FINAL BILL REPORT

                  HB 1864

                         C 180 L 93

                     Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description:  Affording accelerant detection dogs the same protection as police dogs.

By Representatives Finkbeiner, Dyer, Horn, L. Johnson, Orr, Brumsickle, Cothern, Springer, Mastin, Brough, Long, King and R. Meyers.

House Committee on Judiciary

Senate Committee on Law & Justice

Background:  The state fire marshal may use an "accelerant detection dog" in an arson investigation to detect whether an accelerant was used to set the fire.  Unlike police dogs, which help police investigate crimes or apprehend suspects, accelerant detection dogs are not protected by a criminal statute which prohibits injuring or killing a police dog.  A person is guilty of harming a police dog if the person maliciously injures, disables, shoots, or kills a dog that the person knows or has reason to know is a police dog.  The dog does not have to be engaged in police work when the person injures or kills the dog.  Harming a police dog is a class C felony.

Summary:  The criminal statute which prohibits injuring or killing police dogs is made applicable to accelerant detection dogs used by the state fire marshal in arson investigations to detect accelerants used to set fires.  If a person maliciously injures, disables, shoots, or kills an accelerant detection dog when the person knows or has reason to know the dog is an accelerant detection dog, the person is guilty of a class C felony.  The dog does not have to be engaged in accelerant detection when the person injures or kills the dog. A definition of "accelerant detection dog" is provided.

Votes on Final Passage:

House  98 0

Senate 47 0

Effective:  July 25, 1993