Senate Republicans push greater penalties for assaulting police officers amid 'dangerous rise in attacks'
Protect and Serve Act would apply to federal law enforcement officers and some state and local officers
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and more than a dozen of his fellow Senate Republicans are pushing for greater penalties for assaults on law enforcement officers by reintroducing on Tuesday a bill that would make it a federal crime to knowingly cause or attempt to cause injury to an officer.
"Law enforcement officers in North Carolina and across the country are heroes who risk their lives every day to protect our communities," Tillis said in a statement.
"Those who commit senseless acts of violence against law enforcement officers must be held accountable for their actions, which is why I am proud to reintroduce this legislation that creates federal penalties for criminals who target law enforcement. They put their lives on the line to protect us, and we should do the work in Congress to protect them."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}TWO MEN CHARGED WITH ASSAULTING CAPITOL POLICE OFFICER SICKNICK WITH CHEMICAL SPRAY
Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said the bill, called The Protect and Serve Act, is timely because of "a dangerous rise in attacks against those who have chosen to wear a badge."
"Our men and women in uniform put their lives on the line day in and day out for the safety of communities across the country," Thune said in a statement. "Over the last year, we’ve seen a dangerous rise in attacks against those who have chosen to wear a badge. These kinds of attacks and violence against law enforcement officers are unacceptable and must be punished, which is why I am pleased to support this bill."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}An honor guard places an urn with the cremated remains of U.S. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick and folded flag on a black-draped table at center of the Capitol Rotunda to lie in honor Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021, in Washington. (Leah Millis/Pool via AP)
The Protect and Serve Act would apply to federal law enforcement officers and to state and local officers where there is a federal connection, and the attorney general would have to certify state or local government does not have jursidiction or have requested federal jurisdiction, according to Tillis' office. An offender could receive a life sentence if a death results from their offense.
Tillis' office related the law to the death of U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick on Jan. 7, after he was injured during the assault on the Capitol the day before. Two men have been charged with assaulting Sicknick after prosecutors said video evidence shows them dousing Sicknick and other law enforcement officers with a chemical spray outside the building.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Forty-seven officers were shot and killed in the line of duty in 2020, according to the Fraternal Order of Police, which has endorsed the bill.
Tillis previously introduced The Protect and Serve Act in 2020, and before that it passed the House in 2018 only to languish in the Senate.
Current Senate cosponsors include Thune, Rob Portman of Ohio, Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Richard Burr of North Carolina, Rick Scott of Florida, John Boozman or Arkansas, Mike Braun of Indiana, Jerry Moran of Kansas, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Steve Daines of Montana, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, Roger Wicker of Mississippi, Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Susan Collins of Maine.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News' Danielle Wallace and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.