Crime bill would enforce life in prison or the death penalty for killing law enforcement

A bill introduced in the House by Rep. Mike Garcia (R-CA) would amend existing laws to say that those convicted of killing law enforcement personnel would be sentenced to life in prison or the death penalty, if certain criteria are met.

The law would include federal, state, or local law enforcement, and are meant to combat recent efforts to defund police.

“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 about the bill.

“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," he continued.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) is introducing a version of the bill in the Senate.

The bill, called the Sgt. Steve Owen Defending Our Defenders Act after a murdered police officer, was introduced last year with Republican support but could not get through the Democrat-controlled House or Senate at that time.