A former Troy police officer is ready to investigate crimes once again, but not the kind of cases he used to focus on.
David Dean was sworn in as the new chief humane officer for the Schenectady County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals on Tuesday, Jan. 3, following Matthew Tully’s resignation due to his upcoming military deployment scheduled for July 2012.
Dean, formerly Detective Sergeant for the Troy Police Department, has 20 years of law enforcement experience aptly preparing him for his new position. Tully was the first chief of the SPCA.
“I am an animal lover and throughout the years I have had horses and dogs and cats,” Dean said. “I don’t want to be cliché in the whole give back thing, but … what else do you do with 20 years of police experience if you are not going to continue in law enforcement?”
In 2003, Dean was appointed by the Troy chief of police as public information officer and confidential advisor regarding internal and external department communications. National television productions, such as the History Channel and Discovery Channel, have even contacted Dean for expert analysis involving major criminal case investigations.
After Dean retired from the force in August 2009, he moved to Niskayuna. At 43 years old, he welcomes the opportunity to protect animals.
Being chief of the county SPCA doesn’t carry any form of pay. Everyone working for the SPCA is a volunteer.
Tully expressed gratitude to Dean for stepping up to the unpaid leadership position and said he would be a great addition to the SPCA. The resumes don’t come rolling in for people to work for free, according to Tully.
“I don’t think there is any person better suited to be the chief humane law enforcement officer for the SPCA,” Tully said. “He has tons of investigative knowledge and skills that will be a huge asset to the SPCA … We are honored to have such a high caliber person filling my shoes.”
Dean commended Tully for his work at the SPCA and said he has “big shoes to fill.”
A recent accomplishment for the SPCA was being appointed the county animal control officers for the purpose of enforcing licensing and control of dogs. The agreement allows for revenue generated from fines to be split evenly between the county Sheriff’s Office and SPCA, with the SPCA’s half going towards further enforcement and the Sheriff’s Office’s share going into an account only used for housing animals.
Dean isn’t a newcomer to the SPCA because he has worked with the non-profit law enforcement agency for around two years. He said becoming active in a volunteer organization after retiring was important to him and the SPCA was a good fit.
“I really like the uniqueness of it frankly,” he said. “Everybody that is a part of the organization has no ulterior motives than to do the right thing in the best interest of animals. I really like that nobody collects a paycheck and it is 100 percent volunteer. It takes such a dedication for the volunteers to continue with the organization.”
Throughout his years at the Troy Police Department he said he saw “horror stories” of animal abuse and neglect.
“We are protecting and safeguarding animals that simply cannot do it for themselves,” he said. “They are at the mercy of humans and I like the fact that we are one of the safeguards to hold humans accountable to how they treat their animals.”
Since the agency is mostly run off of donations, Dean said he would focus on fundraising initiatives and recruiting more volunteers. Making sure people are aware of what the SPCA does is important, he said.
“It’s important to state that it is the community’s generosity that allows the SPCA to do what we do,” he said in a statement. “We are all volunteers and rely on donations to help us act upon and prosecute animal rights violation cases.”
He added he wants to break people out of thinking it is different when laws are applied to animals, because it is rooted in the same principles when applied to crimes against people.
“I am looking forward to working with the local towns and the local municipalities in Schenectady County and continuing the great relationship we have with them and becoming a true partner in reducing animal abuse and neglect,” he said.
