SHB 2191 -
By Committee on Judiciary
WITHDRAWN 02/28/2012
Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:
"Sec. 1 RCW 16.08.040 and 1941 c 77 s 1 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) The owner of any dog which shall bite any person while such
person is in or on a public place or lawfully in or on a private place
including the property of the owner of such dog, shall be liable for
such damages as may be suffered by the person bitten, regardless of the
former viciousness of such dog or the owner's knowledge of such
viciousness.
(2) This section does not apply to the lawful application of a
police dog, as defined in RCW 4.24.410.
Sec. 2 RCW 9A.76.200 and 2003 c 269 s 1 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) A person is guilty of harming a police dog, accelerant
detection dog, or police horse, if he or she maliciously injures,
disables, shoots, or kills by any means any dog or horse that the
person knows or has reason to know to be a police dog or accelerant
detection dog, as defined in RCW 4.24.410, or police horse, as defined
in subsection (2) of this section, whether or not the dog or horse is
actually engaged in police or accelerant detection work at the time of
the injury.
(2) "Police horse" means any horse used or kept for use by a law
enforcement officer in discharging any legal duty or power of his or
her office.
(3) Harming a police dog, accelerant detection dog, or police horse
is a class C felony.
(4)(a) In addition to the criminal penalty provided in this section
for harming a police dog:
(i) The court may impose a civil penalty of five thousand dollars
for harming a police dog.
(ii) The court shall impose a civil penalty of at least five
thousand dollars and may increase the penalty up to a maximum of ten
thousand dollars for killing a police dog.
(b) The fines imposed in this subsection (4) may not be reversed.
Moneys collected must be distributed to the jurisdiction that owns the
police dog."
SHB 2191 -
By Committee on Judiciary
WITHDRAWN 02/28/2012
On page 1, line 1 of the title, after "dogs;" strike the remainder of the title and insert "amending RCW 16.08.040 and 9A.76.200; and prescribing penalties."
EFFECT: A $5,000 fine is discretionary if the police dog is harmed. If the police dog is killed, a $5,000 fine is mandatory and the court may impose up to a $10,000 fine.