Protecting the Officers and First Responders That Protect Us
There is a growing movement to stand-up for members of law enforcement and first responders and I can see why. Unfortunately, members of law enforcement are sometimes targeted for no other reason than they are police officers. Being a law enforcement officer is already dangerous, but it has become more dangerous recently as radical elements target police through violent and nonviolent means.
Violence against police is why I sponsored last year’s Blue Alert Bill, which was signed into law. A Blue Alert allows police departments and the Missouri Department of Public Safety to issue a text message alert, much like an Amber Alert, anytime a police officer is assaulted in the line of duty. The intent of the alert is to help quickly apprehend violent offenders. The law enforcement community enthusiastically supported the Blue Alert Bill.
This year, I have filed another bill to help protect members of law enforcement but it’s not about violence and it goes far beyond just protecting members of law enforcement. Senate Bill 750 increases penalties for a nonviolent form of harassment that is sadly becoming more and more common – false liens and other types of paperwork that are being repeatedly filed against police officers and judges, particularly in the St. Louis area.
Radical elements are targeting our police and judges for harassment by filing false liens against their property. When the targeted individual tries to sell their house or take out a loan, they suddenly discover their property may have as much as a six-figure lien against it from an unknown entity. When Senate Bill 750 was heard in committee this week, one police officer testifying in favor of the bill called this type of harassment “paper terrorism.”
In addition to increasing penalties for filing false paperwork, Senate Bill 750 also sets up a process to help identify and prosecute false document filings so victims can resolve the situation sooner.
This issue was brought to my attention by St. Louis County Police and by Rep. Kirk Mathews, R- Pacific. Because of the increasing prevalence of these activities in our state, I am working to move this bill quickly this session and get it to the governor’s desk for consideration. The sooner we can make this bill law, the sooner victims can begin resolving the false paperwork attacks filed against them and their families.
As Chairman of the Transportation, Infrastructure, and Public Safety Committee, many bills dealing with law enforcement officers come before my committee for consideration. When considering each one, I work to ensure that we are protecting the men and women that protect us.
Thank you for reading this weekly column. Please contact my office at (573) 751-3678 if you have any questions.