Nero’s Bill Becomes Law
One of my first priorities when I was elected State Representative was to work to pass Nero’s Bill into law.
This bill was inspired out of the tragic events of April 12, 2018. That day, a violent criminal resisting arrest murdered Yarmouth Police Sgt. Sean Gannon, and also gravely injured Sgt. Gannon’s police dog, K9 Nero. I was Deputy Police Chief in Yarmouth at the time.
Unfortunately, due to a loophole in state law back then, Nero was not legally able to receive life-saving emergency medical treatment for his injuries at the scene. He also was not legally able to be transported to the hospital in an ambulance.
Nero’s Bill was filed to help fix this legal loophole and to allow police dogs injured in the line of duty to receive the care that they need.
I was proud to sponsor this law this session, and I worked hard to gather support from elected officials from both parties, as well as many in the community. It worked!
It was my great honor to be at the Sgt. Sean Gannon Police Training Center in Yarmouth to watch Governor Baker sign the bill into law, four years to the day after Sgt. Gannon was killed.
Nero’s Law is more than just a concept. The bill has already been used on several occasions to help treat injured police dogs. Also, first responders across the state are undergoing training to be able to render appropriate assistance under the bill if called upon.
I am also happy to report that other states are beginning to take note. Similar legislation is being considered in a number of other jurisdictions as of this writing!