The Police Protection Act: Targeting A Police Officer Now Means Extremely Harsh Penalties In Texas
By Dreamer
The July 7 shooting in Dallas, Texas, that left five police officers dead and another nine injured, left law enforcement agencies across the country facing a nightmare. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has decided to face this threat head on with a new bill.
The Police Protection Act proposes making any crime committed against a police officer “out of bias against police” a hate crime. The classification for any assault against an officer would rise from a third-degree felony, to a second-degree, reports
“At a time when law enforcement officers increasingly come under assault simply because of the job they hold, Texas must send a resolute message that the State will stand by the men and women who serve and protect our communities,” Gov. Abbott wrote in a statement released via the Governor’s office.
“The Dallas Police Association applauds Governor Abbott’s bold plan in response to the recent wave of attacks on police officers,” Ron Pinkston, president of the association, responded, notes the Governor’s press release. “Now is the time for our elected leaders across our state and country to do the right thing and join our Governor in his call to better protect police officers.”
“While our state and the nation continue to mourn the heroes lost in Dallas, it is time for us to unite as Texans to say no more,” Abbott continued. “The men and women in uniform risk their lives every day to protect the public, and it is time we show them the State of Texas has their back. Texas will no longer tolerate disrespect for those who serve, and it must be made clear to anyone targeting our law enforcement officials that their actions will be met with severe justice.”
But not all agree with the Governor’s “hate crime” designation. Allison Padilla-Goodman, Louisiana Regional Director for the Anti-Defamation League, responded to a similar bill passed in Louisiana in May.
“Hate Crimes are designed to protect people’s most precious identity categories – their ‘immutable characteristics’ life race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity, and gender identity,” Padilla-Goodman said, reports the San Antonio Current. “Proving the bias intent is very different for these categories as it is for the bias intent of a crime against a law enforcement officer – and adding professional categories to the current Hate Crimes statue deters efforts from protecting against identity-based crimes.”
Sources: Texas Governor's Office, San Antonio Current / Photo Credit: Texas Governor's Office
You are currently reading about The Police Protection Act: Targeting A Police Officer Now Means Extremely Harsh Penalties In Texas. If you've found this helpful, please share The Police Protection Act: Targeting A Police Officer Now Means Extremely Harsh Penalties In Texas on your favorite social media site, such as Facebook, Twitter, or Google+
