Sen. Lewis joins Senate vote for Nero’s Law to protect police dogs

  State Senator Jason Lewis recently joined a unanimous vote in the Massachusetts State Senate for An Act allowing humane transportation of K9 partners, which is also known as Nero’s Law and ensures that law enforcement officers’ K-9 partners can receive life-saving medical attention and transport if injured in the line of duty. The bill comes in response to the tragic events in 2018 that took the life of Yarmouth Police K-9 Sergeant Sean Gannon and severely injured his K-9 partner, Nero.

  “Police dogs often assist our law enforcement officers in dangerous and sometimes deadly situations to protect public safety,” said Lewis. “I’m very pleased that the Senate has passed Nero’s Law in honor of the memory of Sgt. Sean Gannon.”

  In April 2018, Gannon was shot and killed while serving a warrant in Barnstable. Despite the multiple empty ambulances on site, Nero had to be rushed to the animal hospital in the back of a police cruiser. Current Massachusetts law prohibits emergency medical personnel from treating and transporting animals. Fortunately, Nero survived his injuries, but the inability to transport him showed that reform is needed to better care for police working dogs that risk their lives every day to serve the Commonwealth.

  Nero’s Law authorizes emergency medical service personnel to provide emergency treatment and transport of K-9 partners. This includes basic first aid, CPR and administering life-saving interventions, such as naloxone.

  On November 15, the Massachusetts House of Representatives referred Nero’s Law to its committee on Ways and Means.