State Representative Frank Burns voted for House Bill 1538 that called for officials to wait thirty days after a police related shooting to release names of the officers involved. Burns explained, “This would give a cooling off time and it protects the police officer from a rush to judgment and potential violence for them and their family.”
The bill passed easily through the house and the senate but was vetoed by Governor Wolf. Governor wolf says he vetoed it because he wants more transparency. The other part of the bill calls for these situations to be investigated by an independent source. Burns says that this part of the bill should ease minds about transparency.
He said, “We have all heard about instances where there have been some cover ups, and information hasn’t been released in a timely manner. This independent investigation would eliminate that. It’s all the more reason to support the bill.”
In the new year, Burns looks to reintroduce a bill that has been coined the “Blue Lives Matter Bill.” This would elevate crimes against police to be considered as hate crimes. For example, a misdemeanor of the third degree would be upgraded to a felony.
A hate crime is currently defined by the FBI as a criminal offense against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity. Burns believes this should include police officers. He explained, “They are being targeted because they are police officers wearing that uniform. If they were walking down the street and nobody knew they were police officers, they wouldn’t be targeted.”
Burns said with recent shootings in Dallas and in Pittsburgh, they need to draw the line and protect the police. We asked Burns when or if the same line will be drawn when an officer uses their weapon unjustly. He said, “We draw the line when a crime is committed. We try the person who commits the crime. But these attacks on police officers, are assassinations.” He continued, “If we have a situation where, let’s say a police officer oversteps his boundaries, that police officer should be held accountable.”
If reintroduced, the bills would be voted on in the new year.