The Kansas House recommended the state increase punishments for people who injure or kill police dogs or horses.
Currently, someone who injures or kills an on-duty police animal can be jailed for a maximum of one year under Kansas law and fined up to $5,000. House Bill 2583 would increase that to over four years if someone is found to have harmed a police animal to the point of disability or death, and up to seven years if it’s done while attempting to evade arrest. It also sets a minimum fine at $10,000.
The bill comes after a Wichita man killed a Sedgwick County service dog that pursued him down a storm drain as he fled from police. Deputy Tyler Brooks, who handled Bane, the dog killed in Wichita, wrote in support of the bill saying the animals are invaluable resources for police work, current sentencing guidelines aren’t significant enough and the animals bond with the officer and their families.
K-9 partners are more than a tool for officers, deputy says
“We, as handlers, spend more time with our K-9 partners than we do with our own families,” Brooks wrote. “It’s easy to see how our partners become more than just a tool for us to use, given how much time we spend with each other. Bane was much more than just a tool to me. Bane became part of my family.”