Rep. Ken Buck Wants To Make Assaulting A Police Officer A Hate Crime
GREELEY, Colo. (CBS4)- Colorado Congressman Ken Buck wants to make assaulting a police officer a federal hate crime.
"There are more officers being targeted because of the fact that they're police officers," said Rep. Ken Buck, a Republican representing Colorado in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Buck believes it's time Congress did more to protect those who protect us. He has introduced legislation that would add law enforcement to the list of groups protected under the federal hate crime statute.
"And if anybody assaulted or killed a police officer, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and federal prosecutors would have the opportunity to investigate and prosecute those crimes," said Buck.
The bill comes amid increasing accusations of police brutality and racial profiling that have given rise to the "Black Lives Matter" movement. Buck is calling his bill "Blue Lives Matter."
"It's not meant to be derogatory in any way it's meant to say very unequivocally that it is absolutely wrong to target police officers simply because they area police officers," said Buck. "I've spent 25 years in law enforcement and 10 years as the District Attorney in Weld County. I've worked with a lot of great police officers and I want to make sure that when they go home to their families they area protected."
The federal hate crimes statute covers people who are targeted because of disability, race, religion and sexual orientation. Law enforcement would be the first profession to receive protected status.