Kansas is poised to stiffen penalties for killing police dogs and horses, after the Legislature gave final approval Tuesday after a suspect strangled a dog in the state’s largest city last year.
The Republican-controlled state Legislature voted 115-6 to pass a bill that would allow first-time offenders who kill police animals, arson dogs, game warden dogs, or searchers to be sentenced to more than three years in prison. It was approved. If the murder occurred when the suspect was trying to evade law enforcement, a rescue dog and up to five years in prison. Violators could be fined up to $10,000.
Currently, the penalty for killing a police dog is up to a year in prison and a fine of $500 to $5,000, and the law does not specifically target horses.
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“So much time and money is invested in these animals,” said House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican who is the bill’s lead sponsor. “They have to train constantly, so there should be a pretty severe penalty for killing even one person.”
Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins (third from right) poses with Wichita-area law enforcement officers and Wichita police dog Oz in the House chamber on February 1, 2024 in Topeka, Kansas. Oz’s handler, Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Deputy Tyler Brooks, can be seen to the left of the dog. The photo behind the group is of Brooks’ former K-9 partner, Bane, who was strangled to death by a domestic violence suspect. Mr. Brooks helped draft a bill that would increase penalties for killing police dogs. (Carrie Rafalt/Kansas House of Representatives via Associated Press)
The Republican-controlled Senate approved the bill by a narrow 25-15 margin last week, and it will then go to Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, who has not publicly said whether she will sign it. do not have. Mr. Kelly typically signs legislation with bipartisan support, but most of the 11 Senate Democrats opposed the bill.
Tightening penalties has bipartisan support across the country.In Colorado, the Democratic-led General Assembly approved a bill last month. The proposal advanced in Republican-controlled legislatures in Missouri and West Virginia, and has been introduced in at least four other states.
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The Kansas measure was inspired by the death of 8-year-old Wichita police dog Bane in November. Authorities say a domestic violence suspect took shelter in a storm drain and strangled Bain when deputies sent in a dog to flush him out.
But critics of the measures question how dogs are used in police enforcement, especially when suspects of color are involved. Their use also has a troubled history, including being used by Southern authorities during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and his 1960s.
“Police dogs’ jaws are strong enough to punch through metal plates. Victims of police dog attacks suffer serious and even fatal injuries,” said the National Lawyers Association National Police Accountability Project. Staff attorney Keisha James said in written testimony before the Senate. Last month’s committee. “When someone is attacked by a police dog, it means they are trying to protect themselves.”
