The bill already received preliminary approval from house members. The bill will make it mandatory for police officers in the state to go through canine encounter training.
The bill’s approval comes a year after an officer from Fort Worth fatally shot a border collie. The young officer never had training to deal with a canine out in the field and was afraid of dogs.
The training program requires officers to undergo four hours of classroom instruction on distinguishing between dogs that are friendly and dogs that are aggressive, as well as understanding canine behavior and using non-lethal methods to defend themselves in the event of a canine attack.
State Rep. Helen Giddings, said that there has been quite a few unfortunate situations about animals that have been harmed unnecessarily. She continued to say that officers who have not had canine training have had to make split-second decisions on how to protect citizens, as well as how to protect themselves.
Data shows that officers are likely to encounter dogs on one in three house calls. The original version of the bill didn’t require four hours of training, instead it required eight hours and online training courses were barred. As for where the training would come from, it would be provided by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement. The commission will review the content of the training program at least once every four years, and will make updates if needed.
