Sen. Toomey introduces three bills to help protect law enforcement officers

U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) recently introduced three separate bills intended to provide additional layers of protection for law enforcement officers across the country.

“My legislation stands for two simple propositions: First, America’s law enforcement officers should be at least as well armed as the criminals and terrorists who attack them,” Toomey said. “Second, if someone takes the life of a public safety officer, that person should expect to pay a very high price. With National Police Week, which is dedicated to remembering our fallen officers, only days away, I believe it is time to send this message loud and clear.”

Toomey’s first bill, the Lifesaving Gear for Police Act, reverses a May 2015 Executive Order from the Obama Administration that restricted the transfer of excess military equipment, such as riot helmets and certain military vehicles, to local law enforcement. The bill also requires that all previously-seized equipment be returned to each local police department.

The second bill, the Lieutenant Osvaldo Albarati Correctional Officer Self-Protection Act, requires the Bureau of Prisons to provide a controlled, safe means for correctional officers to store their personal firearms at work, either in a central storage facility or in a prison-approved lockbox.

The bill was named after Lt. Osvaldo Albarati, who was shot dead while driving on an expressway. The officer was not able to defend himself due to bureau policy that restricts an officer’s ability to carry their personal firearms to and from work.

The Thin Blue Line Act requires a jury to consider certain “aggravating” factors during a death penalty consideration. Current law dictates that if a murder victim is a federal law enforcement officer or federal prosecutor, that distinction should weigh as an aggravating factor in favor of the death penalty. Toomey’s bill extends that same level of consideration to local law enforcement officers as well.