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PORTER INTRODUCES THE "SERGEANT HENRY PRENDES MEMORIAL ACT OF 2007"
05/10/07PORTER INTRODUCES THE “SERGEANT HENRY PRENDES MEMORIAL ACT OF 2007”
Legislation increases penalties for cop killers
Washington, D.C. – In honor of the National Peace Officer’s Memorial Service, Congressman Jon Porter today introduced the Sergeant Henry Prendes Memorial Act of 2007. In response to the 2006 murder of a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officer, Porter introduced legislation that stiffens penalties for those who kill, or attempt to kill, a public safety officer while that officer is engaged in official duties.
“In the tragic case of Sergeant Prendes, had his killer lived, we would have demanded he be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Porter said. “With the enactment of my legislation, we can ensure that these ruthless killers receive the harshest possible punishments.”
Specifically, the Sergeant Henry Prendes Memorial Act of 2007 states that “whoever kills, or attempts or conspires to kill, a federally funded public safety officer while that officer is engaged in official duties…shall be punished by a fine under this title and imprisonment for any term of years not less than 30, or for life, or, if death results and the offender is prosecuted as a principal, may be sentenced to death.” The term “public safety officer” means an individual serving a public agency in an official capacity, as a judicial officer, law enforcement officer, firefighter, chaplain, or as a member of a rescue squad or ambulance crew.
Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Lamar Smith applauded Porter’s legislation, “I commend Congressman Porter for his leadership on this issue. America's public safety officers put themselves in danger to protect the rest of us from harm. This bill shows them the gratitude and respect they deserve. It also sends a clear signal to criminals: target a police officer and you will pay a steep price.”
The legislation has received the endorsements of the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Organization of Police Officers, the Peace Officer Research Association of California and the International Association of Firefighters.
Legislation increases penalties for cop killers
Washington, D.C. – In honor of the National Peace Officer’s Memorial Service, Congressman Jon Porter today introduced the Sergeant Henry Prendes Memorial Act of 2007. In response to the 2006 murder of a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officer, Porter introduced legislation that stiffens penalties for those who kill, or attempt to kill, a public safety officer while that officer is engaged in official duties.
“In the tragic case of Sergeant Prendes, had his killer lived, we would have demanded he be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Porter said. “With the enactment of my legislation, we can ensure that these ruthless killers receive the harshest possible punishments.”
Specifically, the Sergeant Henry Prendes Memorial Act of 2007 states that “whoever kills, or attempts or conspires to kill, a federally funded public safety officer while that officer is engaged in official duties…shall be punished by a fine under this title and imprisonment for any term of years not less than 30, or for life, or, if death results and the offender is prosecuted as a principal, may be sentenced to death.” The term “public safety officer” means an individual serving a public agency in an official capacity, as a judicial officer, law enforcement officer, firefighter, chaplain, or as a member of a rescue squad or ambulance crew.
Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Lamar Smith applauded Porter’s legislation, “I commend Congressman Porter for his leadership on this issue. America's public safety officers put themselves in danger to protect the rest of us from harm. This bill shows them the gratitude and respect they deserve. It also sends a clear signal to criminals: target a police officer and you will pay a steep price.”
The legislation has received the endorsements of the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Organization of Police Officers, the Peace Officer Research Association of California and the International Association of Firefighters.
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