Requires law enforcement officers to receive training on officer-canine encounters and canine behaviors

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Brian Seitz and 1 co-sponsor

Requires four hours of officer training on officer-canine encounters and canine behavior to improve safety and standardize knowledge.

Referred: Emerging Issues(H)

#animals #boards #commissions #committees #andcouncils #lawenforcementofficersandagencies

Purpose / Intent

The bill amends state peace‑officer basic training requirements to ensure officers receive dedicated instruction on interacting safely and lawfully with dogs. The intent is to improve officer and public safety, reduce unnecessary use of force in canine encounters, and standardize knowledge of canine behavior and applicable law across peace‑officer training programs.

Key provisions

Amends the statute governing POST/basic peace‑officer training (replacement language for section 590.040 in the provided text).

Requires that basic training for every peace officer include at least four hours of instruction specifically on officer‑canine encounters and canine behaviors.

The required four‑hour curriculum must include instruction on:

Understanding and anticipating canine behavior;
Handling canine‑related calls and unplanned encounters with canines;
Use of humane methods and tools when handling canine encounters;
State laws relating to canines;
Application of use‑of‑force continuum principles in relation to canines; and
Use of nonlethal methods to avoid and defend against potential canine attacks.

The bill is embedded in the broader statutory section that sets minimum basic training hours for POST (minimum not lower than 600 hours, with enumerated exceptions and provisions for recognition of out‑of‑state or federal training).

Who is affected

Primary: Individuals completing basic training to become commissioned peace officers (training programs/instructors and cadets).

Secondary: Law enforcement agencies (academy curricula will need to include or add the 4‑hour module), POST commission (oversight and curriculum standards), and indirectly the public and animals (through anticipated changes in officer behavior and responses).

Procedural / timeline notes

Metadata provided: Filed / introduced early 2025 (Filed Jan 02, 2025; first read Mar 14, 2025 in the listing). The document also includes a sequence of legislative actions (committee referrals, amendments, readings) and an entry noting “Notification that HB1719 is now Act 905” (04/21/2025) and enrollment/transmittal to the Governor’s Office (mid‑April 2025). The bill status in the header also shows “Prefiled (H) — 12/01/2025,” indicating multiple versions or cross‑jurisdiction materials are present in the file.

The statutory text does not specify an explicit effective date for the new four‑hour requirement; implementation would typically follow the bill’s effective date if enacted and will require POST and training academies to update curricula.

Notes / context

The document set provided contains materials from multiple jurisdictions and other unrelated bill texts (e.g., maternity‑leave amendments and an Illinois vehicle‑code excerpt). The canine‑training language appears as an amendment to Missouri’s peace‑officer training statute (RSMo §590.040) in the provided text.

Fiscal impacts are not detailed in the canine‑training text; adding four hours of coursework would likely have modest administrative/training costs borne by academies or POST, but no dollar figures are included.

Bill