Republicans Introduce Bill to Make Sure Police Killers Get the Death Penalty or Life in Prison

Republicans in the House of Representatives and the Senate are coming together to introduce a bill that would punish the murder of a federal law enforcement officer with the penalty of death or life in prison.

Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Calif., and Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, introduce Sgt. Steve Owen Defending Our Defenders Act, first seen by DailyMail.com, which would make the murder of a state, local or federal police officer a felony punishable by death or life without parole if certain factors are met aggravating factors.

Killing a federal law enforcement officer is already considered a factor for the death penalty, but the new bill would build on current law to include state and local officers and expand the factors a jury must consider for the death penalty. death penalty.

The bill can include state and local officials through rules that allow the federal government to have jurisdiction over crimes that cross state lines: if the defendant travels between states, uses a weapon that has traveled between states, or uses any type of related interstate communication with the offense, you would be eligible. for the death penalty or life in prison without parole under the law.

The legislation also lists new ‘aggravating factors’ that trigger punishment, including ambushing an officer, previous statements promoting violence against an officer, any affiliation with anarchist or violence-promoting groups, occurrence during an anti-police protest or previous threats of violence against an officer.

The bill is named for the late Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Sgt. Steve Owen, who lived in the Garcia district and was killed in the line of duty by him in 2016.

The 53-year-old father of three was shot five times outside an apartment complex on October 5, 2016 while responding to a burglary call in Lancaster, California. He had been on the force for 29 years.

Owen’s killer, Trenton Lovell, was on probation when he committed the murder. He got life without parole after pleading guilty to killing Owen and a host of other crimes.

Republicans in the House and Senate are coming together to introduce a bill that would make killing a federal law enforcement officer punishable by death or life in prison.

Owen’s wife, Tania, was Garcia’s guest at this year’s State of the Union.

Garcia said he introduced the bill after anti-police protests in recent years.

“The Defund the Police movement and the far-left’s soft policies on crime have severely hampered the ability of police officers to cope with skyrocketing crime rates and have put these brave men and women in further danger. than ever,” Garcia said in a statement. . “We must do more to care for our heroic law enforcement officers who risk their lives to keep our communities safe.”

“An attack on an officer is an attack on our democracy, and those criminals must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Cotton said. “This bill will subject those who kill police officers to the punishment they deserve, life imprisonment or the death penalty.”

The bill comes after Congress voted to strike down Washington, DC’s new criminal laws and President Biden signaled he would sign such a bill in a stunning rebuke of the city council and the liberal push for home rule and DC statehood.

The citywide legislation would repeal mandatory minimum sentences and reduce maximum sentences for crimes like robbery and carjacking. It also allows almost all misdemeanor charges the right to a jury trial.