Lawmakers hear testimony on ‘Nero’s Law’
‘We owe it to these animals that do so much for us and ask nothing in return (to) give them the best chance they have at survival.’
BRAINTREE POLICE CHIEF TIM COHOON
A pair of bills that would allow medical personnel to treat and transport police dogs injured in the line of duty, dubbed “Nero’s Law,” has picked up steam after K-9 Kitt was killed by gunshot wound in Braintree last month.
“This legislation wouldn’t have helped Kitt that day, because his wounds were such that the medical attention wouldn’t have made much of a difference,” Braintree Police Chief Tim Cohoon said. “But in honor of his sacrifice … we owe it to these animals that do so much for us and ask nothing in return (to) give them the best chance they have at survival.”
The bills, filed in both the House and Senate, were originally brought to the Legislature in 2018, when Yarmouth Police Officer Sean Gannon was killed in the line of duty and his K-9 Nero was badly injured.
State Rep. Steven Xiarhos, who was a Yarmouth deputy chief at the time, relayed the incident in a tearful address to the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security Wednesday afternoon.
“I will never forget the sight of K-9 Nero being carried up covered in blood and gasping for air,” he said.
Although he said paramedics on scene “desperately wanted to render assistance” to Nero, they were legally unable to. Instead, Nero was brought in a police cruiser to the nearest veterinary hospital, where he “amazingly” survived and recovered from his injuries.
Nero’s veterinarian, Dr. Kevin Smith, said the care dogs would need would be similar to the care paramedics are already trained to administer. He added that the “big three” killers of police dogs, including overheating, gunshot wounds and injuries sustained from being hit by a car, are all “super amenable to early intervention you could do in an ambulance,” he said.
Gannon’s parents also testified Wednesday and spoke to the bond ‘their son and Nero had. “K-9s would die readily for their handlers and those who they protect,”
Sean Gannon’s mother, Denise Gannon, said. “K-9s deserve our best effort to ensure their well-being.”
Representatives from the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the American Kennel Club also gave testimony in support of the bill.
Similar laws have already been enacted in San Bernardino, Calif., as well as Florida, Illinois, Mississippi and New York. States including Rhode Island, Connecticut and North Carolina have introduced similar legislation.
When reached for comment after the hearing, Xiarhos said he thought the hearing was “absolutely fantastic.”
“I think the support is there to get it in motion,” he said. “I will never stop until this happens, because it’s personal to me.” In his “dream world,” he said, he hopes to sign the bills into law on Sean Gannon’s birthday this year, Aug. 22.