INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana legislators are backing a proposal that would force anyone convicted of killing or permanently disabling a police dog to pay the cost of replacing the animal.
The Senate voted 42-7 on Tuesday to approve a bill similar to one that the House unanimously backed last month.
The bill's supporters say police departments face spending up to $12,000 to buy and train a dog and that taxpayers shouldn't have to pay to replace one lost because of a criminal act.
Current law makes it a felony punishable by six months to three years in prison to kill or badly injure a police dog, but judges have the option of whether to order the payment of reimbursement cost.
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