Miller, Ferguson Announce Passing of House Bill 392

COLUMBUS – State Representative Kevin Miller (R-Newark) and State Representative Ron Ferguson (R-Wintersville) announced the passing of House Bill 392, which authorizes emergency medical personnel to transport a police dog by ambulance if the K-9 is injured in the line of duty. The legislation passed the house with a vote of 84-0. 

Current law, already allows certain medical services to be provided to an injured K-9 at the scene of an emergency, but House Bill 392 expands the ability of a medical professional to allow for life-saving transportation of a K-9 to a veterinarian center for treatment. 

“I am pleased to see this important legislation pass the Ohio House and know that our first responders will be grateful for us enacting this legislation because of the significant monetary and personal investments our law enforcement give to these K-9’s,” said Ferguson. 

With this legislation, a K-9 will only be transported via emergency services if the K-9 is injured in the line of duty and no other human requires emergency medical transport at the scene.  

Police K-9’s play an integral role in our state's communities and if the circumstances are right they should receive the correct medical attention to ensure their safety and wellbeing. 

K-9’s must endure intense training before they are deemed ready for service and that training comes at a large expense. As a result, it is imperative that we protect the investment we put into our canines. House Bill 392 does just that. 

“As former State Trooper for 22 years and the former commander of the K-9 training unit I understand firsthand the value our dogs add to our law enforcement and it is extremely important to protect them just as we would our other fellow law enforcement,” said Miller.