When Animal Liberation Front activists broke into the WSU College of Veterinary Medicine, Charlie Powell was there to help clean up the mess. As the senior public relations and communications coordinator for the CVM, Powell helped deal with the destruction caused by two separate attacks involving five different crime scenes in 1991 and 1999.
Today, security for faculty whose research involves the legal, highly regulated use of animals just got a boost with the passage of the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA), which was signed into law by President Bush on Nov. 28. AETA makes it a serious federal crime to engage in unlawful acts of violence and intimidation against legitimate researchers who use animals in their studies.
The law also makes it a crime to threaten secondary or tertiary targets such as business clients, employees, family members, spouses or “intimate partners.” Violators also are required to pay restitution for the cost of damage plus increased operating costs and lost profits.
AETA will update an earlier act passed in 1992 that outlawed the vandalism of animal research facilities but did not specifically address threats or intimidation. The act better equips authorities to defend scientists, medical researchers, ranchers, farmers or other animal industries against the violent tactics used by animal rights extremists. First amendment rights, however, are preserved under the bill “expressive conduct” such as healthy debate, peaceful picketing and demonstrations are exempt.
“There’s an old saying that justice walks with a leaden heel, but strikes with an iron fist,” said Powell. “Activist type crimes to biomedical research and industry have been going on for decades leaving behind millions of dollars of property damage with little penalty being paid. For the CVM, and WSU, the bill provides a level of assurance that if a crime is committed, law enforcement will have more competent tools at hand to seek justice.”
Steve Russell, director of the Office of the Campus Veterinarian, oversees all WSU animal research laboratories and is happy to report that they have consistently passed U.S. Department of Agriculture inspections and have maintained full accreditation through the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care.
