It would be a mistake for Syracuse to outsource animal cruelty investigations (Your Letters) Posted May 14, 2021 Facebook Share A shining star of Syracuse community policing may be going dark. The Syracuse Police Department is considering dismantling its Animal Cruelty Unit to save money and realign staff. Instead, they would contract with an outside agency for cruelty investigation. When services are outsourced, the gains must outweigh the losses. In this case, they would not. What’s to lose? Community policing. Syracuse Police Chief Kenton Buckner and Mayor Ben Walsh promote it as the pathway to improved public safety and quality of life for residents. Why then would they outsource a model program of community policing?