DES PLAINES – As violence against law enforcement officers increases, State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) joined police chiefs and other public officials to call for change.

“There is a national trend of increased violence against law enforcement officers,” Murphy said. “The very people who put their lives on the line daily to protect us deserve to be protected.”

Murphy was joined by State Representative Marty Moylan (D-Des Plaines), State Senator John Connor (D-Lockport) and other representatives and public officials Thursday to outline proposed legislation designed to help protect law enforcement personnel.

House Bill 4159, which Murphy hopes to lead through the Senate, would create the Police Protection Act to increase penalties for assault and harassment offenses against members of law enforcement. Under the measure assaults harassment and “officer targeting” would be a classified as Class 3 felony.

Further, state’s attorneys from each county would be required to submit an annual report that outlines the number of offenses in which a law enforcement officer was a victim, the charges filed and the ultimate disposition of each case. 

The proposed legislative package follows recent statistics reported to the FBI citing that over 60,000 law enforcement officers were injured in the line of duty in 2020 alone.

“We must work to restore respect of law enforcement personnel in our communities in efforts  to keep our communities safe,” Murphy said. “That starts by building mutual trust between our officers and the community.”