Humane Officers

Humane officers investigate complaints of animal abuse and neglect for local governments. They may be employees of a city, town or village; employees of humane societies that contract with local governments to provide these services; or self-employed contractors.

The common thread is that they must specifically be appointed by a local government as humane officers in Wisconsin. Unless they are appointed, they have no authority to investigate these cases. Their job is to gather evidence to see whether neglect or abuse are occurring and put together a case that the district attorney can prosecute. In some cases, if charges are not warranted, they may also work with animal owners to educate them and improve their animal care.

Local government do not have to appoint humane officers; they can rely on the local police or sheriff's department to handle animal cases. Some police officers or deputies who are designated by their departments to handle animal cases take the extra step of being formally appointed as humane officers. Law officers do not need to be appointed as humane officers to handle these cases, but some choose to do so. The specialized training provided for humane officers is helpful to them.

The City of Marshfield employs two humane officers through the Marshfield Police Department:

If you have a concern or question regarding animal abuse or neglect WITHIN MARSHFIELD CITY LIMITS, call Wood County Dispatch to file a report (715) 387-4394.