MEMPHIS, TN (abc24.com) - Two Memphis Animal Shelter employees are still on the job, despite watching animals being tortured and doing nothing. An undercover police officer testified they were in the euthanasia room at the shelter when the abuse was taking place.
The employees were never criminally charged, but some wonder why they still have a job.
Animal advocate Ona Cooper noted, "If you work for child services and you witness abuse you are obligated to report it and we felt like if you work for the animal shelter and witness abuse to an animal you are obligated to report it."
Cooper is mad the two employees who witnessed dogs being tortured in the shelter are still on the job. Not reporting abuse not only violates city and state law, it violates the shelter's employee policies.
Last week when two former shelter workers were sentenced for animal cruelty, a Memphis police undercover officer testified that two employees, in addition to those criminally charged, were in the euthanasia room when the abuse took place. So why haven't they been disciplined?
According to George Little, the city's Chief Administrative Officer, "As I understand it in this particular case, because they were witnesses to criminal proceedings we wanted to get the criminal proceedings out of the way before the administrative proceedings. We certainly didn't want to compromise what we thought was a very strong criminal case."
That's no excuse, say animal advocates who fear as time passes, the less likely it is anything will be done to the employees.
"They should be fired," Cooper stated. "If you witness abuse and work at the shelter you should be fired for not reporting it."
Truth is if the city doesn't act fast the employees may get away with this. That's because the union agreement limits the length of time the city has to discipline employees, and time is running out.
