Louisiana ‘Blue Lives Matter’ bill would treat attacks on police as hate crimes

Louisiana lawmakers are considering legislation that would classify offences committed against police officers and firefighters as hate crimes.

While many consider a hate crime to be an act of violence against a person based on a trait like race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation, a Louisiana House committee advanced a bill Wednesday to increase the penalty for attacking law enforcement officers, firefighters and emergency medical workers, The Advocate reported.

The so-called “Blue Lives Matter” bill was sponsored by Republican Rep. Lance Harris who pointed to several high-profile attacks on first-responders across the country. He says those attacks have created a need for more protection. The “Blue Lives Matter” is a play on “Black Lives Matter” an activist movement that has drawn attention to violence against African-Americans by law enforcement.

He cited the fatal shooting of two NYPD officers during the 2014 Black Lives Matter protests over Eric Garner’s death, and a Houston deputy killed at a gas station last year after being shot 15 times.

“There have been serious crimes committed against our first responders. Unfortunately, many of these situations have ended in fatalities,” Harris wrote on Facebook. “Those who serve us, often in dangerous situations, deserve protections against violence.”

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Think Progress, a liberal political news organization, criticized the bill saying there is “no evidence to support the idea that there’s a war on cops,” and pointed to a report from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) which found the average number of officer fatalities has been dropping since 1973.

The report noted that while the number of officers killed nationwide rose slightly from 119 in 2014 to 124 in 2015, the 42 firearms-related fatalities in 2015 are 26 per cent lower than the average of 57 per year for the decade spanning 2000-2009.

Allison Goodman, a regional director for the Anti-Defamation League, told The Advocate that hate crime laws aren’t designed to protect people based on their employment.

“Proving the bias intent for a hate crime for law enforcement or first responders is very different than proving it for someone who is Jewish or gay or black,” she said. “It’s really focused on immutable characteristics.”

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The proposed Louisiana legislation follows a national movement that included a “Blue Lives Matter” bill introduced in Congress in March.

“Despite the risk, our law enforcement officers put on their uniform every day so that they can serve our communities,” said Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.), who sponsored the bill.