BELLEVUE, WI (WTAQ) – One area state lawmaker says law enforcement officers should be a protected class.
Wisconsin State Rep. David Steffen (R-Howard) unveiled his so-called “Blue Lives Matter” bill during a press conference back by police chiefs and sheriffs from across the region.
“We have an important message to send as a Legislature, as a state that we will always be behind, and supporting and protecting our law enforcement officers at all times,” Steffen said Monday. “Same protected class as hate crimes that are done against someone because of their ethnicity, because of their race, because of their disability.”
The bill would provide some flexibility to district attorneys and judges that would increase every crime from a misdemeanor to a felony on a sliding scale, including up to 5 years in additional imprisonment and $5,000 in extra fines.
“I am overwhelmed by the level of support I have already received for this proposal from members of law enforcement as well as residents from across our state,” says Steffen. “Now, perhaps more than ever, it is paramount that our officers know they are proudly supported.”
It’s modeled after legislation which was approved in Louisiana this past May, and had been in the works before Steffen says last Thursday’s fatal shootings of five police officers during a protest in Dallas sped up this process.
IMPORTANT FIRST STEP
While attacking police has become a hot topic recently, so has the issue of police brutality against people, specifically blacks, which sparked the recent incident in Dallas. Steffen made it a point to say that he’s not choosing one side of this issue over another.
“There are many steps that we, as a community, as a society, need to take to show unity, to show support and respect for others,” Steffen explains. “This bill is not at the exclusion of any of those initiatives. Is it separate? You bet. But if you think there’s a single opportunity for a single piece of legislation that can solve all the issues, please let me know, I’d be happy to author that too. But I felt it was important, especially under the light of the circumstances of this particular situation last Thursday, that we take this step.”
Steffen went on to say that he’s open and interested in being part of this larger dialogue moving forward.
APPRECIATE THE BADGE
Brown County Sheriff John Gossage, whose department hosted Monday’s press conference, spoke about the importance of this bill.
“We all know the inherent dangers of law enforcement,” says Sheriff Gossage. “This legislation action is necessary because a crime is done strictly out of hatred for the badge, the uniform.”
Gossage, however, could not provide a specific example about a prior incident where this type of hate crime enhancement penalty would’ve properly been applied.
“We’re living in a more volatile society, there’s no doubt about that,” Gossage says. “And every time our men and women go out on calls, we’re thankful that they come back uninjured. We have a number of officer injuries that don’t include assaultive behavior because of the sheer nature of the job. It’s one of those professions that it’s inherently you’re in a dangerous situation.”
The Wisconsin State Legislature is out of session until January, so the bill could not be introduced or debated until then, unless a special session were called. Steffen hopes the bill will be Assembly Bill 1 in the 2017 session.
