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Animal cruelty cases are up 55 percent in Michigan since 2021.
Now, Wayne County is stepping up efforts to prosecute those cases, the Detroit News reports.
The News reports: .
Earlier this fall, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy asked the Wayne County Commission to dedicate more money to prosecuting animal cruelty and neglect cases. Worthy, who had a $60.8 million budget from the general fund in the past fiscal year, got a bump from the commission to $66.7 million for the 2025-26 fiscal year that began Wednesday.
Worthy's pursuit of more money to prosecute animal abuse cases came as the Detroit Police Department is gearing up to train investigators more in-depth on animal cruelty and abuse. Department spokesperson Cpl. Dan Donakowski said the department will be working with the prosecutor's office, Michigan Humane and Detroit's Animal Care agency on training for animal cruelty investigations.
"Animal abuse cases are critically important because it's a part of family violence," Worthy told the Wayne County Commission in September.
