It is 5 a.m. on a residential street in West Baltimore. An arrest warrant is being served on a suspected felon. The arrest is made, weapons and narcotics are found, but the underlying felony suspected is not weapons possession or narcotics distribution. It is dog fighting. And Animal Control is on the scene.

You may think of them as "dogcatchers," but this antiquated term fails to capture the critical — often dangerous — work performed by animal enforcement officers. Now considered "Humane Law Enforcement," these officers have broadened their skills to include all phases of investigation and coordination with other law enforcement agencies.

In Baltimore, this work is performed by the Office of Animal Control, a small unit in the Health Department's Bureau of Environmental Health, comprised of a little over a dozen officers, who are responsible for covering three shifts daily, seven days a week, year-round.

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