Saturday, August 31, marked the close of California’s 2024 legislative session. Throughout the session American Kennel Club (AKC) has closely watched two bills that would affect how law enforcement K-9s are deployed in the state. Although the bills advanced out of the state Assembly, neither were voted on by the full state Senate; and neither bill will become law in 2024. AKC appreciates AB 2042’s author, Assemblymember Corey Jackson, and AB 3241’s author, Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco, for their thoughtfulness and willingness to work with stakeholders—including AKC. AKC will continue to monitor similar legislation in future sessions.
To see a complete list of bills AKC GR is tracking in California and other states, visit the AKC legislative tracker at www.akcgr.org.
Bills impacted by the legislative deadline:
- Assembly Bill 2042 – Law enforcement: police canines.
Status: Advanced out of the Assembly; passed out of the Senate Public Safety Committee; held in Senate Appropriations Committee.
Summary: This bill is an amended version of AB 742 from 2023 and would direct the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), on or before January July 1, 2026, to develop guidelines, as specified, for the use of canines by law enforcement, including guidelines concerning canine deployment and a prohibition on using canines for crowd control. Additionally, each law enforcement agency with a canine unit would need to have a police canine policy compliant with POST guidelines by July 1, 2027. This bill would only have become law with the passage of AB 3241. AKC is working with the author’s office and will continue to monitor any future proposals.
- Assembly Bill 3241 – Law enforcement: police canines.
Status: Advanced out of the Assembly; passed out of the Senate Public Safety Committee and Senate Appropriations Committee; not voted on by full Senate.
Summary: This bill would have required the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), on or before July 1, 2026, to study and issue recommendations to the Legislature on the use of canines by law enforcement. The bill would also require each law enforcement agency with a canine unit to annually publish a report of the use of canines on its website.
AKC Government Relations continues to monitor bills in California impacting dog owners and will provide updates. For questions or more information, contact AKC GR at doglaw@akc.org.