Maine Democratic Congressman Jared Golden is co-sponsoring a bipartisan bill that would create stronger penalties for killing or conspiring to kill federally-funded public safety officers as well as U.S. judges.
The so-called "Back the Blue" Act would impose a mandatory minimum 30-year sentence for killing a U.S. judge, police officer, firefighter, chaplain, or ambulance crew member. Offenders would also be subject to the death penalty.
It would also create a new federal crime for assaulting law enforcement officers, with escalating penalties based on injuries and weapons used. Perpetrators who flee to try to avoid prosecution would face a minimum sentence of 10 years.
The bill would also expand self-defense and Second Amendment rights for law enforcement officers.
"At a time when violence against law enforcement is trending upward, we must do more to protect the protectors," Golden said in a written statement. He said his bill would "ensure those who attack or kill officers pay a steep price, and to help reduce violence against officers before it happens.”
The organization Mapping Police Violence has found that incidents of police killing civilians have also risen in recent years.
