Law enforcement animals in Colorado now have new protections after Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill into law Wednesday.

House Bill 1074 gives police canines and horses their own legal category, specifying that “a person commits the offense of aggravated cruelty to animals if the person knowingly or recklessly kills or causes serious physical harm resulting in the death of a law enforcement animal or causes serious physical harm to a degree that the law enforcement animal must be decommissioned from active duty for at least three months.”

Already a felony, the law adds new consequences, a mandatory minimum fine of $2,000 plus restitution for costs to rehabilitate or replace the hurt or killed animal. It also mandates anger management or any similar treatment program, KKTV reports.

Those heavily involved in the law’s passage said the cause is dear to their hearts. El Paso County Sheriff’s Office K9 handler Ronnie Hancock and his wife, among others, have been lobbying to increase the penalty for harming police animals ever since Hancock’s K9 partner, Jinx, died in the line of duty during an incident in Manitou Springs in April of 2022.