Staff Report
From the Office of Attorney General Luther Strange
(MONTGOMERY)–Attorney General Luther Strange announced that the Alabama Senate has approved a bill in his legislative package that sets a felony penalty for disarming a law enforcement officer. Attorney General Strange advocated this legislation to provide better protection for law enforcement officers.
Senate Bill 91 is sponsored by Sen. Tammy Irons. This legislation is pending in the House of Representatives, where it has had a first reading and was referred to the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee.
“During my first year as Attorney General, I have been honored to meet with law enforcement officers throughout Alabama and I am impressed and grateful for their dedication to protect our citizens and enforce our laws,” said Attorney General Strange. “In return, these officers deserve state laws that provide strong and effective defense and deterrence against those who would harm them. I am pleased that this law will make Alabama safer for our citizens and for these heroic public servants. I want to thank Sen. Tammy Irons for her leadership in gaining approval of this bill by the Alabama Senate. ”
Senate Bill 91 provides tough penalties for the disarming of a law enforcement officer. Under current law there is no specific crime for disarming a law enforcement or corrections officer. This bill would make it a class C felony to intentionally remove a firearm or weapon, or to deprive a law enforcement or corrections officer of its use when the officer is acting within the scope of his duty and the person reasonably should have known that this was a law enforcement or corrections officer.
