BATON ROUGE, LA - A new bill was signed into law in Louisiana that makes it an arrestable offense to be within 25 feet of a law enforcement officer if the officer orders a person to step back.
Anyone who violates this new law could face up to six months in jail or a $500 fine. The law is intended to help police officers maintain control of a situation without the distraction or threat from nearby bystanders.
In recent years, more and more videos have emerged on social media and in mainstream news showing members of the public encroaching on police officers who are trying to achieve a law enforcement objective.
Police officers routinely order bystanders to stand back from a law enforcement interaction, but often to no avail.
Many argue that the liberal soft-on-crime policies and the anti-police rhetoric from these liberal communities have emboldened both criminals and community members to resist law enforcement demands.
“Nowadays, there’s no respect for the law. And because there’s no respect for the law, as soon as you [police] approach a subject, they automatically get an attitude that ‘I didn’t do anything wrong, you’re harassing me’. So they [the suspect] become combative right up front,’” Michael Letts, Founder and President of the non-profit organization, InVest USA, and LEO expert and advocate told LET.
Once a suspect becomes aggressive and combative, police officers are left with no choice but to revert to their training and proceed with the use-of-force continuum – verbal commands, restraining, handcuffing, etc.
It is at these moments where bystanders often get involved.
“The problem that we're having with everyone having a cell phone with a camera is everybody videos everything. They want to get as close as possible to make sure that they're capturing everything,” Michael said.
Police officers already have body-worn cameras and are generally aware that bystanders are recording the interaction, too. The issues arise when bystanders get too close and interfere with the police.
If bystanders are interfering, deliberately or not, that could elevate the risk level because the officers are still trying to manage the original suspect, especially if the suspect is combative.
“So now the officer is distracted and you know the position that they [bystanders] will take. ‘I'm not in your way. I'm not right on top of you. I have First Amendment rights. I'm allowed to film. I'm allowed to cover this’. And here's what you're trying to balance,” Michael said.
The question becomes, how close is too close?
“You are allowed to film your public servants in the performance of their duties, but you're not allowed to interfere with their performance. And that's where there's a gray line, because they may think, ‘I'm 2ft from you, but as long as I didn't touch it, you could do your job’. It's not just you're touching or you're keeping me from moving my hands to do my job, it's your distracting me from focusing on the suspect,” Michael said.
Louisiana’s 25-foot Law
Louisiana has become the first state to support the police that would give officers additional authority to charge people who don’t move outside the 25-foot perimeter when ordered.
“You can still exercise your First Amendment rights and film, but you have to do so in respect of the law and how he's [the officer’s] performing his duty, not just physically but mentally and visually,” Michael said.
Another aspect of the law is to give enough room for police officers to minimize visual distractions. When officers are physically dealing with a suspect, their senses are heightened. They are naturally assessing everything from the suspect to the environment around them.
“It’s not just a physical obstruction and performance of your duty, it’s also visual. And how important that visual is because, if you take your eye off the assailant for one second, give him the opportunity to draw a weapon you didn’t know he had… he [suspect] puts the general public at risk again,” Michael said.
The new 25-foot law is earning praise from the law enforcement community and is a great first step. It will help Louisiana police officers do their jobs effectively and keep the situation from escalating which will keep the public safe.
“I have not heard a lot of negative feedback yet. There will be some that will say so, but those are the kind [of people] that have no respect for the law to begin with. Unfortunately, this law had to pass because we have a change in public perception nowadays. People don't respect the law the way they used to. So I think this is a good balance. It's a great start,” Michael said.
One state down, forty-nine to go.
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To learn more about Michael Letts, visit https://michaelletts.us/ and his nonprofit organization InVest USA, go to https://investusa.org/
Writer Eddie Molina is a veteran with over 25 years of combined LEO/military service. He owns and operates the LEO apparel and accessory company www.BuyHeroStuff.com
Anyone who violates this new law could face up to six months in jail or a $500 fine. The law is intended to help police officers maintain control of a situation without the distraction or threat from nearby bystanders.
