Blue Lives Matter: Needed or Not?

A new law signed by Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards last week makes it a hate crime to target police officers and other first responders.

Called the "Blue Lives Matter" bill, the law is the first of its kind in the nation, expanding Louisiana's hate-crime law to include police, firefighters and emergency medical services personnel.

“The overarching message is that hate crimes will not be tolerated in Louisiana,” Edwards told Fox News.

State Rep. Lance Harris authored the bill after Darren Goforth, a Texas sheriff, was shot to death at a Harris County, TX, gas station in 2015. Prosecutors say Shannon Miles murdered Goforth because he was a law enforcement officer, according to Click2Houston.com.

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However, some organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League, are opposed to the bill.

“Adding professional categories to the current Hate Crimes statute deters efforts from protecting against identity-based crimes,” Anti-Defamation League Regional Director Allison Padilla-Goodman told CNN. “We are not happy that it is being signed into law.”

Patch wants to know what you think. Does Georgia need a "Blue Lives Matter"-type of bill? Take our Patch poll and share your thoughts in the Comments.