Injured police dogs will get ambulance rides under law

Police dogs injured in the line of duty will soon be able to be taken by ambulance to emergency veterinarian clinics.

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Friday aimed at protecting K-9 dogs that work alongside law enforcement.

“It will end up potentially saving the lives of some of our K-9s,” DeSantis said at a news conference in St. Augustine.

The bill stipulates that dogs can be transported by ambulance as long as no person requires medical attention. It also authorizes paramedics to render aid.

State Sen. Tom Wright, who served two years as a volunteer K-9 officer, led efforts to pass the bill in the Legislature.

“I know how much ... these dogs mean to these officers,” the New Smyrna Beach Republican said. “They are part of their family, and we need to take care of them.”

The new law takes effect July 1.

In 2019, DeSantis signed legislation that increased the penalty for seriously hurting or killing a police dog, making it a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

Hours later at a news conference in Largo, the governor signed a law recognizing three fallen law enforcement officers with roads named in their honor.

Hillsborough Sheriff’s Sgt. Brian LaVigne was one shift from retirement in January when a fleeing suspect crashed into his cruiser.

About a month later, Pinellas County Sheriff’s Deputy Michael Magli died while trying to apprehend a drunken driver.

Tampa Police Officer Jesse Madsen sacrificed his life in March when he used his patrol SUV to shield other motorists from a vehicle driving the wrong the way. The oncoming vehicle crashed into Madsen’s SUV, and both drivers died at the scene.

“These were men who put the safety of their communities above their own safety,” the governor said during a bill signing ceremony at the Pinellas County Sheriff ’s Office. As he signed the bill into law, the Republican governor was flanked by the widows of two of the fallen officers. LaVigne’s daughter, who had followed her father into law enforcement, also looked on.