Republicans put forth bill to make sure cop killers get the death penalty or life in prison

Republicans in the House and Senate are teaming up to introduce a bill that would make killing a federal law enforcement officer punishable by death or life in prison.

Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Calif., and Senator Tom Cotton, R-Ark., introduce the Sgt. Steve Owen Defending Our Defenders Act, first reviewed by DailyMail.com, which would make the murder of a state, local or federal police officer a crime warranting the death penalty or life without parole if certain aggravating factors are met.

The killing of a federal law enforcement officer is already considered a factor for the death penalty, but the new bill would build on the current law to include state and local officials and expand the factors considered by a jury for the death penalty must be taken.

The bill could include state and local officials under rules that give the federal government jurisdiction over crimes that cross state lines — if the defendant is traveling interstate, using a weapon that has traveled interstate, or using any form of interstate communication related to the felony, they would be eligible for the death penalty or life without parole under the law.

The legislation also lists new “aggravating factors” triggering the sentence, including ambushing an officer, previous statements promoting violence against an officer, ties to anarchist or violence-promoting groups, acting during a protest against police or previous threats of violence against an officer.

The bill is named after Deputy Sgt. Steve Owen, who lived in Garcia’s precinct and was killed in the line of duty in 2016.

The 53-year-old father of three was shot five times outside an apartment complex on Oct. 5, 2016, while responding to a burglary call in Lancaster, California. He had been with the police for 29 years.

Owen’s killer, Trenton Lovell, was on parole when he committed the murder. He was given life without parole after pleading guilty to Owen’s murder and a slew of other crimes.

Republicans in the House and Senate are teaming up to introduce a bill that would make killing a federal law enforcement officer punishable by death or life in prison

Owen’s wife Tania was Garcia’s guest at this year’s State of the Union.

Garcia said he introduced the bill after anti-police protests in recent years.

“The Defund the Police movement and the soft-on-crime policies of the far left have seriously hampered police officers in their ability to cope with skyrocketing crime rates and have put these brave men and women in greater danger than ever.” Garcia said in a statement. . “We must do more to care for our heroic law enforcement officers who risk their lives to keep our communities safe.”

“An attack on an officer is an attack on our democracy, and those criminals should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Cotton said. “This bill will subject those who kill police to whatever punishment they deserve, life in prison or the death penalty.”

The bill comes after Congress voted to overturn Washington, D.C.’s new crime laws and President Biden signaled he would sign such a bill in a stunning rebuke of the City Council and the liberal push for self-government and statehood in DC.

Citywide legislation would remove mandatory minimum sentences and lower maximum sentences for crimes such as carjackings and robberies. It also gives nearly all felony charges the right to trial by jury.