A measure aimed at collecting and making animal cruelty crime data public is drawing praise from animal welfare advocates as a means to raise awareness of animal cruelty crime.

“For one thing, it would legitimize the data, so law enforcement wouldn’t have to take a rescue’s word for it when it comes to the volume of crimes,” said Sara Isaacson, president of the Heart of the Redwoods Horse Rescue in California. “Also, keeping data in one place is better than having nonprofits trying to keep their own databases.”

Introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee by Judiciary Committee Chairman U.S. Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) last month, HR 6597, “The Animal Cruelty Statistics Act of 2008,” would require the U.S. Attorney General to collect data on all animal cruelty crimes and to make that data available to the public through the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS).

But Joseph Michael, deputy states attorney for Washington County, Md., is not convinced the legislation represents a new crime fighting tool