Advertisement

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

The badge of Louisiana State Police Officer Brett Travis is covered with a black band in remembrance of slain Kentucky State Police Trooper Joseph Cameron Ponder at the Severns Valley Baptist Church in Elizabethtown, Ky., Friday, Sept. 18, 2015. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

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.

Story continues below advertisement

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.

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

“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.”

READ MORE: Prosecutor suggests no prison for NY officer in unarmed stairwell shooting

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.

Story continues below advertisement

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.”

READ MORE: Cleveland withdraws $500 bill to family of 12-year-old killed by police

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.

Sponsored content

AdChoices