One recommendation the Alliance frequently makes to farms, plants and other facilities is to have proactive conversations with law enforcement about the threat of animal rights activism. Advanced discussions have been shown to make a considerable difference in effectively managing a protest or other activist incident. I’d encourage you to take a moment to discuss the topics below with local law enforcement contacts.

Explain the threat. Be prepared to explain why you are concerned about activist activity. Examples of how similar businesses have been targeted by groups would be helpful to share so law enforcement officers can have an idea of what may happen. It will help you be taken more seriously if you can demonstrate that trespassing, theft of animals and large-scale protests are indeed happening in rural areas in different areas of the country. My previous blogs would be helpful in illustrating this!

Identify individuals and groups of concern. If you are already aware of particular activist groups or individuals in your area, share this information. Organizations that are specifically known for unlawful activity such as protests include Direct Action Everywhere, Anonymous for the Voiceless and The Save Movement.

Learn local ordinances regarding protests, trespassing, etc. It’s important to know what rights you have as a property owner and what protesters are legally allowed to do. Specific topics to cover include:

Are permits required for protesters to assemble in your area?
How can you know and document your property boundaries?
- In some instances, activists have disputed where a property owner thinks their private property begins.
What limits are in place for protests?
- Typically, protesters cannot block public roadways or stop you from entering or exiting your property.

Ask how to protect yourself proactively. Ask for advice on how you can take proactive steps to avoid being targeted by activist groups, or to mitigate the damage to your business if you do have an issue. This might include “no trespassing” signage, security cameras, gates, locks, etc.

Establish a game plan for if you are targeted. Find out what steps law enforcement would recommend you take if you do have an issue arise. What can you do to protect your property before officers arrive? Who do you contact if there is a problem: 911 or contact someone directly? What about if something suspicious has happened but it is not a current emergency? Would it be useful to provide maps of your property for law enforcement to have on file?

Once you’ve had an initial conversation, make sure to keep the dialog going. Don’t let this be a one-and-done discussion. Stay in touch regularly and notify law enforcement as new trends emerge or if suspicious incidents happen in your area. Again, pass along these blogs!

Conversations with law enforcement

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