Lieutenant Alan Borgal

Lieutenant Alan Borgal has been employed by the Animal Rescue League of Boston (ARL) for 37 years and is currently the Director for the Center of Animal Protection, which encompasses the supervision of all of the ARL/Boston's Law Enforcement division activities, technical animal rescue services, and advocacy services. He has been a Massachusetts Special State Police Officer since 1981 and has extensive experience and knowledge of field investigations involving animal abuse and the unlawful killing of animals. Lt. Borgal attended the Massachusetts Criminal Justice Training Council Fall River Police Academy in 1981.

In 1997, Alan was awarded a citation from the Boston Police Commissioner for co-founding “Operation Dog Tag” which was formed to investigate illegal activities with animals such as street dogfighting. In 2007, he was awarded the Richard A. Stein, Sr. Distinguished Service Award, presented by the Animal Control Officers Association of Massachusetts for his lifetime work in animal protection and animal control. Also in 2007, he was awarded the “Heroes Among Us Award” presented by the Boston Celtics. In May of 2011, the Massachusetts Environmental Health Association awarded Lt. Borgal the Vartkes K. “VIC” Karaian Award in recognition of the outstanding contribution to and support of the practice of environmental health in the community for his work with animal hoarding.

Lt. Borgal has lectured extensively on educating the public about the link between animal cruelty and interpersonal violence, and the need for all law enforcement entities to take a leadership role in preventing animal abuse.   

Lt. Borgal’s true passion in animal welfare work is the spaying and neutering of animals to reduce the number of unwanted litters and births. Lt. Borgal is extremely proud of the fact that he came up through the ranks first as a shelter kennel worker and then as an Ambulance Rescue Agent for the Animal Rescue League of Boston. Alan says, “Because of these early experiences directly working in the shelter, I have always remained an advocate for how hard shelter personnel work to care for the animals that I seize and expect them to care for”.