On Saturday, October 23, Massachusetts State Representative Steven Xiarhos (Sandwich), House sponsor of HB 2547, “Nero’s Law”, together with Police Chief Frank Fredrickson and Yarmouth Board of Selectmen dedicated the newly built K-9 and police officer training center in the name of Sgt. Sean Gannon.
The training center is located behind the Yarmouth Police Department as a memorial to Sgt. Gannon, who lost his life while serving an arrest warrant in 2018. During the incident, his police K-9 Nero suffered career-ending injuries. The Cape Cod Times published an article covering the community celebration where Denise and Patrick Gannon noted sincere appreciation that their son would not be forgotten.
Emergency medical personnel were not authorized to emergency transport and treat Nero that fatal day back in April 2018. Sgt. Gannon’s parents continue to advocate that the law be changed. The legislative session ended last year without the bill being adopted.
Legislation has been filed again this session by Representative Steven Xiarhos and Senator Mark Montigny, that would authorize the emergency care and transport of police K-9s injured while on duty. The Massachusetts Joint Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee voted the legislation favorably on October 12, 2021. Both the House and Senate Ways and Means Committees are currently reviewing the bill and will decide whether to send it to the floor for a vote in their respective chambers.
To support the legislation’s passage, AKC’s Government Relations attended Saturday’s event. A flyer was shared with attendees detailing how they could help by simply sending two emails. If you are a Massachusetts resident, please click here and follow the instructions on how you can help too!
The American Kennel Club (AKC) honors the contribution these working dogs and their handlers make, and the important role they play in keeping our communities safe. Police K-9s are specially trained and certified to serve multiple purposes from search and rescue to explosive detection. If injured, these K-9s deserve nothing less than emergency transport and treatment.
