Texas Governor Seeks To Make Offenses Against Police A 'Hate Crime'

AUSTIN, TX — In the wake of killings of police officers in Dallas on July 7, Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday announced a plan to make the killing of police officers a hate crime.

Abbott is proposing what he calls the Police Protection Act, which would make it a hate crime for anyone to commit a crime against a law enforcement officer out of bias against the police, according to a prepared statement outlining the proposal.

The governor said he would ask the Texas Legislature to pass the Police Protection Act in the 2017 legislative session.

“At a time when law enforcement officers increasingly come under assault simply because of the job they hold, Texas must send a resolute message that the State will stand by the men and women who serve and protect our communities,” Abbott said.

“While our state and the nation continue to mourn the heroes lost in Dallas, it is time for us to unite as Texans to say no more,” Abbott said. “The men and women in uniform risk their lives every day to protect the public, and it is time we show them the State of Texas has their back. Texas will no longer tolerate disrespect for those who serve, and it must be made clear to anyone targeting our law enforcement officials that their actions will be met with severe justice.”

The proposed legislation includes the following proposals:

• Extend hate crime protections to law enforcement officers;
• Increase criminal penalties for any crime in which the victim is a law enforcement officer, whether or not the crime qualifies as a hate crime;
• Create a culture of respect for law enforcement by organizing a campaign to educate young Texans on the value law enforcement officers bring to their communities.

Abbott cited an example under current law to provide context. A charge of assault with bodily injury is generally punishable as a Class A misdemeanor, while assault on a public servant, including a law enforcement officer, is a third-degree felony, he noted. Under his proposal, in cases where the assault is on a law enforcement officer, the severity of the penalty would be increased as a second-degree felony.

“The recent shooting in Dallas is not the first time law enforcement officers in Texas have been targeted," Abbott said. "Our goal is to do everything possible to make it the last.”

In his press release on the measure, Abbott included quotes from a handful of proponents of his proposed legislation, including Ray Hunt, president of the Houston Police Officers Association.

"As a 26-plus year police officer in Houston, I’m extremely encouraged by Governor Greg Abbott’s legislative priority to make the State of Texas a national leader in protecting the lives of law enforcement officers," Hunt said in a prepared statement. "The attacks on law enforcement in Texas and the rest of our nation are unprecedented."

The executive director of the Texas Municipal Police Association, Kevin Lawrence, also endorsed the idea.

"We applaud Governor Abbott for recognizing the importance of protecting law enforcement officers in the state of Texas," Lawrence said. "False narratives and irresponsible anti-police rhetoric have put our officers in greater danger than ever before. This is an important step toward protecting those who protect the citizens of this great state."

The statement also included supportive statements from Ron Pinkston, president of the Dallas Police Association, and Grimes County Sheriff Donald Sowell, president of the Sheriffs' Association of Texas.

Abbott's "hate crime" proposal was unveiled one day after three more police officers were killed in neighboring Louisiana. On Sunday, news broke of an ambush during which three officers were shot dead in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, also reportedly by a gunman outraged over recent killings of black men by police.

A growing chorus of critics has pointed to the recent passage of "open carry" legislation as having added to the confusion of the day in Dallas on July 7, as police scrambled to identify the gunman amid chaos. But Abbott has yet to publicly address the matter and has introduced no legislation to repeal or somehow modify the law in the wake of evidence it complicated law enforcement efforts in Dallas.

On the day of the cop killings in Dallas, several people in the crowd donned their long rifles to express their Second Amendment rights — a public display allowed to occur after Texas enacted "open carry" on Jan. 1.

Critics of the law — including Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings — have said the "open carry" law exacerbated an already chaotic scene as police guarding the rally focused on gun-carrying protesters first. It's believed time may have been lost in identifying and neutralizing the shooter given the presence of law-abiding yet gun-carrying protesters.

Abbott's "hate crime" proposal comes six days after Texas Sen. John Cornyn announced his own plans to introduce legislation designed to fortify protection for law enforcement officials. His so-called "Back the Blue Act of 2016" would make the killing of an officer a federal crime. The new federal crime created as part of the act also would be applied for the killing of a federal judge.

Per its provisions, Cornyn's law would make the offender subject to the death penalty and a mandatory 30-year sentence. Sen. Cornyn's fellow in the U.S. Senate, Ted Cruz, would be an original co-signer of the bill, according to a press release announcing the plans.

“As our country continues to grieve following last week’s tragedy in Dallas, we must come together in support of those who risk everything to keep us safe,” Cornyn said in a written statement. “Law enforcement officers selflessly put their lives on the line every day to protect our communities, and in return they deserve our unparalleled support for the irreplaceable role they serve.”

The moves come after five police officers were gunned down in Dallas by Micah Xavier Johnson who was reportedly enraged over a series of killings of black men at the hands of police throughout the country. The killings of the five Dallas police officers came during a peaceful rally by member of the Black Lives Matter movement and their supporters, who were calling attention to perceived police brutality.