HB 908 Correctional facilities; prohibited acts, use of canines by officers

About HB-908

Use of canines in correctional facilities; prohibited acts. Makes it unlawful for any correctional officer, jail officer, or other employee of a state, local, or juvenile correctional facility to use a canine, except where there is an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury to any prisoner or detained juvenile or any officer or employee of the facility, to extract a prisoner or detained juvenile from his cell or to intervene in an altercation, fight, or other incident between prisoners or detained juveniles. The bill requires that all incidents involving the use of a canine be reported to a database established by the Department of Corrections or the Department of Juvenile Justice, as applicable, and that such reports be made available to the public and include the name of the facility, the name of the canine, and the name of the canine's handler. The bill also requires that the Department of Corrections or the Department of Juvenile Justice, as applicable, make public any policies relating to the use of canines, training requirements for both canines and handlers, and the supervision of the officers or employees who are permitted to handle such canines.