Indiana has one upped Texas, supports ex-Marines

[Senji]

Indiana Governor Signs Bill Allowing Citizens To Use Deadly Force Against Police Officers Into Law

Republican Governor Mitch Daniels has signed Senate Enrolled Act 1 into law in Indiana. The new law allows citizens to use deadly force against police officers they think are illegally entering their homes. Earlier this month, Addicting Info reported that the bill had passed the Senate. Republicans say the bill is designed to keep police safe, but Democrats say the bill will lead to the wanton killing of police officers.

Rep. Craig Fry, a Democrat, says the bill “is going to cause people to die and it’s too late after somebody dies for a jury to sort it out. Somebody’s going to die, whether it’s a police officer or an individual who thinks a police officer is entering their home unlawfully. People are going to die.”

Fry’s colleague, Democratic Rep. Linda Lawson, a former police captain, says the bill would create an “open season on law enforcement,” and it is opposed by “1,250 state police officers and 14,000 men and women in blue, brown and green.”


The new law reverses a state Supreme Court ruling that homeowners do not have the right to use force against law enforcement officials who they believe are illegally entering their homes. According to the Evansville Courier Press, an Evansville resident fought a police officer who followed him into his house during a domestic dispute call. “The state Supreme Court found that officers sometimes enter homes without warrants for reasons protected by the law, such as pursuing suspects or preventing the destruction of evidence. In these situations, we find it unwise to allow a homeowner to adjudge the legality of police conduct in the heat of the moment,” the court said. “As we decline to recognize a right to resist unlawful police entry into a home, we decline to recognize a right to batter a police officer as a part of that resistance.”

While announcing his decision to sign the bill into law, Governor Daniels tried to claim that the law doesn’t declare an open season on police officers.

“Today is an important day to say: Indiana’s outstanding law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every day to protect all Hoosiers. The right thing to do is cooperate with them in every way possible. This law is not an invitation to use violence or force against law enforcement officers. In fact, it restricts when an individual can use force, specifically deadly force, on an officer, so don’t try anything. Chances are overwhelming you will be breaking the law and wind up in far worse trouble as a result.”

But Governor Daniels is merely attempting to put political spin on a bad bill. Indeed, Daniels admits that he nearly vetoed it precisely because the bill could be grossly misinterpreted and could lead to killings of police and citizens. This law is basically a loophole for citizens to kill police officers and claim self-defense. There are many people out there who think no police officers have the right to enter homes or property, even if there is a warrant.

As the state Supreme Court said, sometimes police officers have to enter homes to prevent the destruction of evidence or to prevent someone from grabbing a weapon in their home to use against police or someone else. Sometimes police must pursue suspects in their homes. But this bill reverses that ruling and gives those suspects the legal authority to slay police officers. It’s the equivalent of Florida’s ‘Stand Your Ground’ law that led to the killing of Trayvon Martin. In that incident, George Zimmerman believed he had the legal right to gun down a kid for walking through the neighborhood simply for being a young African American male strolling around the community at night. Zimmerman, believing the innocent boy to be a threat, followed him and then shot him to death. Because of the Florida law, Zimmerman remains a free man because he can claim self-defense. This Indiana law will allow people to do the same thing to police officers on their property and in their homes. It makes the already dangerous job of law enforcement even more dangerous and will ultimately lead to the legal murder of police officers who are just trying to do their job.

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2012/03...cers-into-law/

[ronin sparthos]

What the fuck? lol

What situation would this bill cover that couldn't be covered by existing legislation or handled in a situational fashion?

[Sepukku]

This is all kinds of messed up. It all depends on the perception of the resident, a la Zimmerman's perception of danger?! So, imagining I live in Indiana, if I perceive a cop is entering my home illegally (without warrant or justification) in Indiana, I could theoretically shoot him? It goes by what I perceive?? Do I have this right? If so.... woooooooooooooooooooooooooow. Texas, eat your heart out.

[Tajin]

Indiana: home of drug lords and mafiosos.

[jmc]

Im saddened to see this bill actually pass.

I have worked law enforcement for 5 years now, and nearly every residence I enter (within legal right) someone has always accused me of being inside illegally.

I do not see this ending well for anyone.

[archibaldcrane]

This is completely fucking insane.

Appropriate title.

[Gregorio]

This is going to end in disaster. Just look at the other thread for all the people who think the officers were illegally in the former marine's house. Those idiots are going to start shooting cops based on their lack of knowledge of the law.

[BaneTheBrawler]

wow. I'm all for defending yourself... but this is just terrible.

[Churchill]

What I don't understand is the converse of this situation, how can there be a law saying you can't use force against a police officer you feel has entered your home unlawfully? That sounds a little ridiculous and completely unconstitutional.

It's sort of the Catch-22 of conducting a raid, if you kick someones door in there's a chance they're going to shoot you regardless of whether they are guilty, good, bad, ugly. The circumstances of your raid by itself can cause an equal and deadly reaction and I personally don't see any logical or lawful way to deem it otherwise.

[Sera]

Fuck it, let's just make shooting everyone legal. There's enough individual laws to add up to that now anyway. Why not cut the pretense?

[Xno Kappa]

Cause it's an 187 on undercover cop.

[djzombie]

open season on law enforcement

be vewy vewy quiet, i'm hunting popo.

[Lucavi]

I'm willing to bet that most people in Indiana that the cops are showing up to are more heavily-armed than the police officers, so yeah, better start making riot and SWAT gear standard issue.

Hell, does this law carry over to SWAT team members? Can a gun-nut start going crazy and popping off on SWAT members that show up? How about the DEA if they're trying to make a drug bust at the guy's house?

This law is a joke, and the right-wingers lobbying for this shit are the biggest crooks of all. All this lobbying and potential killing for a few bucks and votes.

[Ath]

This bill, coupled with the bill Mitch signed that defunded planned parenthood (and I think Obama called him out on it), not to mention the right-to-work law that was signed basically the same weekend as the Super Bowl, is part of the reason some of us in Indiana don't like Mitch too much.

I fear for our boys and girls in blue.

Because of this law, I hope that the cops themselves won't show up at a person's house and be prepared for a fight (basically having more guns and potential riot control), because that could escalate the situation quickly, allowing it to get out of hand.

[ronin sparthos]

So which situation is gonna happen first?

A black cop is shot to death by homeowner who thought the cop was a burglar.
Cops shoot a homeowner they thought was reaching for a weapon.
Violent shootout leads to cops and homeowners both sustaining injuries or deaths.

[Azull]

Im saddened to see this bill actually pass.

I have worked law enforcement for 5 years now, and nearly every residence I enter (within legal right) someone has always accused me of being inside illegally.

I do not see this ending well for anyone.

If i was an officer in IN i would resign now...law is total BS and makes an already unsafe job even more dangerous.

[Ragnus]

I'm going with police officers striking and having absolute chaos for a few days.

[Acevalefor]

So which situation is gonna happen first?

A black cop is shot to death by homeowner who thought the cop was a burglar.
Cops shoot a homeowner they thought was reaching for a weapon.
Violent shootout leads to cops and homeowners both sustaining injuries or deaths.

The answer is A if the homeowner is of mixed race and lives in Florida...

[TacoTaru]

Look everyone, I know you're turbs jelly of my state right now, but someone has to make a law in favor of all the meth heads we have around here.

[Dimmauk]

Fuck it, let's just make shooting everyone legal. There's enough individual laws to add up to that now anyway. Why not cut the pretense?

I'm pro-death, so I love this idea.