In recent years, more and more videos have emerged on social media and in mainstream news showing members of the public encroaching on police officers who are trying to achieve a law enforcement objective.
Police officers routinely order bystanders to stand back from a law enforcement interaction, but often to no avail.
Many argue that the liberal soft-on-crime policies and the anti-police rhetoric from these liberal communities have emboldened both criminals and community members to resist law enforcement demands.
“Nowadays, there’s no respect for the law. And because there’s no respect for the law, as soon as you [police] approach a subject, they automatically get an attitude that ‘I didn’t do anything wrong, you’re harassing me’. So they [the suspect] become combative right up front,’” Michael Letts, Founder and President of the non-profit organization, InVest USA, and LEO expert and advocate told LET.
Once a suspect becomes aggressive and combative, police officers are left with no choice but to revert to their training and proceed with the use-of-force continuum – verbal commands, restraining, handcuffing, etc.
It is at these moments where bystanders often get involved.
“The problem that we're having with everyone having a cell phone with a camera is everybody videos everything. They want to get as close as possible to make sure that they're capturing everything,” Michael said.
Police officers already have body-worn cameras and are generally aware that bystanders are recording the interaction, too. The issues arise when bystanders get too close and interfere with the police.
If bystanders are interfering, deliberately or not, that could elevate the risk level because the officers are still trying to manage the original suspect, especially if the suspect is combative.
“So now the officer is distracted and you know the position that they [bystanders] will take. ‘I'm not in your way. I'm not right on top of you. I have First Amendment rights. I'm allowed to film. I'm allowed to cover this’. And here's what you're trying to balance,” Michael said.
The question becomes, how close is too close?
“You are allowed to film your public servants in the performance of their duties, but you're not allowed to interfere with their performance. And that's where there's a gray line, because they may think, ‘I'm 2ft from you, but as long as I didn't touch it, you could do your job’. It's not just you're touching or you're keeping me from moving my hands to do my job, it's your distracting me from focusing on the suspect,” Michael said.
Louisiana’s 25-foot Law
Louisiana has become the first state to support the police that would give officers additional authority to charge people who don’t move outside the 25-foot perimeter when ordered.
“You can still exercise your First Amendment rights and film, but you have to do so in respect of the law and how he's [the officer’s] performing his duty, not just physically but mentally and visually,” Michael said.
Another aspect of the law is to give enough room for police officers to minimize visual distractions. When officers are physically dealing with a suspect, their senses are heightened. They are naturally assessing everything from the suspect to the environment around them.
“It’s not just a physical obstruction and performance of your duty, it’s also visual. And how important that visual is because, if you take your eye off the assailant for one second, give him the opportunity to draw a weapon you didn’t know he had… he [suspect] puts the general public at risk again,” Michael said.
The new 25-foot law is earning praise from the law enforcement community and is a great first step. It will help Louisiana police officers do their jobs effectively and keep the situation from escalating which will keep the public safe.
“I have not heard a lot of negative feedback yet. There will be some that will say so, but those are the kind [of people] that have no respect for the law to begin with. Unfortunately, this law had to pass because we have a change in public perception nowadays. People don't respect the law the way they used to. So I think this is a good balance. It's a great start,” Michael said.
One state down, forty-nine to go.
--
To learn more about Michael Letts, visit https://michaelletts.us/ and his nonprofit organization InVest USA, go to https://investusa.org/
Writer Eddie Molina is a veteran with over 25 years of combined LEO/military service. He owns and operates the LEO apparel and accessory company www.BuyHeroStuff.com
For corrections or revisions, click here.
The opinions reflected in this article are not necessarily the opinions of LET
Comments
2024-06-22T17:21-0500 | Comment by: thomas
Good job
2024-06-23T07:16-0500 | Comment by: David
Laws are worthless if they aren't enforced.