To register, contact the University of Missouri-Columbia at (573) 882-6021 or (800) 825-6505.

» Check out the calendar events for class dates

The National Cruelty Investigations Schools were designed for animal cruelty investigators at the federal, state and local levels; humane society cruelty investigators; animal control officers; police officers and sheriff's deputies responsible for the investigation of animal cruelty complaints; animal shelter administrators; and others who are interested in learning a systematic approach to animal cruelty investigations. There are three levels of the NCIS all of which are five day 40 hour classes.

Level I

Includes introduction to cruelty, abuse & neglect; laws and the legal system; search & seizure; rules of evidence, interview & interrogation techniques; evidence collection, documentation & photography; courtroom demeanor and testimony; report writing and case packaging; veterinarian & peripheral reports; biosecurity and zoonoses; animal law; crisis intervention & officer safety; case studies, presentations & exercises.

Level II

Includes animals as evidence; blood sports - dog and cock fighting; pet store inspections; satanic, cult & beastiality investigations; facility standards & inspections; evaluation of large animal cruelty with veterinarians; body condition scoring of horses, livestock and pets (includes practical); officer survival/defensive tactics; affidavits & search warrants; civil liability for humane investigators; juvenile law.

Level III

Includes relationship of animal cruelty & human violence; animal hoarders; defensive use of aerosol sprays (individual certification); exotic animal investigation; handling large scale impounds; disaster response planning; puppy mills; officer survival/clandestine labs; investigating traveling animal shows.

Level IV

Due to new upcoming classes, level 4 has been placed on hold.