Thin Blue Line Act Moves Toward Key Vote

SARASOTA, FL — A bill that would make it easier for prosecutors to seek the death penalty for convicted cop killers and those who attempt to take law enforcement officers’ lives goes up for a key panel vote in the U.S. House on Thursday. Members of the House’s Judiciary Committee are expected to take up the Thin Blue Line Act at 10 a.m.

The act, sponsored by Florida’s Vern Buchanan, was introduced in January following significant upticks in the number of police officers across the country killed in shootings and ambush-style attacks.

“Congress should do all it can to protect our police officers and first responders,” said Buchanan, a Republican from the Sarasota area. “My bill makes sure that anyone who targets law enforcement officers is held accountable.”

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The bill seeks to make the murder or attempted murder of a police officer, firefighter or other first responder an “aggravating” factor in death penalty determinations. Essentially, that means seeking death in such cases could be easier.

According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, there were 144 line-of-duty deaths in 2016 across the United States. Of that number, 63 involved shootings, three were attributed to assaults and one to a stabbing incident. The numbers represent a 56 percent spike nationally in fatal shootings, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, Buchanan noted in a Wednesday statement. The number of ambush-style killings rose by 167 percent in 2016, he added, citing information from the National Association of Police Organizations.

“The legislation would be applicable whether the person is murdered on duty, because of the performance of their duty, or because of their status as a public official,” a statement from Buchanan’s office said. The legislation is meant to cover all levels of first responders, at the local, state and federal level. The only requirement is that the homicide must involve federal jurisdiction. That means the murder must take place on federal land, during a joint task force operation or during other similar circumstances.

Thursday’s hearing comes in the wake of 39 law enforcement deaths in 2017 so far. Thirteen of those deaths involved shootings, including the highly publicized death of Orlando Police Lt. Debra Clayton.

Clayton, 42, was a 17-year veteran of the Orlando Police Department. She was gunned downed after police say she encountered Markeith Loyd, 41, at a Walmart store off John Young Parkway on Jan. 9. Clayton was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center, but the mother of one, succumbed to her injuries.

Loyd had been a wanted fugitive since Dec. 13, 2016, when he was accused of killing his pregnant ex-girlfriend, Sade Dixon, 24, and wounding her brother.

Buchanan’s bill was introduced shortly after Clayton’s death.

The judiciary committee intends to live stream Thursday’s hearing. Watch the video below starting at 10 a.m. April 27 to see how the bill, which also has 20 co-sponsors, fares:

Whether the Thin Blue Line Act will make it to President Donald Trump’s desk remains to be seen. The bill does not yet have a companion in the U.S. Senate. To read the full text of the bill, visit the U.S. House online.

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