This week, U.S. Rep. David Jolly, R-Fla., brought out the Thin Blue Line Act which would make murdering a police officer, firefighter or first responder killed in federal jurisdiction an aggravating factor in federal death penalty decisions.
This legislation will hopefully serve as an even greater deterrent and help protect the men and women who risk their lives for the safety and well-being of others, Jolly said when he introduced the bill earlier this week.
Under Jollys bill, the death penalty would be an aggravating factor in cases where state and local police officials, firefighter and first responders are killed on federal lands, in interstate homicides or as part of a joint task force.
Jolly pointed to the way the law was currently set up and said it needed to be altered considerably.
Current federal law only cites the homicide of a federal public servant, Jolly said. This bill would close that loophole and treat all police equally under federal law.
Jollys bill is winning the support of law enforcement groups including the Major County Sheriffs Association (MCSA) and the National Association of Police Organizations.
Calling the legislation a step in the right direction," Donny Youngblood, the president of the MCSA, wrote Jolly on Monday to back the bill.
??This legislation would make the murder of law enforcement officers,? ?firefighters and other first responders an aggravating factor in capital punishment determinations, Youngblood wrote.? ?The targeting of law enforcement officers is unconscionable and those who commit such heinous acts should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.?
In? ?2014,? 118 officers died in the line of duty, Youngblood added. This tragic statistic represents approximately one officer death every three days.? ?Law enforcement officers and other first responders have the right to go home to their families at the end of their shifts.?
Clearwater Police Chief Dan Slaughter was with Jolly when the congressman introduced the bill on Monday.
"This bill will give punitive options to the federal judges and juries that are consistent with the states, Slaughter said. The murdered public-safety personnel and their families should have those punitive options available for the federal courts to consider.
Jollys staff informed Sunshine State News on Thursday that they were seeking a sponsor for the bill in the U.S. Senate.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
