Florida State Senator Files Bill to Triple Prison Time for Harming K-9s

State Senator Aaron Bean has introduced legislation that would triple the prison sentence for any offender who harms a police K-9 in Florida.

"It's the Fang Memorial Bill, which will hold people accountable for murdering a police dog," Bean told News4 Jacksonville .

Currently in Florida, killing a police dog is a third-degree felony -- which carries a sentence of up to five years in prison.

If passed, the new legislation would make killing any public safety dog a second-degree felony, tripling the maximum prison sentence to up to 15 years.

If it passes, this bill would take effect Oct. 1, 2019.