Rep. Watkins' Bill for Officers Passes Committee

A Kentucky House committee on Wednesday approved legislation sponsored by Rep. Gerald Watkins that would toughen the penalty for people who attempt to murder a police officer or firefighter.  
 
Watkins posted a Facebook photo of himself Wednesday afternoon with two Covington Police Dept. detectives, the President of the Kentucky Sheriff’s Association, and the President of the Kentucky Firefighters. The photo was taken after the bill passed through committee on a unanimous vote. 

The measure would require suspects to serve at least 85 percent of their sentence before being eligible for probation or parole. Watkins said if there is no serious injury, current law requires the suspect to serve only a minimum of 20 percent of the sentence.
 
Several police officers and firefighters testified on behalf of the bill, 

Pendleton County Sheriff Craig Peoples said, "We believe that this bill is important for law enforcement across the Commonwealth, due to the day and age of the attacks that we're getting from citizens or criminals across the state. We feel that this is important to set a precedence, and let criminals know that it's not time to have open season on law enforcement officers."
 
The bill now goes to the full House.