an online database accessible through the city’s Animal Services website. The system will list anyone convicted of felony animal cruelty crimes, including their name, address at the time of conviction, conviction date, and the specific Virginia code section violated.
“It’ll be an online resource that will note anyone who’s been convicted of a felony relating to animal cruelty,” Newins said. “So that way rescues, fosters, shelters, anyone can have access to it to see if someone’s been convicted before they adopt an animal out to them potentially.”…