Indiana lawmakers are proposing legislation that would protect law enforcement officers who are targeted in attacks while off duty.
State Senator Jim Merritt was joined Tuesday by a group of officers, lawmakers and other public safety officials at the Indiana Statehouse as he announced his proposal aimed at protecting police and their families, according to The Indianapolis Star.
The move comes after eight officers were killed in ambush attacks in Baton Rouge and Dallas in July. In Indianapolis, two officers have been shot and injured during that same time while another officer's home and parked police cruiser were fired on more than a dozen times.
"We have to instill in everybody that our public safety officers are our heroes," Merritt said. "It now seems as though, around our country, they are under attack."
Some law enforcement officers have expressed concerns to lawmakers about being fearful of parking their marked cars in their driveways so that they aren't targeted.
While Merritt's bill is not yet written, he said his plan likely would change the state's criminal code to increase penalties when an officer is the target of violence -- even if the officer is not on the clock.
Currently, some criminal charges -- such as battery -- allow the state to upgrade the charge to a more serious one if an on-duty officer is attacked, but those charges don't include enhancements when an off-duty officer is targeted.
