Tragic death of Braintree K-9 renews attention on Nero’s Law for injured police dogs
A tragic day in Braintree that left a K-9 dead and two officers shot has renewed attention on a long-stalled bill that would allow first responders to treat and transport injured police dogs.
“Perhaps for K-9 Kitt, his last service that he did for us was to put Nero’s Law into the light and back on the forefront of people’s minds,” said Denise Gannon, whose son was killed and his K-9 wounded in 2018 while on the job.
Kitt, a Braintree police dog of 12 years, was shot and killed while responding to a reported domestic disturbance outside a Braintree apartment building Friday. The officers are expected to recover.
Gannon’s son, Yarmouth Police Sgt. Sean Gannon, was shot and killed three years ago while serving a warrant. His loyal K-9 Nero was severely wounded. Though Nero survived that day, then-Yarmouth Deputy Police Chief Steven Xiarhos, said he has since made it his “mission” to make sure no police dog ever again suffered like Nero had.
“I was there when Sean was murdered and when K-9 Nero was brought out of that house bleeding to death,” Xiarhos said. “I saw all the paramedics, EMTs and officers standing there who could not help.”
First responders are prohibited from treating or transporting police K-9s in most situations under current state law.
A bill sponsored by Xiarhos and state Sen. Mark Montigny, D-New Bedford, and co-sponsored by 29 lawmakers on both sides of the aisle would change that.
The proposal prioritizes human treatment ahead of animals and absolves emergency personnel from liability. It also allows for licensed veterinarians to provide written guidelines or provide consultation with EMTs providing animal care, and similarly gives those vets protection from post-incident liability.
“I promised we would fix this and, over three years later, there’s been no justice and we haven’t passed this bill,” Xiarhos, said.
The former cop quit his job of more than 40 years to run for office when the widely supported bill failed last session — derailed by the pandemic.
“I left a job that I loved and purposely retired to run for state office because of what happened to Sean and Nero,” said Xiarhos, whose first order of business was to refile Nero’s Law.
In the wake of a “heartbreaking” weekend in which a K-9 died, Montigny said the time to pass the bill is now.
“Why wouldn’t we do everything possible to save the life of an animal who often saves the life of human beings?” he told the Herald.
Xiarhos has sent a letter requesting the Joint Committee on Public Safety expedite the bill.
The Gannon family, who take care of Nero, has never given up on its fight. Denise Gannon said Nero’s Law is just one more way “make sure no one ever forgets my son.”
from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2RDjQWM
Post a Comment