Representative Mike Garcia (R., Calif.) and Senator Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) introduced legislation on Thursday that would make the murder of a state or local law enforcement officer a federal crime punishable by life imprisonment or the death penalty in certain cases.
“The Defund the Police movement and soft-on-crime policies from the far-left have severely handicapped police officers’ ability to confront skyrocketing crime rates and have put these brave men and women in more danger than ever,” Garcia said in a statement on Thursday. “We must do more to take care of our heroic law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line to keep our communities safe.”
The bill, the Sgt. Steve Owen Defending Our Defenders Act, is named in honor of a Los Angeles County sheriff’s sergeant who was murdered execution-style while responding to a burglary call in October 2016.
Trenton Trevon Lovell pleaded guilty to the murder and was sentenced in May 2021 to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He had two prior convictions and was on parole at the time of the 53-year-old sergeant’s murder.
The bill lays out certain “aggravating factors” for a jury or court to consider when deciding whether or not to impose the death penalty, including whether or not the defendant committed the offense by an act of ambush and whether the defendant “has a prior history of advocating for or promoting acts of violence, including murder or assault, against a law enforcement officer.”
Other aggravating factors include whether the defendant has personally made prior threats of violence against a law enforcement officer, participated in or been affiliated with an organization that has “determined to be an anarchist, domestic terrorist or any other organization or group that actively promotes violence or the overthrow of the Federal Government” and whether the offense was committed during organized anti-law enforcement officer activity or in an effort to prevent lawful execution of law enforcement duties.
“It is critical that we pass this legislation to ensure our law enforcement officers have the protection necessary to do their jobs effectively. The men and women who protect us every day deserve to know that we have their back,” Garcia said.
Cotton noted that law enforcement officers “dedicate their lives to defending the rule of law and protecting their fellow citizens.”
“An attack on an officer is an attack on our democracy, and those criminals must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” Cotton said. “This bill will subject those who murder police to a punishment they deserve, life in prison or the death penalty.”
The legislation was first introduced as the “Defending our Defenders Act” in March 2021 by Cotton and then-Representative Yvette Herrell (R., N.M.)