What's happening
This bill requires all New York state and local police handlers of detection dogs to be trained in administering opioid overdose treatments to dogs.
Why it matters
Protects police dogs from occupational hazards. Police detection dogs are increasingly at risk of accidental opioid exposure during drug investigations. This bill aims to reduce preventable deaths or injuries among these dogs by equipping their handlers with the knowledge and tools to respond rapidly to overdoses.
Mandates ongoing, specialized training. Handlers must be trained (and retrained every two years) to recognize opioid overdose in dogs and properly administer opioid antagonists (like naloxone) via multiple routes (intranasal, intravenous, or intramuscular), ensuring up-to-date skills as drug trends and veterinary best practices evolve.
Requires immediate veterinary follow-up and health reporting. After any administration of an opioid antagonist to a police dog, the animal must be examined by a veterinarian, and the dog's health status reported back to the agency. This ensures proper post-overdose care and monitoring, potentially informing future protocols and safeguarding canine welfare.
Standardizes practices across all law enforcement agencies. By amending multiple laws to cover state, county, and municipal police, the bill creates uniform standards and expectations for all police dog handlers in New York, reducing disparities in animal protection based on jurisdiction or agency resources.
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Protect Police Dogs from Overdose
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History
- Referred to governmental operations
Full text
3 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
10778
IN ASSEMBLY
May 18, 2018
Introduced by M. of A. L. ROSENTHAL -- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Operations
AN ACT to amend the executive law, the county law, and the general municipal law, in relation to requiring all state and local police officers who are handlers of police detection dogs to be trained in the administration of opioid antagonists to dogs
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 221-e to read as follows:
§ 221-e. Opioid antagonist training and use for police detection dogs. 1. As used in this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
(a) "Opioid" means an opiate as defined in section thirty-three hundred two of the public health law.
(b) "Opioid antagonist" means a federal food and drug administrationapproved drug that, when administered, negates or neutralizes in whole or in part the pharmacological effects of an opioid in the body. The opioid antagonist shall be limited to naloxone or other medications approved by the department of health for this purpose.
(c) "Police detection dog" means any dog that is owned or harbored by any state or municipal police department or any state law enforcement agency, which has been trained or is undergoing training to be used to aid law enforcement officers for the purpose of detecting controlled substances.
(d) "Intranasally" means administered into the nasal structures.
(e) "Intravenously" means administered by injection into a vein or veins.
(f) "Intramuscularly" means administered by injection directly into a muscle.
2. Members of the state police who are handlers of police detection dogs shall be trained in the administration of opioid antagonists to dogs who suffer from an opioid overdose as a result of detecting controlled substances.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15823-01-8
A. 10778 2
3. (a) Such training shall include how to administer opioid antagonists intranasally, intravenously or intramuscularly to dogs and any required follow up procedure.
(b) Members of the state police who are handlers of police detection dogs shall complete a refresher training program at least every two years.
4. Officers shall carry an opioid antagonist whenever handling a police detection dog and shall administer such antagonist if the police detection dog exhibits signs of an opioid overdose.
5. The state police shall establish procedures that require police detection dogs be examined by a veterinarian in the employ of the state police, or who is approved by the state police, following the administering of an opioid antagonist to a police detection dog. Such veterinarian shall submit a report to the state police regarding the health of the dog after suffering from the opioid overdose.
§ 2. The county law is amended by adding a new section 663 to read as follows:
§ 663. Opioid antagonist training and use for police detection dogs. 1. As used in this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
(a) "Opioid" means an opiate as defined in section thirty-three hundred two of the public health law.
(b) "Opioid antagonist" means a federal food and drug administrationapproved drug that, when administered, negates or neutralizes in whole or in part the pharmacological effects of an opioid in the body. The opioid antagonist shall be limited to naloxone or other medications approved by the department of health for this purpose.
(c) "Police detection dog" means any dog that is owned or harbored by any state or municipal police department or any state law enforcement agency, which has been trained or is undergoing training to be used to aid law enforcement officers for the purpose of detecting controlled substances.
(d) "Intranasally" means administered into the nasal structures.
(e) "Intravenously" means administered by injection into a vein or veins.
(f) "Intramuscularly" means administered by injection directly into a muscle.
2. All sheriffs, undersheriffs, and deputy sheriffs who are handlers of police detection dogs shall be trained in the administration of opioid antagonists to dogs who suffer from an opioid overdose as a result of detecting controlled substances.
3. (a) Such training shall include how to administer opioid antagonists intranasally, intravenously or intramuscularly to dogs and any required follow up procedure.
(b) Sheriffs, undersheriffs, and deputy sheriffs who are handlers of police detection dogs shall complete a refresher training program at least every two years.
4. Officers shall carry an opioid antagonist whenever handling a police detection dog and shall administer such antagonist if the police detection dog exhibits signs of an opioid overdose.
5. The sheriff's office shall establish procedures that require police detection dogs be examined by a veterinarian in the employ of the sheriff's office, or who is approved by the sheriff's office, following the administering of an opioid antagonist to a police detection dog. Such veterinarian shall submit a report to the sheriff's office on the health of the dog after suffering from the opioid overdose.
A. 10778 3
§ 3. The general municipal law is amended by adding a new section 209-rr to read as follows:
§ 209-rr. Opioid antagonist training and use for police detection dogs. 1. As used in this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
(a) "Opioid" means an opiate as defined in section thirty-three hundred two of the public health law.
(b) "Opioid antagonist" means a federal food and drug administrationapproved drug that, when administered, negates or neutralizes in whole or in part the pharmacological effects of an opioid in the body. The opioid antagonist shall be limited to naloxone or other medications approved by the department of health for this purpose.
(c) "Police detection dog" means any dog that is owned or harbored by any state or municipal police department or any state law enforcement agency, which has been trained or is undergoing training to be used to aid law enforcement officers for the purpose of detecting controlled substances.
(d) "Intranasally" means administered into the nasal structures.
(e) "Intravenously" means administered by injection into a vein or veins.
(f) "Intramuscularly" means administered by injection directly into a muscle.
2. Members of police departments who are handlers of police detection dogs shall be trained in the administration of opioid antagonists to dogs who suffer from an opioid overdose as a result of detecting controlled substances.
3. (a) Such training shall include how to administer opioid antagonists intranasally, intravenously or intramuscularly to dogs and any required follow up procedure.
(b) Members of police departments who are handlers of police detection dogs shall complete a refresher training program at least every two years.
4. Officers shall carry an opioid antagonist whenever handling a police detection dog and shall administer such antagonist if the police detection dog exhibits signs of an opioid overdose.
5. The department shall establish procedures that require police detection dogs be examined by a veterinarian in the employ of the department, or who is approved by the department, following the administering of an opioid antagonist to a police detection dog. Such veterinarian shall submit a report to the department on the health of the dog after suffering from the opioid overdose.
§ 4. This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a law.
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