Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed is facing renewed scrutiny over his past tenure as Detroit's health director, specifically concerning the operations of the city's animal control department.
During El-Sayed's time overseeing the Detroit Animal Care and Control (DACC) starting in late 2015, the department's live-release rate was between 20% and 26%. By late 2016, this rate had reportedly climbed to about 61% to 62%. El-Sayed's campaign points to this improvement as evidence of a turnaround from the conditions he inherited.
However, records from the period surrounding El-Sayed's tenure indicate that 4,680 dogs and cats were euthanized. In the first full calendar year DACC was under the Health Department's purview, 1,056 dogs and 29 cats were euthanized. El-Sayed's Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, has criticized his record, stating, "This is sickening. Abdul El-Sayed wants Michiganders to trust him with their families. Meanwhile, Detroiters couldn’t even trust him with their pets."
The renewed attention also stems from a whistleblower lawsuit filed in October 2015 by a former Detroit Animal Control officer, Brittany Roberts. Roberts alleged that animals died from inadequate food and medical care, lived in unsanitary conditions, and suffered other mistreatment. The lawsuit was filed the same month the city transferred Animal Control from the Detroit Police Department to the Health Department, which El-Sayed led.
Roberts, who began working at the shelter in March 2015, claimed in her lawsuit that she witnessed animals dying from neglect and violations of state law and department policy. She reportedly described the shelter as a "slaughterhouse."
According to The Daily Mail, Best Friends Animal Society reported Detroit Animal Care and Control's 2015 save rate at 20%. Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development data placed its live-release rate at 26% for the same year, with 1,988 dogs and 272 cats euthanized, totaling 2,260 animals.
Animal Control had been under the Detroit Police Department since 2012 before its transfer to El-Sayed's health department in October 2015 as part of a larger overhaul. Following the transfer, the city reportedly ended a no-adoption policy, began working with rescue organizations, and brought in a new animal control director, Melissa Miller, in December 2015. The operation later moved to a larger facility and expanded partnerships with animal welfare groups.
By September 2016, local reports indicated Detroit Animal Care and Control's live-release rate had risen to 61%, and by October, it reached 62%. El-Sayed's campaign has stated that during his tenure, he raised frontline animal-care officer pay by 15%, worked to fully staff the operation, moved it to a more modern facility, overhauled care protocols, and expanded partnerships aimed at increasing live releases. The campaign argues that changes under his leadership resulted in nearly 80% of animals being placed in homes.
However, the department continued to face legal challenges. In February 2016, a federal judge temporarily blocked Detroit Animal Control from seizing dogs without a warrant, consent, or emergency circumstances due to a lawsuit from residents whose dogs allegedly died at the city shelter. In July 2016, Detroit agreed to pay $63,000 to settle Roberts' whistleblower lawsuit.
El-Sayed, during a 2024 podcast interview, described inheriting Detroit Animal Control as part of his role as Health Director, calling it "a mess at the time."