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Sunday, August 14, 2016

Should Killing a Police Officer Be a Hate Crime?

Hoping to deter deadly attacks against police officers, some states want to expand hate-crime laws, which are traditionally confined to characteristics such as race and ethnicity, to cover people who work in law enforcement.

Nearly every state has a hate-crime statute that increases penalties for offenders motivated by hatred of a victim’s race, religion, sexuality or other personal characteristic. Louisiana in May became the first state to add police to the list when it passed “Blue Lives Matter” legislation. Now half a dozen additional states are considering similar changes to their hate-crime laws.

Supporters argue the measures, which are backed by police, are a deterrent and send a strong message to police officers that the community stands behind them. Forty-one officers died in the line of duty last year, according to the FBI, and the recent killings of officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge have fueled calls for new measures to keep them safe. President Barack Obama, for example, is considering lifting the ban that blocks police departments from using military-grade equipment.

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14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes if the killer and Cop are of opposite races.

Anonymous said...

Hate is not a crime.
Destruction of property is a crime.
Murder is therefore a crime.
Why the need for another qualification?

Anonymous said...

Killing ANYONE is hate.

Anonymous said...

The term hate crime is racist by origin murder is murder but a statement needs to be made.

Anonymous said...

It should be automatic death penalty and carried out at the earliest, as with all death penalties......

Anonymous said...

Absolutely!

Anonymous said...

The endurance of the concept of 'hate crime' shows that the liberal/progressives use of the old Nazi propaganda tactic works.

Just keep saying it over and over and over and over and over and over again until it becomes ingrained and accepted in daily discourse.

"Hate crimes."

lmclain said...

The President is "considering lifting the ban that blocks police departments from using military-grade equipment".....
Of course he is.
Send it to Chicago first. THEN, "we, the people" might take that BS seriously.
Keep cheering.

Anonymous said...

why is their life more important then anyone else's? you kill you forfeit your own. easy peasy!

Anonymous said...

Cop Lives Matter.

Anonymous said...

5:19
You are not a philosopher.
You don't understand language.

Hate is not murder. Hate is not a crime.
Hate is a THOUGHT. So far, there are no thought crimes . . . YET.

Murder is a crime.
Isn't that enough?

You want to take away my ability to hate?
You can't have love if you don't have hate.
I hate murderers.
I hate people who illegally enforce statutory laws against US citizens.
I hate cops who don't understand the US Constitution.
I hate bad people.
I hate evil.
I hate Satanists.
I hate Satan.

Get it?

Anonymous said...

Absolutely. Without a doubt.

Anonymous said...

If you kill a cop the cops should kill you!!!

Anonymous said...

NO, NO and NO. Murder is a crime period. Hate or no hate. There are different degrees ie. during a shoot out, premeditated, anger, accidental, and so on, but labeling this as hate crimes is stupid. period