U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) has introduced bipartisan legislation to protect America’s police officers from ambushes and violence.
“They know the risks, but what no law enforcement officer signs up for is to be violently ambushed simply for being a police officer,” said Sen. Hatch. “These heinous, cowardly assaults are an attack not just on law enforcement, but on the rule of law.”
The Protect and Serve Act of 2018, which Sen. Hatch and U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) said they unveiled on May 7, would create a new federal crime category for such targeted attacks on police officers.
An identical bill, H.R. 5698, was introduced on May 8 in the U.S. House of Representatives by U.S. Reps. John Rutherford (R-FL) and Val Demings (D-FL) and it has been referred to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee.
According to the text of H.R. 5698 in the congressional record, the bill would amend Title 18 of the United States Code to add a section on crimes targeting law enforcement officers. Under this section, anyone who knowingly causes or attempts to cause serious bodily injury to a law enforcement officer would be imprisoned for up to 10 years. An individual would be imprisoned for up to a life sentence if death results from the offense, or if the offense includes kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, or an attempt to kill, according to the text.
“Every day, law enforcement officers across the country put their lives on the line to protect us from harm,” Sen. Hatch said. “We are all indebted to them for their sacrifices and their service to our communities, which is why we must do all that we can to protect them.”
The bill, he said, would clarify “that no criminal will be able to escape justice when he singles out and assaults those who put on the badge every day to keep us safe.”
Sen. Heitkamp added that the bipartisan bill “would make clear that attacks against law enforcement officers based on their role to protect and serve the community will be met with harsh penalties, and that these crimes will be elevated and prioritized.”
The bill already has garnered support from groups such as the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO), and the National Sheriffs’ Association, among others.
William J. Johnson, executive director of NAPO, called the bill critical right now. “There is a serious and growing trend of armed attacks on law enforcement officers,” he said. “NAPO strongly believes that increased penalties make important differences in the attitudes of criminals towards public safety officers, and ensure protection for the community.”
“Finally, Congress has decided to act,” said Chuck Canterbury, FOP’s national president. “Our nation’s law enforcement officers face dangers every day in the course of protecting their communities, but now they face a new threat — deliberate attacks, often by ambush, by people who desire nothing more than to wound or kill an officer.”
Since May 2016, several states have made it a hate crime when police are attacked because of their occupation, according to a statement from Sen. Hatch’s office, which noted that the Protect and Serve Act is similar in that it is modeled after the federal hate crime statute.
Among several provisions, Sen. Hatch’s staff also said the bill would require the U.S. Attorney General (AG) to certify that a state has waived jurisdiction or that federal prosecution is in the public interest and necessary to secure substantial justice; and would require the AG to develop guidelines for determining whether a crime was committed because of the actual or perceived status of person as a law enforcement officer.