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ALBANY —
In the wake of last week's shootings in Herkimer County, the state Senate this week may vote on a bill that would make killing a police dog a felony, said state Sen. Joseph Griffo, R-Rome.
Griffo and state Sen. James Seward, R-Oneonta are among the co-sponsors of the bill, which has passed in the state Senate in prior years but not in the Assembly.
Officials hope that may change this year, however, after an FBI police dog named Ape was among the victims shot by 64-year-old Kurt Myers last week before police killed him Thursday following a 19-hour standoff in Herkimer.
If the bill passes, it would increase the penalty for harming a police canine from a misdemeanor to a class D felony, Griffo said. It would also expand the current lay to apply not just when a dog is killed in the line of duty, but anytime a dog is killed or injured while clearly identifiable as a police dog.
“As a former mayor, who’s has seen the work firsthand of these highly trained, heroic animals, we should consider felony charges when they’re harmed,” Griffo said in a news release. “These dogs help protect the public and when you attack them, you’re a threat to law enforcement.”
In the wake of last week's shootings in Herkimer County, the state Senate this week may vote on a bill that would make killing a police dog a felony, said state Sen. Joseph Griffo, R-Rome.
Griffo and state Sen. James Seward, R-Oneonta are among the co-sponsors of the bill, which has passed in the state Senate in prior years but not in the Assembly.
Officials hope that may change this year, however, after an FBI police dog named Ape was among the victims shot by 64-year-old Kurt Myers last week before police killed him Thursday following a 19-hour standoff in Herkimer.
If the bill passes, it would increase the penalty for harming a police canine from a misdemeanor to a class D felony, Griffo said. It would also expand the current lay to apply not just when a dog is killed in the line of duty, but anytime a dog is killed or injured while clearly identifiable as a police dog.
“As a former mayor, who’s has seen the work firsthand of these highly trained, heroic animals, we should consider felony charges when they’re harmed,” Griffo said in a news release. “These dogs help protect the public and when you attack them, you’re a threat to law enforcement.”
