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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The Massachusetts State Senate has voted to pass a bill that would allow first responders to transport and provide emergency medical care to injured police dogs.
The Massachusetts State Senate passed Nero's Law in a 38-0 vote. The bill was named after the Yarmouth police dog who was shot and injured back in 2018, while helping officers serve an arrest warrant.
State Rep. Steve Xiarhos has helped push the legislation forward. "It's a bittersweet feeling to see in a way triumph come out of tragedy, it's quite a day," said Xiarhos.
He was deputy police chief at the time of the shooting, which took the life of Yarmouth Police Sergeant Sean Gannon. Nero's Law would authorize ambulances to provide emergency care to injured police dogs and transport them to a veterinary hospital.
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"It really means a lot to the police officers and the 250 dogs that are serving us," said Xiarhos.
The bill now adances to the Massachsuetts House of Representatives and Xiarhos said he is hopeful he'll be able to present it to his fellow lawmakers sometime next week.
WBZ NewsRadio's Tim Dunn (@ConsiderMeDunn) reports:
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