Bipartisan group of legislators advocates for tougher law.
Assemblymen Andrew Raia (R,I,C-East Northport), Joseph R. Lentol and Ken Zebrowski have announced a bi-partisan effort to push legislation that would increase the penalty for killing a police animal. The lawmakers were joined by Assemblywoman Claudia Tenney (R,C,I-New Hartford), Assemblyman Marc Butler (R,C,I-Newport), and Sen. George Maziarz (R-C, Newfane) in the wake of the recent tragedy in Herkimer in which an FBI dog was shot and killed. As the law currently stands, it is only a misdemeanor to kill a police animal, but a class E felony to kill a service animal. This discrepancy was brought to Assemblyman Raia’s attention by Sgt. William Ricca of the Northport Village Police Department. The new legislation will correct this inconsistency and toughen the law by making it a class D felony for killing a police animal.
“What police animals do for us every day is to be commended and honored. They protect citizens of the community as well as their human police partners. These animals put their lives on the line for the protection of others, and the repercussions for injuring or killing one of these brave animals should be more severe than the current law dictates,” said Raia. “I want to thank my colleagues and, specifically, I want to thank Assemblymen Lentol and Zebrowski for their support of this measure, and I look forward to working across the aisle with them.”
“I am truly thankful Assemblyman Andrew Raia and others in the New York State Legislature have worked to make it a felony to injure or kill a police animal. This bill hits home for me because while working in the NYPD in 1988, my police K-9, Sparky, was killed in the line of duty, and the suspect could only be charged with a misdemeanor,” said Sgt. William Ricca.
To see Assemblyman Raia at this morning’s press conference click link below: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2PJiRlhKys.