BATON ROUGE — State Rep. Lance Harris said no people deserve more protection than those whose job it is to protect and serve others.
That's why Harris, R-Alexandria, believes his "Blue Lives Matter" bill was embraced the Louisiana Legislature.
House Bill 953 would make attacks on police and other first responders hate crimes and would be the first such law specific to law enforcement in the country.
"It offers an extra level of protection for those who put their lives on the line to protect us every day, and it's symbolic of our appreciation for that service," said Harris, who is also chairman of the House GOP caucus. "We already had an extensive hate crime statute that covers many others; I think it's appropriate to add police and first responders."
Harris' bill won unanimous support in the House and overwhelming support in the Senate, and it's expected to become law sometime this week when Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, signs it as promised.
The governor's own law enforcement roots run deep.
His family has produced four generations of Tangipahoa Parish sheriffs, including his brother and current Sheriff Daniel Edwards.
"As the son and brother of a sheriff, I have the greatest respect for the men and women who put their lives on the line every day to serve and protect our communities, state and nation," Edwards said. "Police officers and firefighters often perform life-saving acts of heroism, oftentimes under very dangerous circumstances, and are integral in maintaining order and civility in our society.
"The members of the law enforcement community deserve these protections, and I look forward to signing this bill into law."
Edwards' spokesman Richard Carbo told Gannett Louisiana the governor will sign the bill sometime this week.
Harris, whose bill has generated national attention, said he believes there are cases where police are attacked "for no other reason that some people hate police. That's the definition of a hate crime," he said.
Harris said he was inspired to author the bill after he read about Deputy Sheriff Darren Goforth being murdered in Houston last summer.
"He was shot about 15 times when he was sitting in his police car by someone who hated police," Harris said.
But not everyone has signed on to Harris' bill, especially those who believe police are too often using excessive force against minorities, which inspired the "Black Lives Matter" movement.
“This idea that the police are under attack, well, all the statistics show that actually the opposite is true, and nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, police are actually even more protected. There’s been less violence against the police,” Ejike Obineme, of the New Orleans Chapter of the Black Youth Project 100, told WWL-TV. “Including ‘police’ as a protected class in hate crime legislation would serve to provide more protection to an institution that is statistically proven to be racist in action, policy, and impact.”
Louisiana Sheriffs' Association President Mike Stone said Harris' bill "makes a powerful statement to those of use in law enforcement, and it's one that we appreciate," he said.
"My philosophy is all lives matter, but I hope people realize that those of us in law enforcement overwhelmingly want to protect those in our communities," said Stone, who is sheriff of Lincoln Parish. "They are our neighbors and our own families. It's a hard job, sometimes a dangerous job, and this is bill shows that sacrifice is appreciated."
