Tillis co-sponsors bill increasing penalties for attacks on police officers

WASHINGTON (WTVD) -- U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-NC, is a co-sponsor of the Thin Blue Line Act, a bill that aims to increase penalties for criminals who target police officers.

The Thin Blue Line Act would make the targeting, killing, or attempted killing of a police officer an aggravating factor in favor of maximum sentences. The aggravating factor already applies to federal law enforcement, but the Thin Blue Line Act would apply this to local and state law enforcement as well.

In just the first month of this year, 34 police officers were shot in the United States, a release from Tillis' office shows. The number of officers shot in the line of duty has more than doubled since 2020.

"Law enforcement officers go to work every day not knowing whether they'll return home safely to their families," Tillis said. "I am proud to introduce this legislation to increase the penalty for targeting and attacking our brave men and women in law enforcement and to make criminals think twice before targeting them with violence."

The proposed legislation also enhances the penalty when a defendant targets a prosecutor or first responder solely because of the nature of their job function.